A husband and wife who tried to confront a Seattle ring of catalytic converter thieves were met with gunfire instead. With the right make and model, a thief can make as much as $3,500 per stolen converter.

 Armed with only a garden hoe, Beth said her husband quickly retreated.

 However, what shocked them both was the thieves seemed unconcerned they'd been spotted or that they'd just fired a gun. 

 “They finished up," she said. "They kept going. They finished up and then left a couple of minutes later and then the police came just after that." 

 It can take only seconds for criminals to tear out a catalytic converter from the exhaust system. They contain precious metals which thieves trade for cash at scrap yards. 

Beth said the group her husband confronted had an armed lookout, a getaway driver and the man who actually cut the part out of her van. It will cost about $2,000 to replace the catalytic converter

https://komonews.com/news/local/catalytic-converter-thieves-open-fire-when-car-owner-confronts-them

Washington state lawmakers are set to convene next week at the state Capitol in Olympia for a new legislative session and one of the bills set to come up is a proposal to undercut the thriving marketplace for stolen catalytic converters by making it illegal to buy catalytic converters from anyone who walks into a shop and tries to sell the automotive part on the spot..

State Sen. Jeff Wilson introduced the bill, saying he is targeting unscrupulous scrap metal dealers by going right to the point of sale where the stolen parts are converted into cash.

a similar law that takes effect in Oregon next month.

https://komonews.com/news/politics/new-law-proposal-aims-to-stop-catalytic-converter-thiefs-cold

My question, why haven't federal politicians made catalytic converters illegal for scrap dealers to buy already. After all, marijuana is still illegal, federally, and selling beer to anyone under 21 is illegal, so, why the hell isn't preventing scrap dealers from buying, and motivating thieves to steal, catalytic converters already accomplished?