Here’s a breakdown of the stories right now at www.democratandchronicle.com. Virginia Butler, Democrat and Chronicle

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Rep. Joe Morelle on Monday introduced gun legislation to address gun theft while in Rochester.

While in Rochester Monday, Morelle (D-NY) introduced a Gun Theft Prevention Act, saying the legislation will strengthen regulations for gun shops to better protect the community.

“Over 30% of guns identified in a crime have been stolen – yet licensed gun dealers are not required to take even the most basic precautions to protect these dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands,” Morelle said.

In Rochester, Chinappi’s Firearms and Supplies in Parma has been burglarized seven times since 2007, he said. Last year, the store was burglarized twice in one week, he said.

In 2017, more than 575 gun shops were robbed nationwide, releasing thousands of guns onto the streets that were later traced to instances of violent crime, according to a news release from Morelle’s office.

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Joe Morelle

✔@RepJoeMorelle

Right now, gun shops are not even required to do as little as lock their doors at night, let alone take any extra precautions to prevent theft and ensure their guns don’t fall into the wrong hands. This is unacceptable.

That’s why I introduced the Gun Theft Prevention Act.

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“This is negligent, it is dangerous, and we must do everything in our power to prevent it from continuing,” he said in a news release. “That’s why I’m so proud to introduce this legislation to strengthen regulations for gun shops and better protect our streets from the devastation of gun violence.”

Under the proposed legislation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives would be required to inspect all gun dealers every three years and to complete annual inspections of “high risk” dealers who have a history of firearms that have been sold from the store, lost or taken and have also been traced to a crime, he said.

Under the proposed law:

  • Gun shop employees would be required to pass the same background check as a gun buyer.
  • Gun shop owners would be required to keep an inventory of the firearms in stock and conduct an annual inventory check to see if any guns are missing.
  • Create strong enforcement mechanisms, including license suspension or revocation, for dealers that repeatedly fail to meet minimum security requirement.
  • Dedicate an 650 additional ATF employees to gun dealer inspections and enforcement.
  • Require individual gun owners to report lost and stolen firearms to local police and the ATF.

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