Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has joined a group of her Republican colleagues in introducing the Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) Protection Act of 2023 to “address the unacceptably high number of “smash-and-grab” thefts targeted at federally licensed gun dealers.”
FFLs, issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), enable individuals at a company to engage in business pertaining to the manufacture, importation, and interstate/intrastate sales of firearms and ammunition, according to the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA).
From 2017 to 2021, a total of 5,395 FFL theft incidents were reported and, during these incidents, 34,339 firearms were stolen from FFLs, according to data compiled by the ATF.
The current criminal sentence for stealing firearms or possessing a firearm stolen from a store with an FFL is up to 10 years in prison. Under the FFL Protection Act of 2023, the statutory maximum penalty for knowingly stealing any firearm in an FFL’s business inventory would increase from 10 to 20 years.
In addition, if enacted, the legislation would impose a mandatory minimum sentence of 3 years for burglary from an FFL and 5 years for robbery from an FFL, as well as criminalize the attempted theft of a firearm from a licensed importer, manufacturer, dealer, or collector.
The bill, as noted by Blackburn’s office, aims to specifically address “smash-and-grab” thefts.
“No one wants a firearm to end up in the hands of a criminal. Stiffening the penalties for those who steal firearms from federally licensed retailers will ensure accountability and make our communities safer,” Blackburn, co-sponsor of the legislation, said in a statement.
Last month, the Sumner Gun & Supply gun shop in Gallatin was the victim of a smash-and-grab robbery, as three suspects broke through a glass window and then stole an undisclosed number of rifles and pistols.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Gun Store” by Thayne Tuason CC4.0
