[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 124 (Thursday, September 26, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9414-S9415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE DROP IN FEDERALLY LICENSED FIREARMS DEALERS IN AMERICA

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, earlier this week the Violence Policy 
Center, VPC, released a new study entitled ``The Drop in Federally 
Licensed Firearms Dealers in America.'' It found that the number of gun 
dealers holding Type 1 Federal Firearms Licenses, FFLs, a basic license 
to sell guns, dropped 74 percent from 245,628 in January 1994 to 63,881 
in April 2002 or more than 181,000. The State of Michigan experienced 
the third largest reduction in the U.S., a drop of 75 percent from 
12,076 dealers in 1994 to 3,016 in 2002.
  According to the study, the decrease is the result of licensing and 
renewal criteria contained in the Brady Law and 1994 Federal crime 
bill. These changes were designed to reduce the number of private, 
unlicenced gun dealers who operate out of their homes and garages. I 
voted for the Brady Bill and Federal crime bill, and I am pleased that 
they appear to be working the way Congress intended. The study also 
suggests that enhanced enforcement and prosecution of gun laws at the 
federal, state, and local level have had a significant impact.
  The drop in gun dealers is an important step in the effort to reduce 
firearms violence in the U.S. But despite this decline, private, 
unlicenced dealers are still supplying guns to gangs, drug dealers, and 
street criminals. In light of their findings, the Violence Policy 
Center proposed several recommendations to keep guns out of the hands 
of criminals. One of the VPC recommendations is to close the loophole

[[Page S9415]]

which allows dealers to shift firearms from their business inventory to 
their personal collections and then sell those guns without performing 
a background check. This proposal deserves serious consideration to 
evaluate whether it will help to keep guns out of the hands of 
criminals and those prohibited under law from possessing a gun.
  I urge my colleagues to support commonsense gun safety legislation.

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