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If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. FEDERAL FIREARMS UCENSING HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY _ HOUSE OF REPRESE~TTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JUNE 17, 1993 Serial No. 24. NCJRS ocr 26 1994 i Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 73-253 CC WASmNGI'ON : 1994 For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents, Congre~sional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402 ISBN 0-16-044182-X MAY 2 6 1994 COMMl'ITEE ON THE JUDICIARY JACK BROOKS, Texas, Chairman DON EDWARDS, California HAMILTON FISH, JR., New York JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan CARLOS J. MOORHEAD, California ROMANO L. MAZZOLI, Kentucky HENRY J. HYDE, minais WILLIAM J. HUGHES, New Jersey F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., MIKE SYNAR, Oklahoma Wisconsin PATRICIA SCHROEDER, Colorado BILL McCOLLUM, Florida DAN GLICKMAN, Kansas GEORGE W. GEKAS, Pennsylvania BARNEY FRANK, Massachusetts HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas HOWARD L. BERMAN, California STEVEN SCHIFF, New Mexico RICK BOUCHER, Virginia JIM RAMSTAD, Minnesota JOHN BRYANT, Texas ELTON GALLEGLY, CaliforrJa • GEORGE E. SANGMEISTER, Illinois CHARLES T. CANADY, Florida CRAIG A. WASHINGTON, Texas BOB INGLIS, South Carolina JACK REED, Rhode Island BOB GooDLATTE, Virginia JERROLD NADLER, New York ROBERT C. SCOTl', Virginia l'AVID MANN, Ohio MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina XAVIER BECERRA, California JONATHAN R. YAROWSKY, General Counsel RoBERT H. BRINK, Deputy General Counsel ALAN F. COFFEY, JR., Minority Chief Counsel • SUBCOMMlTI'EE ON CRIME AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York, Chairman DON EDWARDS, California F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan Wisconsin ROMANO L. MAZZOLI, Kentucky LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas DAN GLICKMAN, KHnsas STEVEN SCHIFF, New Mexico GEORGE E. SANGMEISTER, Illinois JIM RAMSTAD, Minnesota CRAIG A. WASHINGTON, Texas GEORGE W. GEKAS, Pennsylvania DAVID MANN, Ohio ANDREW FOIS, Counsel DAVID YASSKY, Assistant Counsel LYLE NIRENBERG, Minority Counsel 150790 • U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice This document has been reproduced exactly as received from the i person or organization originating it. Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or poliCies of the National Institute of Justice. Permission to reproduce this £ • material has been granted by Public Domain/103rd Cbngress u.s. House of Representatives to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). Further reproduction outside of the NCJRS system requires permission of the ~owner. • j] CONTENTS HEARING DATE Page June 17, 1993 ........................................................................................................... 1 OPENING STATEMEN'f • Schumer, Hon. Charles E., a Representative in Congress from the State of New York, and chairman, Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice .................................................................................................................. 1 WITNESSES Aborn, Richard M., president, Handgun Control, Inc., Washington, DC .......... .. 68 Archer, Steven, Simke, Chodos, Silberfeld & Anteau, Los Angeles, CA ........... " 58 Daily, Edward, accompani~d by JeJT Grabman, agent, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ........................................................................................ .. 8 Farley, William, Ches9.peake, MD ........................................................................ .. 55 GA!:~~, ~~~hl~gt~~, ~et~~.~~~~~ ...~~~~.~~~: ... ~~~~~~.~~... ~~~.~ ... ~~.~~~.i.~:~~~ ... ~: 71 Higgins, Stephen E., Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury, accompanied by Brad Buckles, Deputy Chief Counsel, and Gerald A. Nunziato, Special Agent in Charge, National Tracing Center .................................................................................................... 14 Shaw, Bernard, first sergeant, Maryland State Police Licensing Division, Woodlawn, Md ..................................................................................................... 48 Travis, Jeremy, deputy commissioner, legal matters, New York City Police Department, New York, NY .............................................................................. .. 51 LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING Abom, Richard M., president, Handgun Control, Inc., Washington, DC: January 29, 1993, letter to Congressman Lamar Smith ................................ .. 109 Archer, Steven, Simke, Chodos, Silberfeld & Anteau, Los Angeles, CA: Prepared statement ............................................................................................ .. 60 Gardiner, Richard E., legislative counsel, National Rifle Association of America, Washington, DC: . Prepared statement ......................................................................................... 75 Statement before the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Services, March 26, 1993 ......................................................................................................... 81 .. Higgins, Stephen E., Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury: Guns recovered from Branch Davidian compound ....................................... 35 Information concerning the illegal gun market ............................................ 31 Memoranda issued to all regional directors (Compliance) between November 17, 1992 Rnd June 16, 1993 ...................................................... 38 Prepared statement ........................................................................................ .. 18 .Respons!,! to Chairma~ Schumer's questions ................................................. 40 NatIOnal AllIance of Stockmg Gun Dealers: Prepared statement ..................... .. 86 Ramstad, Hon. Jim, a Representative in Congress from the State of Minnesota: Prepared statement ........................................................................ .. 8 .' (III) IV Page Schumer, Hon. Charles E., a Representative in Congress from the State of New York, and chairman, Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice: A list of the "Dirty Dozen" rogue gun dealers and case summaries ................ 3 Shaw, Bernflrd, first sergeant, Maryland State Police Licensing Division, Woodlawn, MD: Prepared statement .................................................................. 50 Simon, Hon. Paul, a 5enator in Congress from the State of lllinois: Prepared statement ................. ....... ........... ........ ........... ..................... ............. ...................... 63 Travis, Jeremy, deputy commissioner, legal matters, New York City Police Department, New York, NY: Prepared statement ............................................. 54 .. • FEDERAL FIREARMS LICENSING THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 1993 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE, COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 12:09 p.m., in room 2237, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Charles E. Schumer (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Representatives Charles E. Schumer, Don Edwards, John Conyers, Jr., David Mann, F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Lamar S. Smith, and Jim Ramstad. Also present: Andrew Fois, counsel; David Yassky, assistant counsel; Rachel Jacobson, secretary; and Lyle Nirenberg, minority • counsel. OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN SCHUMER Mr. SCHUMER. The hearing will come to order. The Chair has received a request to cover this hearing in whole or in part by television broadcast, radio broadcast, still photog­ raphy, or by other similar methods. In accordance with committee rule 5, permission will be granted unless there is objection. With­ out objection. This hearing will examine flaws in the regulation of gun dealers. These loopholes have enabled criminals to arm themselves with thousands upon thousands of guns. In the worst, most distressing cases, it is actually the dealers themselves who are the criminals. The regulations we have for gun dealers would be unthinkably lax in any other context. Imagine a substance that is useful if han­ dled properly but can be highly dangerous, even deadly, in the wrong hands-a new drug, a toxic chemical. Common sense would .. dictate that we should regulate something like that, that it should be sold only by responsible dealers who can be easily monitored by a government agency. That indeed was the intent of the Gun Con­ trol Act of 1968. That law recognized that guns are highly dan­ gerous, and it set up a system in which only licensed dealers can sell them, and these dealers are subject to rules forbidding them to sell to felons or other dangerous people. Well, it sounds great on paper, but in practice the system has fallen into complete disrepair. The National Rifle Association, along with compliant friends in Congress, has made a mockery of the sys­ tem. Now anyone who !:an afford the $10 a year fee can get a li­ cense. You don't have to actually operate a store. You don't have to show that you are in compliance with State law or that the store • (1) 2 will keep the guns secure. You don't even have to be a human being, as one journalist showed recently by getting a license for his dog. The ATF, the agency in charge of monitoring gun dealers, is prohibited by statute-if you can believe this-by

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