[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 25, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S1598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER:
  S. 2129. A bill to amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, 
to require the provision of a child safety device in connection with 
the transfer of a handgun and to provide safety standards for child 
safety devices; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, we would all agree that we need to protect 
our children from violence. However, too many of our children continue 
to be injured or killed by guns. That is why I am introducing the Child 
Safety Device Act.
  This is a very simple measure. Every handgun sold must come with a 
child safety device. This can be a lock using a key or combination, a 
device that locks electronically, a lock box, or technology that is 
built into the gun itself. With this safety measure in place, we can 
reduce the number of accidental gun deaths among our children.
  More than 22 million children live in homes with guns. And more than 
3.3 million of them live in homes where the guns are always or 
sometimes kept loaded and unlocked. The result is the accidental deaths 
of 182 young people each year--that's one every 48 hours.
  We ``childproof'' our medicine bottles; we put gates up near stairs; 
we make sure that toys are not toxic. But we don't require that guns 
come with safety devices. We should.
  And to ensure that those devices are effective, my bill requires that 
the Consumer Product Safety Commission establish standards for their 
design, manufacture, and performance. When parents use a child safety 
device, they should have confidence that it works as intended.
  The Child Safety Device Act will improve the safety of our children--
and it will help save lives.
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