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Jun 6, 2006 8:41 pm US/Eastern
New Yorkers Push Anti-Gun Trafficking Measure
NYPD Chief Kelly, Rep. King State Case In Washington
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
New York officials still smarting from a severe cut in anti-terrorism funding asked Congress on Tuesday to help them on another security issue: choking the stream of illegal guns from out of state.
New York Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly and Long Island Rep. Peter King renewed their three-year effort for a bill named after two slain NYPD detectives.
King, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, insisted the measure had more momentum than in past years due to added pressure from big city leaders like Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has waged a very public campaign for Congress to enact anti-gun trafficking laws.
King's legislation would create a new federal crime for those who use stolen firearms with obliterated serial numbers during the commission of felonies. Wiping a gun of its serial number is a common practice among gun traffickers.
"We believe that there's really a scourge of gun trafficking in our country," said King, a Republican who offered the bill with Rep. Martin Meehan, a Boston-area Democrat.
King conceded it would be a fight to get his bill passed, particularly when the House is more likely to pass legislation Bloomberg has dubbed "god-awful" because it prevents local officials from obtaining aggregate gun trace data. The data could be used in lawsuits against dealers or manufacturers of handguns.
Opponents of New York City's efforts argue such data collection could jeopardize criminal investigations in other parts of the country.
King and Kelly dismissed that notion.
"We've got to go on offense. We can't just sit back and complain about it," King said. "As a more conservative Republican, I historically believe in states' rights, but the fact is this transcends state lines."
The National Rifle Association said Tuesday it hadn't had a chance to review King's bill.
Kelly said cracking down on illegal guns would also have a spillover effect to fighting the drug trade.
"New York City police, and I know police throughout the country, certainly in big cities, see the nexus between drug dealing and guns every day," Kelly said.
Relations between the federal government and the city have been rocky since the Department of Homeland Security announced last week it was cutting anti-terror grants to the city by 40 percent, from $207 million to $124 million.
King and other elected officials were outraged, but the agency insists it will not change the figure.
The congressman said Tuesday he has heard numerous explanations for the cut and finds none of them believable. He has sought reams of data about how DHS came up with the funding cut and said he plans to hold a hearing into the funding process later this month
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
