40 YEARS AFTER THE SHOOTING THAT INJURED JAMES BRADY - A NEW BEST-CHANCE FOR COMPREHENSIVE GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION

 

https://www.bradyunited.org/press-releases/anniversary-forty-jim-brady-reagan-shooting

 

Washington, D.C., March 30, 2020 - On the 40th anniversary of the shooting that injured President Ronald Reagan and his Press Secretary James Brady, Brady, the organization that bears his name, calls for a renewed focus on gun violence prevention. This moment represents the best chance to pass comprehensive and inclusive gun violence prevention policies that our nation has seen in a decade. We cannot let it pass by.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“Forty years ago today, our nation watched in horror as a gunman shot President Regan, two Secret Service agents, Tim McCarthy and Thomas Delahanty, and Press Secretary James Brady. That shooting compelled Jim and his wife Sarah to take up a lifetime of advocacy for common-sense gun violence prevention laws and resulted in the most consequential piece of gun safety legislation in our nation’s history, the Brady Bill.

Forty years later, we are poised to build upon Jim and Sarah’s work, as well as the action, and leadership of survivors and activists, particularly Black and Brown activists, who have worked tirelessly to enact gun violence prevention laws in the decades since.

This year, we have the best opportunity to pass comprehensive gun violence reforms in a decade. It has been over 20 years since the Brady Bill was passed, but, with President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and gun violence prevention majorities in both chambers of Congress, we can pass inclusive and comprehensive federal laws and needed policies like funding for community violence intervention programs. Gun violence won’t be stopped with one bill or one law, but we are in the best position in a generation to take a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to ending this crisis. While Jim eventually died from the wounds he received in March 1981, he committed the rest of his life to ensuring that others would not endure the pain that he and Sarah went through. It is essential to see how far we have come and commit to enacting the life-saving policies that Jim and Sarah fought for the rest of their lives. Survivors like Jim, and Sarah, continue to guide our work and remind us that survivors live with the physical and emotional scars of gun violence for the rest of their lives. We are ready to get to work.”

Brady Director of Racial Justice Kelly Sampson shared:

“While Jim Brady’s legacy remains a North star for our organization, and a starting point for us to continue this work, true action on gun violence prevention remains the unfinished work of our time. In the almost 20 years since the Brady bill, Americans have suffered untold loss and trauma from gun violence and many elected officials have simply washed their hands of any responsibility.

We now have the opportunity to address gun violence in all its forms, learning lessons from previous gun violence prevention actions that did not champion the voices and leadership of Black and Brown communities and activists. From community violence prevention funding, to reforms to end police violence, to a supply side approach to stop the flow of weapons into our communities, leaders across the country are putting forward policies that will help end this crisis and help the communities most affected. Forty years after this shooting, the future is bright for gun violence prevention, and it is brightest because we are looking at this issue holistically and listening to all Americans on how to solve it.”

To Create a Safer America for the Next 40 Years, Brady Calls for:

·       Federal legislation to prevent gun violence, starting with the bipartisan bills before the U.S. Senate, H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446.

·       Executive Action to ban the sale of ghost guns kits, which any person can purchase and easily assemble into a fully functioning and untraceable firearm.

·       Repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) which has been used to shield gun manufacturers from liability 

·       Take an evidence-based approach to policing reform. Police violence disproportionately and acutely affects communities of color, particularly Black Americans. Police violence is gun violence and no solution is complete without such reforms.

·       Pass $5 billion in funding for community-based violence prevention and intervention programs.

·       Increase funding for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and improve inspections of federally licensed firearm dealers and take a supply side approach to preventing gun violence.

 

About the Brady Bill:

Named for James Brady, President Ronald Reagan’s Press Secretary who was injured in the 1981 attempted assassination of the president and who spent the remainder of his life advocating for common-sense gun violence prevention policies with his wife, Sarah, the Brady Bill serves as the fundamental cornerstone of our nation’s gun violence prevention laws. The bill was first introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by then-Rep. Charles Schumer in 1991. While the bill faced staunch opposition from the gun lobby and the National Rifle Association, the Bradys worked with a committed team of advocates who lobbied members of Congress relentlessly and convened a broad and diverse coalition that united every corner of American life, from law enforcement to medical professionals, civic leaders, civil rights organizations and educators.

