WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) released the following statement today regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold a federal law requiring gun buyers to disclose when they are buying firearms for other people, a practice known as "straw" purchasing.
“I am very pleased that the Supreme Court upheld this reasonable law because it is good policy that will save lives in Connecticut and nationwide. This ruling ensures that law enforcement will keep a necessary tool to prevent criminals from sending other people into gun stores to buy weapons and skirt the federal background-check system. The Court’s decision is a victory, but it’s long-passed time for Congress to step up and pass commonsense legislation to reduce gun violence.”
Himes is a cosponsor of the Gun Trafficking Prevention Act (H.R. 452), which provides penalties of up to 20 years in prison for the purchase or transfer of a gun if the intended recipient is legally prohibited from owning the firearm.