[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 1378]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 A REPORT CARD ON STATE GUN SAFETY LAWS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, this week the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun 
Violence, in partnership with the Million Mom March and State gun 
safety groups, released its 6th Annual Report Card on State Gun Laws 
Protecting Children. According to the report, the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention data showed a welcome decrease in the number of 
children killed by guns. However, children continue to be at great risk 
from gun violence.
  The Brady Campaign State Report Cards evaluate each State on several 
criteria: Does the State have juvenile possession laws or juvenile sale 
and transfer laws? Does the State have child access prevention laws? 
Does the State have gun safety lock and safer design standards? Does 
the State allow cities to regulate guns? Does the State provide 
secondary private sales background checks? Does the State have carrying 
concealed weapons laws? In addition to these criteria, States can also 
receive extra credit and/or demerits for a variety of gun safety 
measures such as permits for handguns.
  This year, according to the Brady Campaign, 11 States were awarded 
Sensible Safety Stars. These States resisted efforts to weaken gun 
safety laws and/or enacted gun safety laws that protect children from 
guns. I am disappointed to report that my home State of Michigan was 
not among them.
  According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the 
Brady Campaign, seven states, all of whom received poor grades, were 
major sources of crime guns. Further, the ATF found that gun 
traffickers seek out States that allow criminals to purchase firearms 
without background checks at gun shows.
  The Congress has the ability to pass legislation that will further 
reduce child firearm deaths and automatically improve the grade of many 
States. I urge my colleagues to take up and pass commonsense gun safety 
legislation that will close the gun show loophole and improve child gun 
access prevention laws so that we might prevent kids from gaining 
access to guns, and improve the quality and safety of our communities.

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