Bill To Tighten Rifle Reporting Rules Introduced By Rep. Brad Schneider

DEERFIELD, IL — A bill aiming to bring the reporting requirements for rifles like the AR-15 and AK-47 into line with required disclosures for the sale of handguns was introduced last week in the U.S. Congress. The proposal comes less than two weeks after the mass shooting in Las Vegas, in which the alleged shooter had an arsenal of various long guns, including many semiautomatic rifles.

The Multiple Firearm Sales Reporting Modernization Act would require federally licensed gun dealers report the sale of two or more long guns within any five-day period. It was introduced by Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Deerfield), Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona, CA) and Eliot Engel (D-New York, NY) Wednesday.

“Each day more innocent lives are claimed, and more families are devastated by senseless gun violence,” Schneider said. “It’s outrageous that long guns such as AR-15s are exempt from the reporting requirements that apply when someone purchases multiple handguns. This bill is a commonsense update to apply the same rules to all firearm purchases.”

“This bill is a long-overdue update.” Torres said. “Our law enforcement agencies need to know if anyone is stocking up on AR-15s and AK-47s. The multiple sales reporting provision that is already on the books has helped our law enforcement go after handgun trafficking rings across the country. There is simply no reason why we should exempt semi-automatic rifles from that provision.”

“Too often after tragedies like Las Vegas, we ask why someone didn’t see this coming,” Engel said. “ATF is able to track the sale of handguns, but extending that to all firearms is an important first step to address the gun violence crisis in this country.”

Current federal law requires sellers of firearms to send a report to law enforcement anytime two or more handguns are purchased within a five-day period. That part of the code dates back to a time when handgun crime was seen as more of a threat. However, the trio of Democrats say since then, semiautomatic rifles have gotten a lot more common on the streets of American cities and deployed extensively by Mexican cartels.

_{Top photo via Pasco County Sheriff, Patch archive}