States can adopt their own strong measures — but those along the Iron Pipeline will only stay as safe as the state with the weakest laws allows. Without congressional intervention, gun trafficking will persist as an interstate problem in need of a national solution.

Thankfully, a bipartisan group in the U.S. House of Representatives proposed such a solution last week. The Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2017, first and foremost, would provide a clear and effective statute making trafficking a crime — effectively replacing vague laws that ATF has called “needlessly complex.”

The new law would contain some teeth, too. It would provide prison sentences of up to 20 years. Such penalties would apply not only to people who buy a gun intending to transfer it to someone prohibited from possessing one, but also to the straw purchasers who intentionally provide false information when buying guns. These sentences would represent a new tool for prosecutors since today’s penalties are so weak. If you have any question as to the NRA’s clout, the sentence for trafficking guns right now is the same as that for trafficking chickens or livestock.

Strong gun laws and enforcement work. They can deter trafficking, dry up a revenue source for criminal gangs, and keep guns out of the hands of people barred from having them.

Congress should do its part — and give law enforcement the tools they need to stop gun traffickers from wreaking havoc, both here in the commonwealth and beyond.