Jun. 13—A bill to toughen penalties for "smash-and-grab" thefts at federally licensed gun stores has been reintroduced.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., joined 22 of her GOP colleagues, led by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to reintroduced the Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) Protection Act of 2023.

The legislation would address the unacceptably high number of "smash-and-grab" thefts targeted at federally licensed gun dealers by enhancing penalties for criminals who steal firearms from federally licensed firearms and ammunition dealers.

"Burglaries of gun dealerships continue to rise, which is why we must put solutions forward that deter these would-be criminals from committing these robberies and endangering our communities," Capito said in the announcement. "I'm proud to support this legislation that implements swift and strong penalties for these crimes, and further protects our communities."

The act would increase the statutory maximum penalty for knowingly stealing any firearm in an FFL's business inventory from 10 to 20 years; impose a mandatory minimum sentence of three years for burglary from an FFL and five years for robbery from an FFL; and criminalize the attempted theft of a firearm from a licensed importer, manufacturer, dealer or collector.

According to The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), from 2017 to 2021, 5,395 FFL theft incidents were reported. During these incidents, a total of 34,339 firearms were stolen from FFLs. Theft from FFLs account for 3 percent of all firearms stolen in the United States, and many of these firearms end up being used in other crimes.

— Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com

Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com