[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 156 (Friday, October 31, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        INTRODUCING THE JUVENILE VIOLENT GUN CRIME REPORTING ACT

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                           HON. RAHM EMANUEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 30, 2003

  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce with Congressman 
Christopher Shays and 27 cosponsors the Juvenile Violent Gun Crime 
Reporting Act. This bipartisan bill would close a loophole in current 
law and help keep guns out of the hands of individuals with a history 
of violent crime.
  Every year more than 10,000 people are murdered with guns in the 
United States. In 2001, guns were involved in one third of all violent 
crimes. Firearms have a particularly damaging effect on America's 
youth. Of the 1,400 juveniles murdered in 2001, 44 percent were killed 
with a firearm. During the 1999-2000 school years, 2,837 students were 
caught bringing a gun to school. In my home state of Illinois, 164 
students were expelled for bringing a gun to school between 1999 and 
2001. A regrettable but plain fact is that minors are not only the 
victims of gun crime but the perpetrators as well. According to the 
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 93,000 gun crimes 
or 9 percent of the total gun crimes were committed by individuals 
under the age of 18 between 2000 and 2002.
  In an effort to combat America's high rate of gun violence, Congress 
enacted the Brady Bill in 1994. I was proud to work on passing this 
landmark bill when I served in the White House. A portion of the Brady 
law requires any individual wishing to purchase a firearm to undergo a 
background search. This system, known as the National Instant Criminal 
Background Check System (NICS), prohibits any individual with a violent 
criminal history from purchasing a weapon. Through 2001, 38 million 
background checks were conducted and 840,000 purchases were denied. 
However, a loophole in the Brady Bill allows violent juvenile criminals 
to purchase firearms. The Juvenile Violent Gun Crime Reporting Act 
(JVGCRA) would close this loophole once and for all.
  Under current law, nearly all juvenile records are expunged once an 
individual reaches the age of 18. Because the expunged records are not 
included in the NICS background check, someone who committed a violent 
crime before the age of 18 can legally purchase a weapon on his or her 
18th birthday. In response to this glaring loophole, my legislation 
amends federal law and requires states to report violent juvenile crime 
so that it may be utilized by NICS. Further, the bill makes it illegal 
for anyone to transfer a weapon to someone who has a history of violent 
juvenile crime.
  Mr. Speaker, the Juvenile Violent Gun Crime Reporting Act is a simple 
and straightforward bill and could go a long way toward making our 
streets, schools, and cities much safer for our children and our 
families. It is a good bill and we hope that my colleagues will join 
us.

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