House Dems call for action on law enforcement selling restricted weapons
Days after a CBS News report, a group of House Democrats on Tuesday called on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to take action published a survey Dozens of law enforcement officers caught breaking the law guns for saleeven weapons of war, in 23 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
democracy Rep. Robert Garcia The California governor, who serves on the House Oversight and Homeland Security committees, wrote to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Director Steven Detelbach saying he was concerned about reports that some law enforcement officers “have used their positions to obtain and illegally distribute firearms.” express serious concern.” ”
Garcia included in the letter represent. And Goldman Sachs new york and Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost The state of Florida has given the ATF until January 15, 2025 to address a series of questions about serious system vulnerabilities exposed by a CBS News investigation.
“The report demonstrates that current regulations and enforcement mechanisms for machine guns, sawn-off shotguns and rifles may have serious systemic gaps that allow the proliferation of dangerous weapons, often into the hands of international traffickers and organized crime groups, endangering public safety,” they wrote. road.
Members of Congress pointed out in the letter that according to Latest available ATF data Between 2017 and 2021, nearly 26,000 firearms were traced to government agencies, law enforcement or the military from crime scenes in the United States. While some guns may have been lost due to negligence, thousands of guns reported missing by law enforcement agencies were later found to have been improperly sold or traded, the letter said.
A CBS News investigation uncovered at least 50 cases of police illegally selling weapons online, through dealers, at home or in the backseat of a car, many with hefty markups.
Lawmakers cited the disturbing case of Bradley Wendt as an example of a broader pattern in law enforcement. Bradley Winter, the former police chief of Adair, Iowa, was convicted earlier this year on federal charges of obtaining a military-grade firearm under false pretenses. he sentenced to five years in prison.
CBS News found in court records that Winter’s profit margins sometimes exceeded 90%.
Local U.S. law enforcement agencies need permission from the ATF to use high-performance weapons used by U.S. and NATO forces in conflict zones, such as battlefield weapons, including machine guns. A CBS News investigation found that the bureau often does not review whether machine gun applications are appropriate for a department or track the weapons’ final destination. Although the law has been in place for more than thirty years, The bureau won’t start reviewing every application until 2023.
Lawmakers highlighted their concerns that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms does not have a comprehensive review process to ensure law enforcement requests for high-performance weapons are legal.
“We are deeply concerned that the lack of rigorous oversight and follow-up audits allows individuals to exploit these loopholes and circumvent federal law,” the lawmakers wrote.
contributed to this report.
