NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on October 9 held a roundtable on illegal guns, announcing a plan to make gun trafficking a federal crime for the first time. According to statistics from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 2013, some 70% of firearms that were traced and recovered in New York came from out of state, but there is no federal law to punish traffickers who illegally bring guns across state lines.

Gillibrand has introduced the Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking & Crime Prevention Act of 2015, which is named for two teenage girls who were killed by stray bullets in separate incidents. The law would make it a crime to “sell or otherwise transfer two or more firearms to someone whom the seller knows, or has reasonable cause to know, is prohibited by federal, state or local laws from owning a firearm, such as a convicted felon, or a domestic abuser.”

Further, it would make it illegal to “purchase or otherwise acquire two or more firearms if the recipient knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, that such receipt would be in violation of any federal, state, or local law.”

Gillibrand said, “We all have a moral obligation to make our voices heard and say enough is enough. The absence of any federal law defining gun trafficking as a crime in this country is shocking. Cracking down on gun trafficking and keeping illegal guns off our streets should not be a Republican or Democratic issue because it is just common sense. By cracking down on illegal gun traffickers and their vast criminal networks, we can stop the flow of illegal guns and save innocent lives.”

“The state Senate Democrats were instrumental in passing the NY-SAFE Act and have led the fight to curb gun violence and protect lives while also respecting Constitutional rights,” said New York State Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. “Unfortunately, other states do not have such rigorous protections, which has contributed to illegal firearms making their way into New York through the ‘Iron Pipeline,’” which is the route from southern states where firearms are purchased to northern states such as New York and New Jersey, where the guns are sold.

Gillibrand has sponsored similar legislation in the past, and now her legislation likely has the support of a majority of members of the Senate. In 2013, a gun-control measure garnered a vote of 58 senators in favor, just two votes shy of ending a filibuster. However, even if the bill should pass in the Senate, members of the House are not likely to pass any legislation that makes it more difficult for anyone to buy guns.

Gillibrand’s legislation has the support of the group New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. On the other side of the issue, the National Rifle Association opposes the legislation and has taken the position that gun violence in the United States should be addressed by shoring up the country’s system of treating mental health issues.