Political Quotes

“we recently marked the 14th anniversary of the enactment of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. This legislation was a major step in our fight to curb gun violence. According to Centers for Disease Control statistics, since the Brady law went into effect, the number of gun deaths in the United States has dropped 26 percent, from 39,595 in 1993 to 29,569 in 2004. Even more dramatically, the number of gun homicides dropped by more than 38 percent from 17,024 in 1993 to 10,661 in 2004. According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the Brady law's requirement that gun purchasers undergo a criminal background check before purchasing a firearm has prevented approximately 1.4 million prohibited purchasers from buying guns from federally licensed gun dealers. By preventing these potentially dangerous individuals from obtaining guns, the law has helped prevent countless tragedies. On this 14-year anniversary, I urge my colleagues to capitalize on the successes of the Brady law by taking up and passing additional gun safety legislation, such as closing the gun show loophole and establishing an assault weapons ban.”