[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16738]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     GUN DEATHS AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, this week we received some positive news 
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center 
for Health Statistics. According to newly released statistics, firearm 
deaths among young people decreased in 1998.
  The new report shows that firearm deaths among children and 
adolescents under 20 dropped 10 percent--from 4,223 in 1997 to 3,792 in 
1998. Perhaps even more significant, in 1998, deaths among young people 
were down 35 percent since 1994, when firearms led to the deaths of 
5,833 young people.
  It is no coincidence that firearm casualties have been reduced by 35 
percent since 1994, the year the Brady Law went in to effect. The Brady 
Law, which requires licensed firearms sellers to conduct criminal 
background checks on prospective gun purchasers, has successfully kept 
guns out of the hands of hundreds of thousands of criminals and youths.
  Although we can rejoice that fewer youths are subject to the danger 
of guns, we should still be dismayed that 10 of our young people (on 
average) die from guns every day. 10 children and adolescents as well 
as 74 adult Americans suffered gun-related deaths daily in 1998, and 
that is far too many.
  Congress must do more to protect our children and loved ones from 
these gun tragedies. We can start by strengthening the Brady Law by 
closing the gun show loophole. That loophole allows perpetrators of 
violent crimes to buy guns from non-licensed or private sellers, who 
are not required to conduct criminal background checks. This loophole 
undermines the successes of Brady by arming those who would otherwise 
not be permitted to purchase firearms. In May of 1999, the Senate 
passed legislation to close this loophole by extending criminal 
background checks to guns sold at gun shows and pawn shops, but 
opponents of this common sense provision have kept it from becoming 
law.
  It is disheartening to know that Congress has not yet passed sensible 
gun laws--laws designed to protect American lives. Without addressing 
this issue, America will continue to lose 10 young people a day to 
guns, and that is 10 too many.

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