CATCH Act

Bill: 118-s-4067
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2024-03-22
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Latest action: action_date: 2024-03-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4067 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 22, 2024 Mr. Murphy (for himself and Mr. Kaine ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To provide for an annual report on the prosecution activities of the Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions of the Department of Justice.

1. Short titles This Act may be cited as the Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causing Harm Act or the CATCH Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) According to a 2023 joint report by the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security and the Small Arms Survey, the average number of violent deaths in the Caribbean is nearly triple the global average. (2) According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Caribbean countries accounted for 6 of the world’s top 10 highest national murder rates in 2021. (3) Law enforcement officials in Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, and Jamaica have identified Florida as a significant source of illicit firearms. (4) According to the United Nations, Caribbean countries do not manufacture firearms or ammunition, nor do they import such products on a large scale. (5) According to Bahamian officials, more than 90 percent of firearms used in homicides and confiscated by authorities in the Bahamas are traced to manufacturers and retailers in the United States. (6) In 2022, the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations reported observing a significant increase in the quantity, caliber and type of firearms being illegally trafficked to the Caribbean, including .50 caliber sniper rifles, .308 rifles, and a belt fed machine gun. (7) According to a 2023 assessment by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the flow of illicit firearms into Haiti enables violent gangs and contributes to forced displacement throughout the country. (8) According to the Migration Policy Institute, there has been a dramatic increase in migration to the United States from Haiti in recent years, caused in part by widespread gang violence. (9) On June 25, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act ( Public Law 117–159 ) into law, which created Federal criminal offenses for firearm trafficking and granted the government new authorities to prosecute these offenses. (10) On November 14, 2022, the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security launched the Crime Gun Intelligence Unit, in partnership with United States law enforcement agencies. (11) The Crime Gun Intelligence Unit, located in Trinidad and Tobago, provides intelligence for its member states regarding illicit firearms and ammunition. (12) On June 8, 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris announced, the Department of Justice will name a Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions who will be an experienced Department of Justice prosecutor. . (13) On July 5, 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Michael Ben’Ary will serve as the Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions. (14) As of October 31, 2023, the Department of Justice had prosecuted 207 defendants for firearms trafficking using authorities derived from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, including 80 defendants for making straw purchases. 3. Purposes The purposes of this Act are— (1) to combat illicit firearms trafficking from the United States to the Caribbean; (2) to bolster the security of the Caribbean region and the United States; and (3) to increase oversight of the Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions of the Department of Justice. 4. Defined term In this Act, the term appropriate congressional committees means— (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate ; (2) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate ; (3) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate . (4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives ; (5) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives ; (6) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives ; 5. Report on Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions' activities Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 5 years, the Attorney General, in coordination with the Department of State, and any other Federal agency designated by the Attorney General, shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes— (1) a comprehensive review of the enforcement of sections 932 and 933 of title 18, United States Code, by the Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions of the Department of Justice; and (2) specifies— (A) the total number of investigations and prosecutions launched by the Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions, disaggregated by— (i) the judicial district involved; (ii) the alleged destination of the firearm, ammunition, and firearm accessories; (iii) the number and types of firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories, to the extent such information is available; and (iv) the method of transportation of the firearm, ammunition, and firearm accessories, to the extent such information is available; (B) coordination efforts with the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and other Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies; (C) coordination efforts with the Caribbean Community’s Crime Gun Intelligence Unit, and any other regional or international organizations designated by the Secretary of State.