This summer, the New Jersey State Assembly passed AB 3511, a bill that could help put illegal gun traffickers out of business by limiting bulk sales of handguns. Gun traffickers often rely on straw buyers to purchase large quantities of handguns for later sale. In some cases, dozens of handguns have been purchased in a single sale. While this is a clear sign that a trafficking ring is in operation, gun dealers are currently under no legal obligation to halt the sale.While New Jersey’s proposed anti-trafficking law won’t stop traffickers from bringing in guns from out of state, there is no question that it will make gun traffickers’ lives more difficult. At the same time, it will have little impact on law-abiding citizens.

The New Jersey Assembly has taken a proactive stance to reduce gun violence in the state by passing this common sense piece of legislation by the overwhelming vote of 51-25. I urge the New Jersey State Senate to follow suit when they return from recess.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be making some changes here at the Brady Blog.

Some changes will happen behind the scenes as we manage our staff and technology. Others will be more visible. Please bear with us as we roll out the next phase of the Brady Blog.

Today’s New York Post provides more detail on where accused cop-killer Dexter Bostic got the gun used to murder Police Officer Russel Timoshenko.

Dexter Bostic allegedly used a .45-caliber Llama on July 9 to fire two shots into Timoshenko’s head. The young cop died five days later.

That high-powered handgun came from R&B Guns in Hampton, Va., Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes said yesterday.

It was bought in August 1999 by a man who has since died. His family is cooperating with the feds.

Guns involved in more than 1,000 crimes have been traced to R&B Guns between 1996 and 2000, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

It is vitally important that we continue to ask the source of guns used in crimes. The more we learn about the black market in guns, the better our law enforcement agencies will be able to deal with the dangers enhanced by gun traffickers. Knowing where crime guns come from can expose crime patterns, and help shut off sources of crime guns.

Law-abiding gun owners should not be confused into supporting law-breaking gun traffickers. Those who’ve been able to create a smokescreen around the issue help protect the dealers who help fuel the violence in our communities.

What would you think of someone who referred to the National Sheriffs Association and its 21,000 members as a “puppet police organization”?

Or who called the 20,000 members of the International Association of Chiefs of Police a “pseudo police organization”?

Or who thinks that AFL-CIO member group The International Brotherhood of Police Officers is “just a website”?

Or who dismisses the expertise and experience of 20 state and regional law enforcement groups and more than 200 individual chiefs of police?

You’d probably think that person was no friend to chiefs of police or rank-and-file officers. You’d probably think that person had a deep distrust for law enforcement authorities, and was hoping to discredit them to further some political goal. But you’d never think that person had painted himself as a champion of police.

And yet, those words were recently spoken by Congressman Todd Tiahrt, who insists that his crime-gun secrecy restrictions were designed for the protection of police officers and the preservation of official investigations. This is the same crime-gun secrecy law that the International Brotherhood of Police Officers calls “anti-law-enforcement,” and which New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said “[harms] efforts to curtail gun violence in this country.”

The Tiahrt restrictions, which have been in Appropriations bills since 2003, may face a vote in the House of Representatives later today. Whatever the political debate has in store for this controversial measure, it’s clear that real police groups have real concerns about not being able to access data on the source of crime guns.

(Note to readers: This blog entry, as well as past blog entries, are co-posted on bradycampaign.org/blog and www.huffingtonpost.com)

Based on a handwritten legal opinion issued last week by a Judge in Winnebago County, Illinois, the state of Illinois could now allow 10-month old children who get FOID cards to keep 9mm pistols in their baby carriages as long as the holster covers the gun and the ammo clip is in a separate pouch.

Does this really make sense to some people? If the goal is “all guns, all the time,” then I guess the answer is, “yes.”

And speaking of protection for our babies… In last night’s Democratic Presidential debate, a YouTube user asked Governor Bill Richardson and Senator Joseph Biden how they would keep his “baby” safe. Here’s the question and their responses.

I was glad to hear Governor Richardson support Brady background checks for all gun sales, including those at gun shows. Senator Biden’s comments helped focus the concerns that many of us have about how easy it is for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons.

Let’s hope we see more discussion about these issues as the campaigns continue.