Sheriff Baxter to Testify Before Congressional Subcommittee to reduce Illegal Firearms 

 

On Wednesday, June 15, 2022, Sheriff Todd K. Baxter will testify before the U.S. House of Representatives House Rules Committee; Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process.  His testimony will center around these key principles:
 Responsible commercial firearms management
 Positive gun ownership
 Incentivize, not criminalize
(Incentivizing responsible gun ownership and management-not criminalizing individual gun owners
and dealers)

There are hundreds of illegal guns in our community causing harm. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office will do anything we can to reduce the amount of illegal guns on our streets. Legislative tools are a vital piece in combating illegal guns.

We recognize that in our community, almost all gun shop owners are responsible and take necessary steps to secure and keep track of his inventory. Unfortunately, several years ago this community experienced an outlier who recklessly allowed hundreds of guns to be stolen from their inventory. Shortly after this event, Sheriff Baxter initiated conversation about how our laws lack the tools to protect the community from this outlier.

Sheriff Baxter will offer input to the subcommittee regarding gaps in current laws that hinder the ability of law enforcement to take crucial actions to reduce the number of guns entering the illegal market and maintain public safety. He will also ask for strengthened accountability for those responsible for the theft and commerce of illegal firearms.