[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12296]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       INTRODUCTION OF THE STOP TAKING AIM AT OUR KIDS STUDY BILL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. EDWARD J. MARKEY

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 8, 1999

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation which 
would require a federal investigation of the marketing practices of the 
firearms industry. Specifically, my legislation, the Stop Taking Aim at 
Our Kids Study Bill, would require the Department of Justice and the 
Federal Trade Commission to work together to fully examine gun 
manufacturers' marketing efforts towards children.
  As evidenced by the recent school shootings in Littleton, Jonesboro, 
and Springfield, children and firearms can produce a deadly 
combination. Gunshot wounds are the second leading cause of death among 
youngsters nationwide--second only to automobile accidents. Every year 
4600 children are killed by gun fire, and each day 13 children are 
gunned down in America. That is the equivalent of one Columbine High 
School tragedy every day. Sadly, these numbers are rising.
  To effectively combat this dramatic and disturbing rise in gun 
violence among our children, we must first understand the factors 
contributing to our culture of violence. We must examine the role the 
media and the entertainment industry play in glamorizing gun violence, 
we must analyze the availability of guns to children, we must evaluate 
the role parents play in teaching their children about gun safety, and 
we must investigate the firearms industry's targeting of children.
  My legislation would take the important first step of combating youth 
violence by directing the Attorney General and the Federal Trade 
Commissioner to look at the marketing practices of gun manufacturers 
towards children. While some firearms manufacturers have worked 
responsibly with their customers to educate them about the importance 
of using guns safely when near young children, others have 
unscrupulously identified young children as an important consumer group 
and targeted them with little thought to the social consequences of 
their actions. Advertisements for children's guns which herald the 
importance of ``Starting 'em young'' and encourage kids to buy guns 
that ``will make them stand out in a crowd'' need to be closely 
examined.
  This legislation is not a panacea. I do not pretend that this bill 
will solve our nation's problems of youth gun violence. It will, 
however, begin an important dialogue about firearms manufacturers' and 
marketers' contribution to the high incidence of gun violence and gun 
death among our nation's children. By identifying those who carelessly 
target our children for profit, my bill will hold the firearms industry 
responsible for its actions. I hope that the House will act swiftly to 
adopt this important bill.

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