Online:
Visits:
Stories:
Profile image
Story Views

Now:
Last Hour:
Last 24 Hours:
Total:

Lawmaker pushes for 200 more ATF agents to enforce gun laws

Sunday, January 8, 2017 23:34
% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

(Before It's News)

U.S. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee wants to add 200 more positions to the ATF's current 5,026 employees (Photo: ATF)

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee wants to add 200 more positions to the ATF’s current 5,026 employees (Photo: ATF)

A Texas Democrat quietly proposed a bill to add some more muscle to the staff of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives last week.

The bill, H.R.62, was filed by U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee on the first day of the new Congress. It would add some 200 additional agents and investigators to the multi-pronged agency tasked specifically to enforce gun laws.

The ranks of ATF Industry Operations Investigators, or IOIs– who conduct qualification and compliance inspections on Federal Explosives Licensees and Federal Firearms Licensees such as gun dealers, pawnshops and manufacturers– has remained constant at about 800 over the past decade. The ATF had 2,618 special agents as of 2015– a 15 year high.

Over the years, Lee has been a staunch advocate of ramping up gun regulation while championing increased dialog with between police and the neighborhoods they patrol.

Lee, who sits on both the House committees for Homeland Security and Judiciary, has represented the Downtown Houston area in Congress since 1995 after a stint on the Houston City Council. and a term as a municipal judge.

It was a busy week for Lee, leading a protest of the Electoral College vote described as a “last-ditch effort” to stop President-elect Trump from taking office while joining with other members of Congress to address the impacts of the nomination of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., as the new Attorney General.

H.R. 62 has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary and has no co-sponsors.

The post Lawmaker pushes for 200 more ATF agents to enforce gun laws appeared first on Guns.com.



Source: http://www.guns.com/2017/01/09/lawmaker-pushes-for-200-more-atf-agents-to-enforce-gun-laws/

Report abuse

Comments

Your Comments
Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

Top Stories
Recent Stories

Register

Newsletter

Email this story
Email this story

If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.