Durbin Discusses Landmark Gun Safety Law Implementation, DOJ Firearms Rule with ATF Director Dettelbach

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with Steve Dettelbach, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), to discuss the implementation of the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) that was passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Biden, as well as the Biden Administration’s new “engaged in the business” rule, the newly-expanded Chicago Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC), and other topics.

“The public servants at ATF, led by Director Dettelbach, work tirelessly to help keep our communities safe. We’re already seeing results from our landmark gun safety law that Congress passed, which has enhanced background checks and cracked down on gun trafficking, and I’m pleased that Chicago now has an expanded Crime Gun Intelligence Center as we continue our coordinated all-of-government approach to keeping communities safe,” said Durbin.

Photos of the meeting are available here.

Durbin last met with Dettelbach in December to discuss the devastating impacts of House Republicans’ proposed cuts to ATF funding, which were rejected by Senate Democrats and not included in the final government funding package signed by President Biden.

Last month, the Biden Administration heeded a Durbin-led call from more than 160 Members of Congress to publish the “engaged in the business” rule, which makes clear when a person needs to become a licensed dealer and run background checks and gives DOJ additional tools to crack down on individuals illegally selling guns without background checks.

Also last month, federal, state, and local law enforcement partners announced the opening of an expanded CGIC in Chicago. CGICs are centralized law enforcement hubs that focus exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence in local communities. Thirteen agencies, including ATF, the Chicago Police Department (CPD), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, are co-located within the new CGIC. They use cutting-edge technologies, including ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and eTrace systems, to rapidly develop and pursue leads to drive case clearance rates up — which in turn can help drive violent crime rates down. They bring together, under one roof, the expertise of firearm evidence examiners, intelligence analysts, and investigators to rapidly collect, analyze, and share information about guns used in violent crimes. 

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