Reps. Castle & McCarthy Praise Bloomberg Investigation of Illegal Sales at Gun Shows

October 9, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- Reps. Mike Castle (R-DE) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), House architects of the Gun Show Loophole Closing Act (HR 2324), today praised Mayor Bloomberg's undercover investigation by the City of New York of illegal sales of firearms at gun shows in three states, and the report's recommendation for closing the gun show loophole.

Reps. Castle and McCarthy believe that now is the ideal time for HR 2324 to gain traction in Congress as Senator Frank Lautenberg introduced similar legislation and on the 2008 Presidential campaign trail, the concept enjoyed the bipartisan support of both candidates.

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"The report issued today by Mayor Bloomberg further reveals that criminals use gun shows to easily bypass background check laws. We could not agree more with the report's findings and key recommendations. Closing the gun show loophole and requiring background checks on all gun sales at gun shows, and ensuring ATF has adequate resources to enforce current laws, is imperative for making sure firearms do not fall into the hands of criminals. These are commonsense safety measures that we know can save lives. As the sponsors of the Gun Show Loophole Closing Act, we are hopeful that Congress will finally take steps to prevent firearms sales from going around the law."

"We thank Mayor Bloomberg for his commitment to keeping our communities safe, and look forward to working together with him, Congressional colleagues, and President Obama, on singing into law legislation to once and for all require background checks on all gun sales at gun shows."

To view the full report, Gun Show Undercover: Report on Illegal Sales at Gun Shows, please visit www.nyc.gov/gunshow.

Source: Rep .Carolyn McCarthy