WASHINGTON - December 16 - James Brady, chair of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statement today on crime guns:

"For several years, New York elected officials have had arguments about what to do to combat the terrible problem of firearms getting into the hands of criminals. There is a lot of finger pointing going on.

"We need to make it tougher for criminals to get guns. The best way to do that is to pass laws to make it easier to prosecute gun traffickers by lowering the number of guns required to prove a crime, and pass laws that force unscrupulous gun dealers to change their behavior. Speaker Silver's proposal has both of these components. The Governor and the State Senate should adopt this approach. New York should toughen the penalties, but also take real steps to dry up the sources of crime guns.

"The only thing keeping New York from reaching a deal on this is politics. Governor Pataki and the State Senate need to take a hard look at the Assembly's gun package and pass laws that will keep law enforcement officers safe and provide them with the tools they need cut off the flood of illegal guns.

"Sarah and I extend our deep condolences to the families of the police officers lost in recent weeks. The families, and the larger police family in New York and across America, deserve our gratitude for their service."

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