[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 46 (Friday, March 21, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S4273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             A MICHIGAN MOM

  Mr. LEVIN. I want to bring to the attention of my colleagues Ms. 
Shikha Hamilton, a board member of the Million Mom March from my home 
State of Michigan. Ms. Hamilton visited my office last month with her 
fellow board members to report on their successes and to urge us to 
pass sensible gun safety legislation to stem the tide of gun violence 
that plagues many of our communities.
  Ms. Hamilton currently serves as the president of the MMM Chapter in 
Detroit. A rash of gun violence in Detroit over the last year has 
claimed the lives of 26 children; these incidents highlight the 
challenge gun violence poses for communities in protecting families. 
Ms. Hamilton is one person who has stepped up and met that challenge. 
She has helped form a coalition with other Detroit violence prevention 
groups, organized a huge march on Belle Isle, and helped create public 
service announcements to air on local radio stations. Ms. Hamilton is a 
leader in her community and I commend her for her work.
  As Detroit chapter president, Ms. Hamilton testified in support of a 
local ordinance prohibiting weapons in public buildings. It unanimously 
passed the Detroit City Council on November 13, 2002. Her chapter also 
persuaded the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News to close the 
``newspaper loophole.'' The newspapers agreed to stop the placement of 
gun sales in the classified ads, one way criminals had been gaining 
access to guns without background checks. In addition to all of this, 
Ms. Hamilton is a full-time attorney, wife and the mother of a 4-year-
old daughter.
  In the meeting with my staff, Ms. Hamilton and her MMM colleagues 
mentioned several pieces of gun safety legislation that are critical if 
we are to reduce gun violence. Among the most important is legislation 
closing the gun show loophole. In 1994, Congress passed the Brady Law, 
which requires federal firearm licensees to perform criminal background 
checks on gun buyers. However, a loophole in this law allows unlicensed 
private gun sellers to sell firearms at gun shows without conducting a 
background check.
  The Gun Show Background Check Act would close this loophole in the 
law by extending the Brady law background check requirement to all 
sellers of firearms including those at gun shows. I cosponsored this 
bill because I believe it is critical that we do all we can to prevent 
guns from getting into the hands of criminals and terrorists. Study 
after study has demonstrated that the Brady law has been successful in 
making it more difficult for criminals to gain access to firearms, and 
by closing the gun show loophole, Congress would again demonstrate its 
commitment to public safety. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Ms. Hamilton is doing her best to reduce gun violence in her 
community. We should do our best to pass sensible laws to make her job 
easier.

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