[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 8 (Friday, January 12, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E39-E40]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     SECURING DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FIREARMS ACT OF 2O17

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                  HON. HENRY C. ``HANK'' JOHNSON, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 9, 2018

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4433.
  H.R. 4433, the Securing DHS Firearms Act of 2017, makes the Under 
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsible for 
the security of sensitive assets, such as badges, firearms, or other 
weapons.
  This legislation directs the DHS's Under Secretary to create and 
disseminate a directive. This directive should designate which assets 
should be classified as sensitive, the requirements for securing and 
safeguarding sensitive assets, and the methods to record and report 
lost assets. H.R. 4433 also directs the Under Secretary to revise the 
Personal Property Asset Management Program Manual, which contains the 
procedures and trainings for safeguarding sensitive assets, guides for 
recording lost assets, and requirements that a lost asset file contain 
both a DHS report and a corresponding police report.
  H.R. 4433 is vital to safeguard sensitive assets that could result in 
loss of life and significant mission derailment if lost. From 2014 to

[[Page E40]]

 2016, DHS purportedly lost 2,141 sensitive assets, including firearms, 
badges, and secure immigration stamps. In many of these cases, DHS 
personnel acted recklessly and were not held accountable for improperly 
safeguarding their sensitive assets. Furthermore, DHS personnel often 
fail to track down their lost sensitive assets. H.R. 4433 will address 
this loose behavior by holding the Under Secretary of the DHS 
accountable for ensuring that sensitive assets are kept safe.
  I am particularly concerned with safeguarding sensitive assets due to 
the increase in stolen guns within Georgia's 4th district and the state 
as a whole. The Atlanta police chief recently reported that 954 guns 
were stolen from cars in Atlanta last year. This represents a 40 
percent increase in the number of firearms stolen from cars compared to 
2015. However, this is not just a Georgian problem--a study by Harvard 
and Northeastern researchers this past year estimated that roughly 
380,000 firearms are stolen in the U.S. every year. One of the best 
ways to address this issue is through prevention. By strengthening the 
expectations and rules for firearm ownership within the DHS, we can do 
a small part to reduce the number of stolen guns in Georgia and across 
the country.
  As a member of the Judiciary committee, I have worked consistently to 
promote responsible gun ownership. I cosponsored legislation that 
required the review of U.S. policy regarding capture, custody, 
treatment, judicial proceedings, and repatriation of suspected 
`unlawful enemy combatants.' With these past legislative actions in 
mind, I support H.R. 4433 and urge my fellow members to do the same.

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