Quote:

---

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill on Thursday that would crack down on gun trafficking, a key step forward for a package of gun bills being pushed by President Barack Obama.

The Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 passed the committee 11 to 7, with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) as the lone Republican voting for it. The bill, which has GOP cosponsors, including Sens. Mark Kirk (Ill.) and Susan Collins (Maine), would for the first time explicitly make it illegal to buy weapons for someone else who is barred from owning weapons. These "straw purchases" are believed to be the leading source of guns trafficked to criminals.

"The practice of straw purchasing firearms is undertaken for one reason: to get a gun into the hands of someone who is prohibited from having one," Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chairman of the committee, said during the meeting. "We know that many guns used in criminal activities are acquired through straw purchases. We need a meaningful solution to this serious problem."

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Kwicko:
Common-sense legislation?


The GOP will oppose it, of course.

---