April 16, 2008 (Page A18)

By Kristen M. Daum

kristen.daum@newsday.com

WASHINGTON -- Dave Winfield used to be one of those faceless people in America's illegal gun trade.

The 26-year-old from Florida had his family and friends buy guns in Virginia shops with little or no trouble - dealers would even give him advice on how to buy the weapons illegally, he said - and then he'd drive up to New York City to sell the guns on the street.

Winfield's experience is a stark example of the failure to crack down on the illegal purchase of guns, said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as he and Winfield testified yesterday before the Congressional Task Force on Illegal Guns.

"Guns are easily transportable across states," Bloomberg, co-founder of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition, told the task force. "No matter how many laws we have, no matter how well we enforce those laws ... it's just too easy to go elsewhere to buy a gun."

Ninety percent of guns recovered in New York City come from out of state, with most bought in Virginia by traffickers like Winfield, Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg argued that Congress needs to make it more difficult for criminals to buy guns and transport them between states. He suggested requiring criminal background checks for all customers and dealers - particularly at gun shows, where they are not mandatory - and linking purchases to the U.S. terror watch list.

Winfield, who is awaiting sentencing on federal gun-trafficking charges, told the task force that such tactics could prevent criminals from obtaining guns.

Members of the task force stressed that their intent wasn't to infringe on Americans' rights, but to end the violence.

"I don't want the criminals to have the guns. There are too many Americans dying on a daily basis," said Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), whose husband was killed and son was injured by a gunman on a Long Island Rail Road train in 1993.

"We must close the dangerous loopholes in our gun laws to keep illegal firearms off our streets and out of the hands of criminals," said Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), task force co-chairman.