|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 21, 1998
4:31 PM
|
CONTACT: Handgun Control
Robin Terry
800-465-0187
|
|
|
|
Sarah
Brady Statement on Justice Dept. Report on Brady Law Success
|
|
|
WASHINGTON
- June 21 -- Following is a statement by Sarah Brady,
chairperson of Handgun Control Inc. (HCI), today on a new Justice Department report on the
success of the Brady Law:
"The Brady Law is still working to block handgun sales to convicted felons, domestic
abusers, the mentally ill and other prohibited purchasers, according to a report released
today by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics. In 1997 alone,
69,000 people who were prohibited by law from buying handguns were denied access to these
lethal weapons due to background checks. In the four years since the Brady Law was
implemented, an estimated 242,000 ineligible purchasers have been stopped from buying
handguns.
"Before the Brady Law, guns could be purchased cash and carry, no questions asked in
most states. Today, criminals are still trying to buy guns in gun stores, but now they are
walking out empty-handed. Since the law was implemented in 1994, gun-related violent crime
has been dropping even faster than violent crime overall, according to a Center to Prevent
Handgun Violence (CPHV) analysis of the FBI Uniform Crime Report. A 1997 CPHV study also
found that the Brady Law has significantly reduced interstate gun trafficking from states
where many crime guns were previously purchased."
Despite Brady's unequivocal success, the law's five-day waiting period is scheduled to be
replaced with a computerized instant background check system on Nov. 30, 1998. Although
the Department of Justice and FBI have been successful in centralizing most crime records,
some information, like mental health records and recent arrests, will not be available
through the system. The Brady Law's waiting period provides local law enforcement with the
time to conduct more thorough background checks and to contribute information from state
and local records to gun dealers.
As important, the waiting period serves as a 'cooling off period,' which prevents crimes
of passion and impulse suicides. A CPHV study demonstrated that guns recovered as part of
homicide investigations make up a disproportionately large share of firearms traced by ATF
within one week of the date the guns were purchased. Some guns are certainly purchased for
an immediate murder or suicide; retaining the waiting period as a complement to the
instant-check system will certainly save lives.
"There are few laws that have such overwhelming support from the American public and
have been proven as effective as the Brady Law. Congress has a responsibility to the
American public to ensure that this progress continues by extending the waiting period
beyond the November deadline."
------
Handgun Control Inc. (HCI), chaired by Sarah Brady, is the nation's largest citizens' gun
control lobbying organization. Based in Washington, D.C., HCI works to enact stronger
federal, state and local gun control laws, but does not seek to ban handguns. Founded in
1974, HCI has more than 400,000 members nationwide and works with local groups around the
country to enact and protect reasonable gun control laws.
--
The Center to Prevent Handgun Violence (CPHV), also chaired by Sarah Brady, was founded in
1983 to reduce gun violence through education, legal advocacy, research and outreach to
the entertainment community. Based in Washington, D.C., CPHV's national initiatives
include prevention programs for parents and youth on the risks associated with guns, legal
representation for gun violence victims, work with the entertainment community to
encourage deglamorization of guns in the media, and research of the risks associated with
guns and the efficacy of gun control laws.
--
More information about both HCI and CPHV can be found on the organization's Web site at http://www.handguncontrol.org.
###
|
|
|
Common Dreams NewsCenter is a non-profit news service
providing breaking news and views for the Progressive Community.
The
press release posted here has been provided to Common Dreams NewsWire by
one of the many progressive organizations who make up America's Progressive Community.
If
you wish to comment on this press release or would like more information,
please contact the organization directly.
*all times Eastern US (GMT-5:00)
Making News?
E-mail us your news release! news@newscenter.org
© Copyrighted 1997-2000
All Rights Reserved. Common Dreams. www.commondreams.org
|
|
Share This Article With A Friend