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9-26-2024 11:23pm
Mass AG Campbell Co-Leads Multistate Coalition Supporting Federal Gun Trafficking Regulations
Darlene Cancell
Editor
Thanks to the Massachusetts Office of Attorney General for contributing this news to Westwood Minute.
BOSTON — Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell on September 25th announced that she, along with New York Attorney General Letitia James, have co-led a coalition of 22 attorneys general in support of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) rule that helps prevent illegal gun trafficking by requiring private gun sellers to obtain a license and perform background checks on potential buyers. The multistate coalition filed an amicus brief in Texas v. ATF arguing that the ATF’s rule is necessary to protect public safety and prevent domestic abusers and other dangerous individuals from illegally obtaining guns.
“Without oversight, private gun sales can put deadly weapons in the hands of those who shouldn't have them, endangering our neighborhoods,”said AG Campbell. “I am proud to co-lead this national effort to support common sense gun rules that uphold public safety while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners.”
After the mass shooting at the Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, NY and the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Congress enacted the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which closed certain loopholes that allowed gun traffickers and criminals to obtain guns without undergoing background checks. In particular, the law expanded the definition of persons “engaged in the business” of dealing firearms to include additional private sellers, requiring them to obtain a federal license and run background checks when selling firearms.
The coalition argues that gun sales by unlicensed private sellers make it easier for people who cannot legally purchase firearms to obtain them, endangering communities and fueling gun violence. From a mass shooting at a bar in St. Paul, Minnesota that left one dead and 14 people injured, to the murder of a Chicago Police officer, to a mass shooting at a block party in Brooklyn that left eight people injured, the AGs say that trafficked guns have been used to carry out catastrophic violence in American communities. The ATF’s rule is intended to make it more difficult for dangerous individuals to illegally obtain guns while still allowing responsible gun owners to purchase firearms. The coalition alleges that the ATF’s rule will curb gun trafficking and protect public safety.
This matter is AG Campbell’s latest effort to combat the nationwide gun violence epidemic. In November 2023, AG Campbell launched the Gun Violence Prevention Unit (GVPU), which has leveraged the tools of the AG’s Office to bolster and enforce the state’s nation-leading commonsense gun laws. Last month, AG Campbell co-led another coalition in urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to uphold a district court’s determination that Cook County, Illinois’ ban on selling and possessing assault weapons is consistent with the Second Amendment.
Joining AGs Campbell and James in filing this amicus brief are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
This matter was handled by State Solicitor David Kravitz, Deputy State Solicitor Anna Lumelsky, and Director Christine Doktor and Deputy Director Ryan Mingo of the AGO’s Gun Violence Prevention Unit.
