WASHINGTON, May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, the President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence today announced a series of recommendations for changes in Federal gun laws that he said would strengthen the nation's safety net against some future mass shootings.
Paul Helmke released the recommendations in a speech at the National Press Club. America's gun violence epidemic, Helmke said, "is our monthly 9-11, our weekly Katrina, a continuing Iraq war on our streets and in our schools. It is our daily Virginia Tech. Yet we don't focus on this threat until we get a Virginia Tech.
"To say that we are sorry that these shootings happened is not enough. We should be ashamed -- all of us should be ashamed that we have allowed this to happen," Helmke said.
Helmke called for every state to quickly and thoroughly review all of its procedures for entering critical mental health and other pertinent records into the Federal National Instant Check System (NICS). And he said that Congress should pass, and the President should sign, legislation that will comprehensively and effectively apply Brady Law background checks to prevent dangerous people from buying guns; reduce civilian access to military weaponry that is neither for sport nor self-defense and limit the firepower available in the civilian market; and give police and federal law enforcement the tools and resources they need to fight gun crimes, including illegal gun trafficking and corrupt gun dealers.
Thirty-two students and faculty were murdered in the Virginia Tech massacre on April 16. About 80 people die in the U.S. from gunfire every day, according to data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, including about 32 who are homicide victims.
-- Pass the NICS Improvement Act, introduced by Representative Carolyn McCarthy. This legislation provides funding incentives for states to provide appropriate records to strengthen the information in NICS. -- Require background checks for all gun sales, not just those from federally licensed dealers. -- Rescind the requirement requiring that records of Brady background checks be destroyed within 24 hours of purchase approval. -- Impose a waiting period under the Brady Law, to allow time to do accurate and complete review of appropriate records. -- Reinstate the Federal ban on ammunition magazines of larger than 10 rounds that expired along with the Federal assault weapons ban in 2004, and pass a ban on military-style assault weapons. -- Repeal the so-called "Tiahrt Amendment," which as an annual appropriations rider bars the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from sharing data on the sources of guns used in crimes. -- Require that new semi-automatic handguns be equipped with technology to allow police to quickly match shell casings found at a crime scene to the handgun from which they were fired. This technology, known as"microstamping," would enhance law enforcement's ability to rapidly solve gun crimes.
Brady Campaign staff will aggressively pursue Congressional action, he said. He pledged to hold the Democratic leaders of Congress, President Bush and candidates for President accountable for inaction.
"We can't be a shining city on a hill when we are an armed camp," Helmke said Tuesday. "We want an America where children are free to go to school without fear of being shot, parents are free to go to work without fear of a shooting, and neighbors can stand on the sidewalk and talk without fear of a drive-by.
"Too many of our neighbors are suffering that same pain experienced by the Virginia Tech victims and families every day -- 32 times a day," Helmke said. "What are we going to do about it?"
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.
Contact: Peter Hamm, 202-898-0792
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
