[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 84 (Wednesday, June 28, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6025-S6026]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KERRY (for himself and Mr. DeWine):
  S. 2810. A bill to amend the Consumer Product Safety Act to confirm 
the Consumer Product Safety Commission's jurisdiction over child safety 
devices for handguns, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


                THE CHILD HANDGUN INJURY PREVENTION ACT

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise today as an original cosponsor of 
the Child Handgun Injury Prevention Act being introduced by my friend 
and colleague from Massachusetts, Senator Kerry. I support this bill 
because I believe it will save lives.
  Recently, we have all witnessed a disturbing trend. Day after day 
after day, we see shocking news reports about children dying because 
they got their hands on a loaded, unlocked firearm. In 1999 alone, this 
was an almost daily occurrence. Last year, more than 300 children died 
in gun accidents. Most of these accidents occurred in a child's own 
home, or in the home of a close friend or relative--the very places 
where these children should feel the safest.
  Mr. President, the mixture of children and loaded firearms is deadly. 
An estimated 3.3 million children in the United States live in homes 
with firearms--firearms that are always or sometimes loaded and 
unlocked. I believe that the majority of parents with firearms believe 
they are being responsible about gun storage and other safety measures 
dealing with firearms. But, the sad fact is that some parents simply 
have a fundamental misunderstanding of a child's ability to access and 
fire a gun, to distinguish between real and toy guns, to make good 
judgments about handling a gun, and to consistently follow rules about 
gun safety. These are children, after all, and we can't expect them to 
understand completely what is involved with handling a gun safely.
  Here's a startling fact: Nearly two-thirds of parents with school-age 
children who keep a gun in the home believe that the firearm is safe 
from their children. However, another study found that when a gun was 
in the home, 75 to 80 percent of first and second graders knew where 
the gun was kept.
  Many gun owners, state and local governments, as well as this Senate, 
have started to recognize the combustible relationship between children 
and loaded, accessible firearms. This recognition has led many gun 
owners to purchase gun safety locks to ensure the safe storage of their 
handguns. In some states, gun locks are required at the time handguns 
are purchased. Seventeen states have Child Firearm Access Prevention 
laws that permit prosecution of adults if their firearm is left 
unsecured and a child uses that firearm to harm themselves or others. 
And, also, the Senate passed an amendment to the juvenile justice bill 
last year that would require the use of gun safety locks.
  Despite the fact that gun owners are buying more firearm safety 
devices and governments are rushing to mandate their use, surprisingly 
there are no minimum safety standards for these devices. Currently, 
there are many different types of trigger locks, safety locks, lock 
boxes, and other devices available. And, there is a wide range in the 
quality and effectiveness of these devices. Some are inadequate to 
prevent the accidental discharge of the firearm or to prevent a child 
access to the firearm.
  As governments move toward mandated safety devices, it is crucial 
that consumers know whether or not the devices they are buying will 
actually keep children from harming themselves. If states are going to 
prosecute adults when a child uses a firearm, these gun owners should--
at the very

[[Page S6026]]

least--have some peace of mind that their gun storage or safety lock 
device is adequate.
  The legislation I am introducing today with Senator Kerry would help 
responsible gun owners and parents know that the safety devices they 
buy are at least minimally adequate. This legislation just makes sense. 
It requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to formulate 
minimum safety standards for gun safety locks and to ensure that only 
adequate locks meeting those standards are available for purchase by 
consumers. The standards to be used by the Commission require that gun 
safety locks are sufficiently difficult for children to deactivate or 
remove and that the safety locks prevent the discharge of the handgun 
unless the lock has been deactivated or removed.
  Mr. President, I would also like to note what this bill does not do. 
First of all, it does not give CPSC any say in standards of firearms or 
ammunition. In other words, it is not intended to regulate firearms, 
themselves, in any way whatsoever. Second, it would not mandate which 
type of gun lock device consumers use.
  As I said earlier, there are many different types of gun locks 
currently available. Some of these allow for easy access and use of 
firearms for adults should they decide that is important to them. Other 
devices are more cumbersome and do not provide quick and easy access. 
Gun owners would be free to decide what device is best for them. This 
legislation would have no effect on that issue. Finally, this 
legislation does not require the use of gun safety locks. While the 
Senate has already passed legislation to do this, if that language is 
removed in conference, this legislation will not affect that.
  As I have stated already, Mr. President, I believe that this 
legislation will save lives. But, more than that, this legislation will 
empower parents--parents who decide that they want to have a gun safety 
lock but are awash in a sea of different devices--to purchase only gun 
safety locks that provide adequate protection for their children. I 
urge my colleagues to join Senator Kerry and me in support of this 
bill.
                                 ______