Bill targets fraudulent gun sales

U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) recently introduced the Stopping the Fraudulent Sales of Firearms Act, which seeks to prevent gun sellers from circumventing technology companies’ terms of service by prohibiting fraudulent sales of firearms and ammunition online.

“Despite bans by the major technology companies on using their platforms to sell firearms, many sites are struggling to stop dishonest individuals from selling guns online,” Feinstein said. “Our bill would make it clear that it’s a crime to circumvent a website’s terms of service to sell a firearm. This is a common-sense approach to prevent prospective gun buyers from evading background checks by secretly buying weapons online.”

While some technology companies have banned the sale of firearms and ammunition on their platforms, sellers often misrepresent guns as other items to circumvent the restrictions.

“Despite some initial steps that big tech companies have taken over the last couple of years to crack down on illegal online firearm sales, determined gun sellers and buyers continue to find new ways to circumvent these companies’ efforts,” Menendez said. “Our common-sense bill makes it clear that gun sellers who illegally move their weapons online and jeopardize public safety will pay the price for their actions.”

Scanlon said every person who tries to buy a gun should have to pass a background check.

“Right now, gun buyers can too easily evade a background check by buying a firearm online,” she said. “We need to crack down on deceptive practices that allow bad actors to circumvent rules designed to prevent the sale of guns and ammunition on tech platforms. This is a common-sense solution that can save lives.”