Sen. Blakespear’s Legislation to Clamp Down on Gun Trafficking Passes Committee

SACRAMENTO – Legislation by Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, to clamp down on gun trafficking was passed Tuesday by the Senate Public Safety Committee.

SB 15 requires greater scrutiny of gun dealers providing high numbers of firearms for criminal activity. In addition, the legislation allows the Department of Justice (DOJ) to revoke dealer licenses for two years for those who willfully fail to comply with DOJ requirements for an inspection of their premises or don’t correct violations within 90 days.

“We have an epidemic of gun violence in this country, and we need to do all we can do to prevent it,” said Sen. Blakespear. “Far too many guns make their way into the hands of criminals, and we need to make sure that’s not due to bad acting or poorly run gun shops. SB 15 improves reporting and oversight to limit gun trafficking.”

From 2017 to 2021, over 1 million lost or stolen firearms were reported to authorities, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Of those, nearly 35,000 firearms were stolen from licensed dealers and another 13,145 were stolen in interstate shipments, which are often used to transport firearms between manufacturers and dealers.

Theft can happen when dealers are not closely monitoring their inventory, not following rules or acting in bad faith. SB 15 is designed to tighten scrutiny and rules to reduce thefts and other gun trafficking, and help stop the flow of guns to criminals.  

The legislation is sponsored by Giffords Law Center.

Today, there are more firearms than people and more dealers than all McDonalds, Burger King, Subway and Wendy’s restaurants combined in the United States. Considering the number of firearms circulating throughout the country, it is not surprising that many firearms are lost, stolen, or end up associated with a crime.

Sen. Blakespear represents Senate District 38. Her constituents live in northern San Diego County and southern Orange County. To learn more about the district and Sen. Blakespear, visit her Senate website.