[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E4]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 INTRODUCTION OF GUN SAFETY ACT OF 1997

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                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 1997

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, this bill addresses the problem of the 
proliferation of cheaply made, easily concealed weapons. This is 
particularly critical in dealing with our juvenile crime problem. The 
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reports that most 
juveniles who purchase guns obtain them from informal sources for less 
than $100.
  This bill would put an end to the proliferation of these cheap and 
dangerous guns by requiring States to set up criteria for guns to be 
sold within that State's borders. The criteria to be considered would 
include concealability, safety, quality, and utility for legitimate 
activities. Any State that chooses not to participate in the program 
would simply lose some of its Byrne grant money for crime problems.
  In addition, in an effort to prevent the numerous accidental deaths 
of children every year, this bill would require gun manufacturers to 
install magazine safeties in every gun so that adults can be sure that 
they have not accidentally left a bullet in the chamber of a gun, even 
when the magazine is not in the gun.
  Because cheap and poorly made handguns are dangerous--and even more 
dangerous in the hands of the serious juvenile offenders who have easy 
access to them, and because we need to make certain that guns include 
all possible safety precautions--I urge my colleagues to join me in 
sponsoring this legislation.

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