The Brady Center in the USA is one of America’s foremost organisations seeking to reduce the damage that guns do to communities. They have put great effort into reducing the illegal gun problem in America and should be praised. You can see some of their efforts by opening their website, http://www.bradycampaign.org
The problem of illegal guns has also become a serious matter in Australia. The Australian Institute of Criminology’s research which shows that about 4,000 guns are stolen each year in Australia is worrying and it suggests that regulations on gun storage must be made stricter. No wonder illegal guns often cause problems in our society.
The president of the Brady Center in Washington DC has recently given these important results arising from their efforts to influence politicians.
He says:
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I am glad to report that we have succeeded and none of the following bills backed by the gun pushers have become law:
- Repealing the requirement that child safety locks be sold with every handgun – a law that just went to effect last year.
- Undermining the Brady Law and landmark 1968 Gun Control Act by making it easier for gun traffickers to cross state lines to get guns.
- Allowing the carrying of concealed weapons anywhere in the nation, even in states and localities that have laws prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons.
- Repealing the strong gun laws in Washington, D.C., our Nation’s Capital.
- Repealing the requirement that gun dealers must report bulk handgun sales to local law enforcement. Bulk handgun sales are a sure-fire sign of gun trafficking.
- Weakening the power of law enforcement to identify and shut down corrupt gun dealers. This includes dealers such as Valley Gun of Baltimore - owned by NRA Board Member Sanford Abrams – which had more than 900 violations of law.
- Limiting the data available to law enforcement about gun dealers with the worst records of supplying the illegal market and interfering with investigations before they are even started.
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Australians sometimes feel that the American gun lobby has had too much say on US politicians during the George W Bush administration, but the successes listed above show that there are Americans fighting successfully for reasonable gun laws. Surely all shooters in Australia would be pleased with these successes.