[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 57 (Thursday, May 11, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S4465]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   POLICE CHIEFS SUPPORT COMMON SENSE NATIONAL GUN SAFETY REGULATIONS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, a national study of police chiefs' support 
for a variety of possible gun safety regulations was recently completed 
by researchers at Wayne State University, the University of Toledo, and 
Kent State University. The study, titled ``Police Chiefs' Perceptions 
of the Regulation of Firearms,'' was published in the April issue of 
the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. I applaud the researchers 
for addressing this important issue and for their contribution to the 
debate about common sense gun safety legislation.
  As the study points out, ``Firearm injuries are the second leading 
cause of injury death in the United States, and since 1972 have killed 
on average more than 30,000 people each year.'' Our police chiefs see 
the consequences of gun violence on a daily basis and are in a unique 
position to evaluate possible solutions to the gun violence epidemic in 
our country. For their study, researchers surveyed 600 randomly 
selected police chiefs in cities with populations of more than 25,000 
people. This survey was intended to measure the police chiefs' support 
for a number of possible gun safety regulations. While the responses of 
the police chiefs may not be surprising to advocates of commonsense gun 
safety legislation, they are striking and certainly worth noting.
  There were a number of potential gun safety regulations that received 
the support of an overwhelming majority of the police chiefs who 
returned surveys. Specifically, 93 percent of police chiefs supported a 
requirement that background checks be completed prior to the purchase 
of all handguns and 82 percent believed background checks should also 
be required for the purchase of rifles and shotguns. This means that 
overwhelmingly police chiefs believe background checks should be 
required for the purchase of all firearms, regardless of whether they 
are purchased from a public or private dealer.
  As my colleagues know, current law requires that when an individual 
buys a firearm from a licensed dealer, a background check must be 
completed to insure that the purchaser is not prohibited by law from 
purchasing or possessing a gun. However, this is not the case for some 
gun purchases. For example, when an individual buys a firearm from a 
private citizen who is not a licensed gun dealer, there is no Federal 
requirement that the seller ensure the purchaser is not in a prohibited 
category. This creates a loophole in the law, making it easy for 
criminals, terrorists, and other prohibited buyers to evade background 
checks and buy guns. This loophole creates a gateway to the illegal 
market because prohibited buyers know they will not be subject to 
background checks when purchasing a firearm from a private citizen.
  One of the factors that automatically disqualifies a person from 
purchasing a firearm is a prior felony conviction. However, most 
misdemeanor convictions do not disqualify a person under Federal law 
from buying a firearm. In response to the survey, a majority of the 
police chiefs supported a prohibition on the sale of firearms to those 
who have been convicted of misdemeanor crimes including the public 
display of a firearm in a threatening manner, domestic violence, and 
carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.
  In addition, the police chiefs supported action on a number of other 
commonsense gun safety regulations on handguns. More than 81 percent of 
the police chiefs said that the Federal Government should require 
handguns to be assigned tamper-resistant serial numbers that could 
assist law enforcement officials in the prosecution of illegal gun 
traffickers. Nearly 70 percent of the police chiefs believe that all 
handguns should be registered, and 82 percent believe that the Federal 
Government should require all new handguns to be sold with trigger 
locks.
  Our Nation's police chiefs are particularly knowledgeable and well 
placed to assess the importance of commonsense gun safety laws in 
protecting the safety of our communities and in stopping the flow of 
firearms to the illegal market. Through their responses to the survey, 
the police chiefs are sending a clear message that they believe that 
stricter national standards on the purchase and possession of firearms 
should be enacted. Congress should listen to this important message and 
take action on these issues.

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