{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/hyde-smith-again-joins-effort-increase-penalties-smash-and-grab-gun-thefts", "HYDE-SMITH AGAIN JOINS EFFORT TO INCREASE PENALTIES FOR \u2018SMASH-AND-GRAB\u2019 GUN THEFTS", "2026-06-05", "2026", "2026-06", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Cindy Hyde-Smith", "H001079", "www.hydesmith.senate.gov", "hydesmith", "https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom", "scraper", "\u2018Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act\u2019 Reintroduced to Crack Down on Criminals Who Target Licensed Gun & Ammo Dealers\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) is again supporting legislation to increase the prison penalties for \u201csmash-and-grab\u201d thefts from federally licensed firearms and ammunition dealers.\n\nHyde-Smith this week joined U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in reintroducing the Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) Protection Act (S.4671) to address the persistent and dangerously high rate of attacks targeting licensed gun dealers.\n\n\u201cLaw-abiding citizens who want to own a firearm don\u2019t engage in smash-and-grab robberies. It\u2019s the criminal element committing these crimes that leads to more illegal firearms on our streets and more crime. It\u2019s past time to enact this legislation to put stiffer prison sentences on the books for these criminals,\u201d said Senator Hyde-Smith, who has cosponsored Graham\u2019s legislation in the past two Congresses.\n\n\u201cI am proud to reintroduce this important legislation to make \u2018smash-and-grabs\u2019 more costly for criminals. Americans have a right to lawfully buy, own and sell firearms \u2013 criminals who steal them must pay the price,\u201d said Senator Graham.\n\nThe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reported that from 2021 to 2025, 4,046 FFL theft incidents were reported, involving a total of 23,319 firearms stolen from FFLs. A March 2026 ATF report on FFL firearms thefts and losses indicated at least 17 reports of burglary and larceny in Mississippi involving 91 firearms in 2025.\n\nThe FFL Protection Act of 2026 would:\n\nIncrease the statutory maximum penalty for knowingly stealing any firearm in an FFL\u2019s business inventory from 10 to 20 years.\n\nImpose a mandatory minimum three-year sentence for burglary from an FFL and a minimum five-year sentence for robbery from an FFL.\n\nCriminalize the attempted theft of a firearm from a licensed importer, manufacturer, dealer, or collector.\n\nThe FFL Protection Act is supported by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).\n\n\u201cThis legislation is what true gun safety looks like. Congress is sending a clear message that the safety of our communities is nonnegotiable and targeting firearm retailers to steal guns in order to commit further crimes is intolerable,\u201d said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel.\n\nAdditional original cosponsors of S.4671 include U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).\n\nThe measure has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration.\n\n###", 1, "2026-06-12T06:37:16Z", "2026-06-12T06:39:00Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/hyde-smith-again-joins-effort-increase-penalties-smash-and-grab-gun-thefts"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5022540464997292, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}