Rep. Maxwell Frost introduces bill that aims to prevent illegal gun resales
A new bill that Congressman Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat, has filed aims to go after gun dealers who knowingly sell firearms that end up in the wrong hands.
Frost said it's to crack down on crime and illegal resales of the weapons.
"We got to make sure that there's a high degree of regulation here to make sure that we're staying safe," Frost said.
Frost said some people also known as straw purchasers are buying a gun from a dealer and then reselling it to someone who isn't qualified to have one.
"Roughly 90% of guns used in crimes come from just 5% of dealers. So, we know who these dealers are," Frost said. "It's a very well-known thing is this, there's loopholes that allow them to continue selling."
The bill would boost license application requirements for gun dealers, increase licensing fees and add a new definition for "high-risk dealers."
A gun shop owner would be labeled a high-risk dealer if they had a violation or warning in the past three years, had firearms either lost or stolen within the preceding year or were the source of two or more guns that were used in crime if it happened three years or less since the sale.
"We're not clairvoyant," Carey Baker said who is a former Republican Florida senator and owner of A.W. Peterson gun shop in Lake County. "We're doing our best to sell to honest people."
Baker feels the bill punishes gun dealers who are following the law.
"Every one of my customers goes through a background check," Baker said. "This legislation doesn't focus on the criminals. I mean, we get punished if my gun shop has broken into and guns are stolen, then I get punished under his bill… Let's enhance punishment for people that break into gun dealers."
The bill would make gun retailers labeled as high-risk dealers keep video and audio records of all gun sales, install a burglar alarm, and lock guns in a safe when the business is closed.