Gun control

December 10, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) - Congresswoman Corrine Brown made the following statement:

"As the Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Railroads, I am appalled that language in the FY 2010 Omnibus appropriations bill permits people to carry guns on Amtrak trains. I am disappointed that there were not any hearings, discussions, or attempts to allow alternative points of view (voiced strongly by both the House Committee on Transportation as well as the House Committee on Homeland Security) whatsoever.    » read more »

Tester cosponsors amendment to strengthen gun rights in health care bill; Measure forbids insurance companies from raising rates due to gun ownership

December 11, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Senator Jon Tester has thrown his support behind a bipartisan measure that will protect and strengthen gun rights in the Senate’s health care reform bill.

If passed, the amendment forbids companies from raising health insurance premiums or denying health care coverage to law-abiding Americans who keep guns in their homes.

It also forbids the federal government from collecting private information about guns, ammunition or “lawful storage” of firearms under the health care reform bill.    » read more »

Senator Has Introduced Bills To Close Gun Show Loophole and Terror Gap, Preserve Gun Sale Records

December 10, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), a leader in the Senate on strengthening common-sense gun safety standards, today highlighted encouraging new poll results found in a national survey taken of gun owners, including National Rifle Association (NRA) members.    » read more »

Illinois Governor Quinn Signs Legislation Targeting Illegal Firearm Possession by Gang Members; New Law to Honor Slain Chicago Police Officer

CHICAGO – December 3, 2009 -- Illinois Governor Pat Quinn today signed a bill into law that will require prison time for street gang members convicted of possessing a loaded gun in a public area. This new law strengthens the current law which rules that gang members in possession of a loaded gun can be sentenced to probation.

“Public safety and crime prevention are of paramount importance to the law-abiding people of Illinois,” said Governor Quinn. “This new law I’m signing puts gang members on notice: If they get caught carrying a loaded gun in public, they will go to prison.”    » read more »

Bill requires background check before purchase of firearms at gun shows

December 2, 2009 -- Washington, DC - Rep. Michael E. McMahon cosponsored legislation designed to curtail the unmonitored sale of firearms at gun shows throughout the country. H.R. 2324, The Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2009, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), requires the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to perform criminal background checks on all firearm transactions occurring at gun shows.    » read more »

Introduces Bill to Preserve Gun Records Critical to Law Enforcement, Terrorism Prevention

December 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today introduced the PROTECT Act, legislation to preserve records of gun sales for longer periods of time to aid law enforcement officials in preventing gun crimes and terrorist acts. Under current law, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) must destroy these records in most cases within 24 hours of allowing a gun sale to proceed.    » read more »

November 23, 2009 -- (MISSOULA, Mont.) – Senator Jon Tester rallied Republicans and Democrats in Congress to send a bipartisan message today to the U.S. Supreme Court: The Second Amendment applies to all law-abiding Americans, no matter where they live in the country.

Tester teamed up with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas and U.S. Representatives Mark Souder, R-Ind., and Mike Ross, D-Ark.—to write a friend-of-the-court brief in favor of gun rights in the upcoming McDonald v. Chicago Supreme Court case.

Their 59-page brief was delivered to the U.S. Supreme court today, with signatures from 309 senators and representatives—more members of Congress than any friend-of-the-court brief in U.S. history.    » read more »

Strong Support for Lautenberg Measure to Prevent Gun Sales to Terror Suspects

November 24, 2009 -- The bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns today published a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post asking House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid to keep guns out of the hands of potential terrorists. In response to the shooting at Fort Hood, the coalition is calling on Congress to close a loophole in federal law - known as the Terror Gap - that allows individuals on the terrorist watch lists to purchase firearms and explosives, and to repeal a provision in the federal budget - known as the Tiahrt Amendments - that require the FBI to destroy approved background checks of gun purchasers within 24 hours.    » read more »

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, the Brady Campaign, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Join Lawmakers to Introduce Gun Trafficking Prevention Act

November 24, 2009 -- New York, NY - Joined by some of the nation's top anti-crime leaders, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Carolyn McCarthy today announced a new measure authored by Gillibrand and McCarthy aimed at eliminating the steady flow of illegal guns into New York.    » read more »

Schumer: Gaping Holes In Federal Gun Background Checks Allowed Fort Hood Shooter To Purchase Gun Unnoticed By Feds

November 16, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on the Department of Justice to require that a red flag be raised when someone who has been the subject of a terrorist inquiry attempts to purchase a gun after reports emerged today that the Fort Hood shooting suspect was able to purchase a gun and pass the background check even though the Joint Terrorism Task Force had reviewed certain communications of the suspect related to a terrorist investigation.    » read more »

New Law Will Keep Deadly Ammunition Out of the Hands of Criminals

10/15/2009 -- Building on his commitment to keeping dangerous weapons off California’s streets and out of the hands of criminals and gang members, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today highlighted a bill he signed, AB 962 by Assemblymember Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles).

This bill would require vendors of handgun ammunition transfers and sales to keep a log of information on handgun ammunition sales, store ammunition in a safe and secure manner and require the face-to-face transfer of ammunition sales.    » read more »

October 9, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- Reps. Mike Castle (R-DE) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), House architects of the Gun Show Loophole Closing Act (HR 2324), today praised Mayor Bloomberg's undercover investigation by the City of New York of illegal sales of firearms at gun shows in three states, and the report's recommendation for closing the gun show loophole.

Reps. Castle and McCarthy believe that now is the ideal time for HR 2324 to gain traction in Congress as Senator Frank Lautenberg introduced similar legislation and on the 2008 Presidential campaign trail, the concept enjoyed the bipartisan support of both candidates.    » read more »

October 7, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) - U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Queens/L.I.) today issued the following statement on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s undercover investigation of illegal firearm sales at gun shows.

“I praise Mayor Bloomberg for launching this unprecedented undercover investigation of illegal sales at gun shows. This sting further exposes the ease with which felons and other individuals who are prohibited from purchasing guns can do so, and, most alarmingly, can do so without background checks.

The gun show loophole continues to be a very serious problem. The mayor’s investigation highlights the necessity of Congress passing the Gun Show Loophole Closing Act (H.R. 2324) of which I am proud to be a cosponsor.    » read more »

NJ Senator Is Author of Legislation To Require Background Checks At Gun Shows

October 7, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), the author of legislation to close the gun show loophole, today applauded a City of New York investigation that exposed overwhelming evidence that criminals and terrorists can easily access firearms at gun shows.    » read more »

October 1, 2009 -- HOUSTON – Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Director Kenneth E. Melson today announced the results of ATF’s Gun Runner Impact Team (GRIT) initiative, a 120-day deployment of ATF resources to the Houston Field Division to disrupt illegal firearms trafficking by Mexican drug cartels.

The Justice Department officials also outlined the $10 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds that have been allocated to support the initiative going forward.    » read more »