WASHINGTON - July 26 - Amidst revelations that one of the most irresponsible gun dealers in the nation sits on the Board of the National Rifle Association, the House Judiciary Committee today is considering legislation designed to hide rogue dealers from public scrutiny, emasculate the power of federal law enforcers to put them out of business, and make it easier for gun traffickers to cross state lines to patronize them.

"The House Judiciary Committee today considers the NRA's Special Interest Extravaganza of gun bills," said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "If the NRA has its way today, corrupt gun dealers and their gun trafficker friends will literally take it to the bank."

In its recently-issued report, Death Valley, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the Brady Campaign's legal and research affiliate, profiled Baltimore gun dealer Valley Guns, which the Justice Department has called a "serial violator" of the nation's gun laws. Sanford Abrams, the owner of Valley Guns, has sat on the Board of the National Rifle Association since 1999. Recent front-page stories about Abrams in the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun have discussed how Abrams and other rogue dealers would benefit from the legislation being considered today.

H.R. 5092, the "Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Modernization and Reform Act of 2006" would make it virtually impossible for ATF to revoke the licenses of dealers, like Abrams, who repeatedly violate the law.

H.R. 5005, the "Firearms Corrections and Improvements Act," would block ATF from releasing to the public crime gun trace data linking illegal guns to specific dealers like Abrams.

H.R. 1384, the "Firearms Commerce Modernization Act," would make it easier for gun traffickers to cross state lines to buy handguns from rogue dealers like Abrams.

In contrast to the three bills to protect corrupt gun dealers, the committee also will consider H.R. 1415, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), which provides grants and other incentives to help states forward records on prohibited gun purchasers to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Helmke added: "H.R. 1415 will strengthen Brady background checks and will help keep guns out of the hands of criminals, terrorists, and other prohibited buyers. It should be supported as strongly as the NRA's agenda to protect rogue gun dealers should be rejected."

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