Milwaukee police are investigating two armed robberies that took place 30 minutes apart on Saturday, Jan. 27.

Those robberies took place at Noodles and Company, 3121 N Oakland Ave., and Hollywood Video, 4231 N Oakland Ave.

That same night, police records indicated 10 other armed robbery cases were reported in Police District Five, which includes the area surrounding the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Riverwest.

Just five days before, on Jan. 22, a national coalition of mayors convened in Washington, D.C., to persuade Congress to take action and control the trafficking of illegal guns.

Illegal gun trafficking has become a key issue of debate since “The Firearms Correction and Improvement Act,” or HR 5005, was introduced to Congress last year. Debates center around “Trace Disclosure,” Section 9 of the bill. Under the section the use of “crime gun trace-data” would be banned. Trace-data is used to track ownership of a gun from manufacturer to distributor to retailer and finally to the buyer.

In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is actively trying to curtail illegal gun trafficking and is a strong opponent of HR 5005.

In an interview to CNSNews.com, Bloomberg bashed the new amendment, saying the legislation would “explicitly impinge our ability to fight illegal gun trafficking.”

Overall, most gun dealers are not involved with illegal trafficking. Only one percent of dealers account for illegal activity. However, this fraction of dealers accounts for 60 percent of illegal guns used in crimes, Bloomberg wrote in the Washington Times

If trace-data is banned, a gun could pass through many owners without being tracked. Therefore, it would become possible to sell numerous guns to one person. As a result “straw purchasers” become more prevalent.

Straw purchasers are legally-qualified gun customers who purchase guns for unqualified customers.

According to a press release from The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, straw purchasers are the largest contributors to illegal gun trafficking.

Despite the illegality of straw purchases, a gun retailer cannot be held liable for selling to these customers since there is no penalty for multiple purchases.

Gun owners and National Rifle Association (NRA) members argue that HR 5005 is an improvement on existing gun laws.

They argue that by banning the use of trace data, the amendment effectively protects the privacy rights of gun owners. Trace data contains personal records of all gun owners, and can be viewed by numerous authorities. With a ban, this information would not be available.

HR 5005 also streamlines the gun retail industry, by banning federal fees on instant background checks and removing various restrictions on firearms industry activities.

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