[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 87 (Friday, June 18, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                MANDATORY GUN SHOW BACKGROUND CHECK ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 17, 1999

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration this bill (H.R. 2122) to 
     require background checks at gun shows, and for other 
     purposes;

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Chairman, it is a travesty that our 
society tolerates the death of 13 children every single day by guns.
  I just don't understand why we aren't outraged and ashamed.
  The gun violence provisions purposed by the Republican leadership 
prove they don't ``gets it.''
  One of my local communities 3,000 miles away ``gets it.'' They 
recognizes that ``a mere reduction in the availability of guns and 
ammunition would decrease the lethality and injury associated with 
violence.''
  The Senate ``gets it.'' They passed some modest gun safety measures: 
to require mandatory background checks of buyers at gun shows to 
prohibit juveniles from privately purchasing assault weapons banning 
the importation of large ammunition clips requiring the sale of a gun 
lock or storage box with each gun restricting unlicensed sales at gun 
shows.
  One of my local sheriffs ``gets it.'' He said yesterday, ``There 
needs to be tangible change around the issues of gun use and ownership. 
In my opinion the Senate language is not unreasonable.
  But instead of encouraging responsible gun safety measures, the House 
leadership has proposed weakening the Senate provisions by watering 
down the background checks at gun shows.
  In 1997 an ATF study traced firearms used in youth crimes in one of 
my communities and found that most of the weapons were bought from gun 
traffickers and small dealers.
  Without adequate background checks, we can't prevent guns from 
getting into the hands of gun traffickers and being sold to juvenile 
offenders.
  While I recognize the rights of law abiding citizens to purchase guns 
for hunting and collecting, as a parent I have to ask myself ``how many 
more children have to die because of gun violence before ``enough is 
enough.''

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