[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 200 (Wednesday, December 23, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13871-S13872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   GUN OWNERS SUPPORT GUN SAFETY LAWS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, the debate surrounding gun legislation is 
often an acrimonious one, creating the perception that Americans are 
hopelessly divided on this policy issue. After listening to the 
positions of the National Rifle Association, NRA, a person could 
conclude that progress toward a national consensus on sensible gun 
legislation is a long way off. This perception, however, is just that: 
merely a perception. In reality, Americans of all political stripes 
share much common ground when it comes to issues of gun safety, and I 
am hopeful that this consensus will produce tangible legislative 
results.
  In a recent poll conducted by well-known pollster Frank Luntz, NRA 
members and non-NRA gun owners expressed strong support for a number of 
proposed gun safety laws. These gun-owning Americans did not see a 
contradiction between supporting legislative efforts to reduce gun 
violence and their right to bear arms. Specifically, 85 percent of non-
NRA gun owners and 69 percent of NRA gun owners supported closing the 
``gun show loophole'' by requiring all gun sellers at gun shows to 
conduct a Brady criminal background check on prospective purchasers. In 
addition, 86 percent of non-NRA gun owners and 82 percent of NRA 
members favored a proposal to prevent individuals listed on a terrorist 
watch list from purchasing firearms. Seventy-four percent of non-NRA 
gun owners and 69 percent of NRA members also agreed with this 
statement: ``the federal government should not restrict the police's 
ability to access, use, and share data that helps them enforce federal, 
state, and local gun laws.''
  At first glance, these polling numbers may not seem very surprising. 
After all, these gun safety proposals are founded on common sense and 
are crafted to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and 
terrorists. Unfortunately though, the NRA leadership continues to 
oppose three Federal gun safety bills that, according to the recent 
poll, their own members support: the Gun Show Background Check Act, S. 
843, which would close the ``gun show loophole;'' the Denying Firearms 
and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act, S. 1317, which would 
prevent individuals listed on terrorist watch lists from purchasing a 
gun; and the Preserving Records of Terrorist and Criminal Transactions 
Act, S. 2820, which would improve the ability of law enforcement 
agencies to prevent gun violence by increasing the amount of time gun 
background check records are kept.
  I support these sensible gun safety measures, and as the polling 
indicates, so do a majority of American gun owners, including NRA 
members. The NRA is not only out of touch with mainstream America, they 
also are out of touch with their own members. It is time to set aside 
the false claims that too often cloud the debate surrounding gun 
safety. There is an overwhelming consensus in America: the time to pass 
commonsense gun safety legislation is now.

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