Wyden bill holds gun dealers accountable for illegal sales

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Tuesday he has joined his Senate colleagues in introducing legislation that would ensure gun dealers are not engaging in illegal sales and provide the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with clear enforcement mechanisms.

“Gun violence deserves more than just thoughts and prayers, it demands real action by Congress,” Wyden said in a news release. “This legislation takes a long-overdue critical step in the right direction, holding gun dealers accountable for illegal sales, reducing the number of guns that fall into the wrong hands.”

The Keeping Gun Dealers Honest Act would authorize increased inspections of gun dealers to ensure compliance standards are met, increasing penalties for serious offenses, and strengthening the Department of Justice’s authority and discretion in enforcing gun laws.

Additional cosponsors of the bill include Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Ed Markey, D-Mass., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

Text of the legislation can be found here.