WASHINGTON - March 28 - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg today once again stood up for common sense gun laws, appearing at a Congressional hearing to harshly criticize legislation that would make it harder for police to combat gun trafficking.

He earned the praise of Jim and Sarah Brady. This week marks the 25th anniversary of Brady's shooting in the assassination attempt on President Reagan.

"Too many Americans continue to have their families torn apart by gun violence, and we all owe Mayor Bloomberg a great deal of praise," Jim Brady said. "A lot of public officials talk about standing up to the special interests - Mayor Bloomberg is really doing it."

"We're extremely grateful to have the Mayor fighting to make sure our law enforcement officers have the tools they need to get crime guns off the streets," said Sarah Brady. "Efforts in Congress to coddle the gun lobby must stop."

Mayor Bloomberg's testimony came at a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security on a bill, H.R. 5005, that would weaken federal gun laws by blocking ATF from disclosing to the public crime gun trace data and thus shielding from public and law enforcement scrutiny the identities of the gun dealers with the worst records of supplying the illegal market. The bill would further weaken federal gun laws by eliminating the current requirement that gun dealers report multiple handgun sales to law enforcement officials, limiting the ability of ATF to search dealer sales records in criminal investigations, and creating a loophole in the federal ban on importation of non-sporting firearms.

Jim Brady was partially paralyzed in the assassination attempt on President Reagan on March 30, 1981. To mark the anniversary, the Brady Campaign on Thursday will announce plans for a comprehensive strategy to combat gun trafficking.

As the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence, the Brady Campaign, working with its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters, is devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities.

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