Bill addresses federal law enforcement weapons theft

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) introduced a measure designed to create minimum standards preventing federal law enforcement officers’ service weapons from becoming lost and stolen.

The Federal Law Enforcement and Public Protection Act stems from the fact in recent years in the Bay Area and across the nation, fatal shootings and other crimes have occurred using weapons stolen from federal law enforcement officers.

“The intention of federal law enforcement agencies is to keep the public safe,” DeSaulnier said. “When their own weapons are being used against them and in other acts of violence, they are not fulfilling that job. To improve public safety, we need to improve the standards for officer gun safety and storage.”

In the wake of there currently being no federal standard in place for officers to safely lock and store their guns, DeSaulnier noted the bill would require standards for federal law enforcement officers to lock their weapons when they are not in use and institute a reporting mechanism to understand the severity of the problem better.

The legislation would also provide officers with information about the dangers of keeping an unlocked gun in the home.

DeSaulnier previously forwarded correspondence to President Obama requesting executive action requiring federal agencies to establish protocols for securing firearms that are not in use.