Rep. Sean CastenVerified account

1 year ago Saturday, 5 people lost their lives & many more were injured when a gunman entered an Aurora, Illinois workplace & began shooting. 2 years ago Friday, a former student entered a #Parkland FL high school & killed 17 innocent students, critically injuring just as many.

The anniversaries of these two tragedies make it absolutely clear that we have a #GunViolence problem in this country, where mass shootings happen far too often.

When I ran for Congress, I vowed to take legislative action to combat this epidemic: like voting to pass universal background checks and supporting an assault weapons ban.

Today, I introduced the Gun Trafficker Detection Act with @RepRobinKelly and @RepTedDeutch, which would create a federal requirement that gun owners must report their gun if lost or stolen within 48 hours.

This requirement would help law enforcement identify & prosecute traffickers, who often claim their gun was lost or stolen when it turns up at a crime scene across state lines.

The bill would also make traffickers liable for any damage done by their guns and makes repeat violators ineligible to buy guns for five years.

Efforts by states like #Illinois to prevent gun violence are often undermined by traffickers taking advantage of the looser laws in neighboring states like Indiana.