PA Bill Number: HB917
Title: Adopting the Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act.
Description: Adopting the Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act. ...
Last Action: Presented to the Governor
Last Action Date: Apr 29, 2024
Congress urged to boost ATF funds to fight gun trafficking :: 09/15/2015
Brooklyn Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is pushing for a $60 million funding hike to combat gun trafficking through the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms — going after the so-called iron pipeline that funnels illegal guns into New York.
“The guns used to commit crimes in New York City aren’t manufactured in New York City and they’re not purchased in New York City. They’re coming from states in the deep South, up the I-95 corridor, and from the neighboring state of Pennsylvania,” Jeffries said Monday at a City Hall press conference.
Citing the Labor Day shooting of state lawyer Carey Gabay, who is now in a coma, he and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-Brooklyn) wrote a letter to President Obama asking him to secure the new ATF funding in the upcoming federal budget, which is due Oct. 1.
“Why do we continue to underfund this agency in the midst of a gun violence epidemic in America?” Jeffries said. “For years Congress has failed to adequately fund the ATF. This has been part of a deliberate effort to prevent the ATF from doing its job. That is shameful. Over the next few weeks we have an opportunity to correct the situation.”
The House of Representatives’ budget would fund the agency at $1.24 billion a year.
Jeffries said the extra money would allow the ATF to expand its “surge” operations in high-crime areas, which target illegal gun selling with stings and undercover operations and said he was “hopeful” the program would come to Brooklyn neighborhoods like East New York and Brownsville.
While Jeffries name has been floated as a possible challenger to Mayor de Blasio, he said Monday the city is already doing its part.
“I’m confident that the administration, certainly Police Commissioner Bratton, are focused on doing everything they can to deal with the recent increase in gun violence and shootings in New York City. The state legislature took an important step a few years ago in terms of strengthening state laws,” he said.
“The federal government has to step up ... to make sure that they’re doing everything possible to prevent the flow of illegal guns.”
