Congressman Robert Garcia Calls on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to Investigate Audit Procedures and Safeguards Involved in Illegal Sales of Weapons

Washington, D.C. – This week, Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42), joined by Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Congressman Maxwell Frost (FL-10), sent a letter to Director Steven Dettelbach from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) requesting information on the agency’s efforts to combat the trafficking or resale of firearms by independent law enforcement agencies. The letter requests information on the ATF’s efforts to prevent the illegal sale of restricted firearms. A CBS News investigation found that 58 law enforcement officers, including police chiefs and sheriffs, used government loopholes to get restricted guns and illegally sell them for profit, fueling violent crime and cartel activity. 

An excerpt of the letter can be found below:

“We are writing to express grave concerns around troubling reports of certain law enforcement officers exploiting their positions to acquire and illegally distribute firearms. Reporting suggests that there may be serious systemic vulnerabilities in current machine gun and sawed-off shotgun and rifle regulations and enforcement mechanisms, jeopardizing public safety by enabling the proliferation of dangerous weapons, often into the hands of international traffickers and organized crime groups. We look forward to partnering with you to continue to prevent improper trafficking of weaponry, which continues as a serious security challenge in the United States and internationally.” 

Congressman Garcia is a staunch believer in common sense gun violence prevention. He has called on the Secretary of the Army for transparency on the government’s role in manufacturing commercial ammunition used in some of the deadliest mass shootings. Congressman Garcia, alongside Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (FL-25), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), introduced the “Ammunition Modernization and Monitoring Oversight (AMMO) Act,” which would restrict bulk sales of ammunition, would require businesses who sell ammunition to obtain the same federal license as gun dealers, and would require businesses to conduct a background check on buyers. As former Mayor of Long Beach, he spent his time in office publicly supporting gun reform at the state and local level. In Congress, Congressman Garcia has cosponsored legislation such as the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2023 and the Assault Weapons Ban of 2023.

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