A new law targeting gun traffickers, called the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, has allowed the Justice Department to charge more than 250 people and prosecute 207 over the past 16 months, Devlin Barrett reports for the Washington Post. The law has also led to the seizure of over 1,300 guns, including 190 AR-style rifles that are frequently a weapon of choice in mass shooting attacks.
The law created two criminal statutes prohibiting firearms trafficking and straw purchasing and allows for stronger prison penalties, in particular for straw purchases. Before the law, straw-purchase cases were often frustrating for law enforcement officials to prosecute. Eighty people were charged with violating the law’s provision against straw purchasers. Under the new law, convicted straw purchasers are far more likely to face prison time and gun law violations can be considered as potential racketeering cases, which could lead to larger cases and longer prison sentences. The bill also strengthened background checks and provided funding for states to implement red-flag laws and steers hundreds of millions of dollars to mental health treatment as part of the effort to stem the tide of gun violence in America.
from The Crime Report https://ift.tt/l5qfUQk
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