[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 2105]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    GRADING THE STATES ON GUN SAFETY

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, last month the Brady Campaign to 
Prevent Gun Violence, in partnership with the Million Mom March and a 
number of State gun safety groups, released its 8th Annual Report Card 
on State Gun Laws Protecting Children. I applaud the efforts of these 
organizations to keep the pressure on State and local legislators to 
enact sensible gun safety legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to 
review this report.
  The Brady Campaign report assigns individual States a grade of A 
through F on seven types of laws that protect children from gun 
violence. ``Extra credit'' and ``demerits'' were also assigned for 
other State gun safety laws. The Brady Campaign includes in its 
analysis such questions as: Is it illegal for a child to possess a gun 
without supervision? Is it illegal to sell a gun to a child? Are gun 
owners held responsible for leaving loaded guns easily accessible to 
children? Are guns required to have child-safety locks, loaded-chamber 
indicators and other childproof designs? Do cities and counties have 
authority to enact local gun safety laws? Are background checks 
required at gun shows? And, is it legal to carry concealed handguns in 
public?
  Children around the country continue to be at great risk from gun 
violence. This year, the Brady Campaign awarded only six States an A 
rating in their report. Unfortunately, 31 States received grades of D 
or F. Only one State improved its grade from last year, while two 
others took actions that will make communities less safe from the 
threat of gun violence. However, I was encouraged that the number of 
``extra credit Sensible Safety Stars'' for protecting children from gun 
violence more than doubled to 21, and that the number of ``Time-Out 
Chair demerits'' assigned for weakening State gun laws was cut from ten 
to six.
  While some States have taken positive steps on the issue of gun 
safety in the last year, more than half are still receiving failing 
grades from the Brady Campaign. By passing legislation that reduces 
child firearm deaths, Congress can help to improve the grades of these 
States. I urge my colleagues to take up and pass common sense gun 
safety legislation that will close the gun show loophole, reauthorize 
the 1994 assault weapons ban, and improve child gun access prevention 
laws.

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