[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 22, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H4719]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               GUN SAFETY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, last month the United States Senate 
courageously passed the juvenile justice bill that would begin to close 
loopholes that too often have resulted in guns getting into the wrong 
hands.
  I am very deeply disappointed that this House was unable to 
demonstrate similar courage last week. Instead of standing up for what 
is right, sensible, and what the American people want, the leadership 
of this House pandered to the narrow interests of the gun lobby and did 
not even give us the opportunity to vote on the bill passed in our 
Senate. Instead, they presented us with two separate bills designed to 
kill gun safety measures in this House.
  The American people deserve a better Congress than that. They deserve 
a Congress that places more importance on human life, more importance 
on our children's sense of safety in their classroom, and on the 
parents' peace of mind, instead of pandering to the fringe interests of 
the gun lobby.
  Mr. Speaker, I have been a Member of this House barely more than 6 
months. When I came here my mission was to serve my district and the 
American people and to do everything within my power to ensure their 
safety. Our Constitution and the Congress' primarily focus has always 
included the protection of our citizens safety. Last week's vote 
betrayed that intent, and even worse, was a great disservice to the 
American people.
  Several Members on the other side of the debate raised concerns about 
upholding the Constitution's Second Amendment, the right to bear arms. 
Of course I and others support upholding the Constitution. However, I 
totally disagree with those who contend that requiring a 3-day 
background check on firearms buyers at gun shows or that requiring 
child safety locks on all gun sales is an infringement on peoples 
second amendment rights. What a bunch of horsefeathers. These modest 
gun safety measures do not prevent responsible citizens from owning 
guns. They simply ensure that guns do not end up in the hands of 
criminals likely to purchase them without adequate background checks 
and then misuse them.
  Let us look at the known facts. In the 5 years the Brady bill has 
been in operation, that is the one that requires the 3-business-day 
waiting period for gun purchase, more than 400,000 illegal gun sales, 
two-thirds of which involve either convicted felons or people with a 
current felony indictment, were blocked. This is clear evidence that 
this law works and we are on the right path.
  However, we still have much work to do. Vice President Gore recently 
told the U.S. Conference of Mayors in New Orleans that a new government 
study show that about two-thirds of all homicides involve the use of a 
handgun. Also, consider that domestic violence often turns into 
homicide in many instances where guns are readily available, and that 
law enforcement officials support gun safety because it saves police 
officers' lives.
  It is no wonder that a recent Pew Research survey found that 65 
percent of this Nation believes gun control is more important than the 
right to bear arms. This battle for sensible gun control is not over. 
Those of us who believe in closing gun loopholes will continue to fight 
to tighten our laws and ask for their enforcement.
  Two months ago I spoke to hundreds of members of families and friends 
of murdered victims assembled in Rose Hills Memorial Park to honor 
their slain loved ones during victims' rights week. I pledged to them 
that I would work to ensure that we establish laws and programs that 
will prevent the additional loss of innocent lives, and to strengthen 
victims' rights.
  I intend to keep that pledge. I intend to serve the American people 
and not special interests. I also intend to uphold the Constitution. 
Therefore, I proudly pledge to continue to fight and support reasonable 
gun safety legislation on behalf of America's children and our 
families.

                          ____________________