After multiple reintroductions, Rep. Schumer reintroduced the bill on February 23, 1993, with President Bill Clinton signing the final bill into law on November 30, 1993 and the law going into effect on February 28, 1994.

The law established the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which has served as the bedrock for all subsequent gun violence prevention laws. In the 27 years since, the Brady Background Check System, NICS, has prevented over 4 million prohibited gun transactions. In 2015 alone, over 619 prohibited gun transactions were prevented every single day.

 

 BRADY CALLS ON PRESIDENT BIDEN TO ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE USING HIS EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY

 

https://www.bradyunited.org/press-releases/president-biden-to-address-gun-violence-executive-authority

 

Washington, D.C., March 25, 2021 - Today, Brady reiterates its call for the Biden-Harris Administration to take executive action to address gun violence. Brady joined with 35 gun violence prevention organizations in submitting an open letter to the Biden Administration calling on them to take comprehensive action and present a plan to combat gun violence both to activists and the public. This crisis cannot wait and President Biden can act at once across his Administration to tangibly reduce gun violence and keep our nation safe. Brady asks that President Biden unveil his agenda to combat gun violence, announce the executive actions that he will take to immediately address this issue, and announce his nomination for Director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“We cannot wait to prevent gun violence. President Biden cannot wait to prevent gun violence. He has said so himself. It is within the power of the President of the United States to take immediate action against gun violence by leveraging the power of the executive branch.

President Biden must do so. We need action now while the Senate debates and votes on common-sense gun violence prevention bills. Gun violence is a complicated public health emergency. It needs a comprehensive approach, that means actions from the executive branch, legislative solutions and funding for community-based initiatives and violence prevention programs.

President Biden has been faced with an unprecedented array of challenges. Sadly, gun violence is among those challenges. Now that his cabinet is in place and Secretary Xavier Becerra, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, and Attorney General Merrick Garland are in place, the President is well poised to be able tackle this issue with his executive authority. We call on him to unveil his legislative agenda, announce the executive actions that he will take to immediately address this issue, and announce his nomination for Director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).”

About Brady’s Executive Actions Recommendations:

In June 2020, Brady released a suite of recommendations that any President and any administration can take to take to address gun violence. The report, “Leading with Action: Addressing Gun Violence With Executive Authority,” outlines recommendations that can accomplish five, overarching goals:

1.    Enhance and strengthen the Brady Background Check System;

2.    Improve gun industry oversight and accountability;

3.    Prevent the diversion of firearms to the illegal market;

4.    Reform the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and

5.    Promote public health and safety.

These actions should work in concert with comprehensive, Congressional efforts to prevent gun violence, which affects all Americans, albeit in varied and unequal ways. In anticipation of those comprehensive actions, the Executive Branch can and should take these steps immediately to reduce gun violence across the country and relieve the extraordinary burden and loss that gun violence imposes on every American, and in particular on communities of color that bear disproportionate and deleterious costs from gun violence.

Specific Recommendations

Enhance and Strengthen the Brady Background Check System

1.    Limit the private sales exception to those who sell 5 or fewer firearms a year to unlicensed individuals for profit.

2.    Instruct ATF to broaden its interpretation of the term “firearm” to include unfinished frames and receivers which are designed and marketed to be converted into firearms.

3.    Instruct ATF to expand the prohibition against firearms possession to include individuals convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence against dating partners regardless of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

4.    Instruct the DOJ to clarify that fugitives from justice, regardless of whether or not they have crossed state lines, are prohibited from purchasing guns.

5.    Instruct ATF to allow dealers whose licenses have been revoked only two options with regard to their remaining inventory of firearms: 1) sell their firearms to another FFL, or 2) surrender their inventory to ATF.

Gun Industry Oversight and Accountability

1.    Instruct ATF to overhaul its internal standards for issuing remedial actions — including license revocations — so that repeat and serious violators are no longer permitted to sell guns to the public.

2.    Direct ATF to require that FFLs perform annual background checks on all employees who transfer or may transfer firearms.

3.    Require that ATF share FFL inspection data with state and local law enforcement on a regular basis.

4.    Instruct the Attorney General to prioritize legal action against the gun industry for violations of federal law.

5.    Direct federal agencies to procure firearms solely from manufacturers, distributors, and dealers that have adopted safe business practices, and mandate that the FFLs in their distribution chains implement these policies and standards.

6.    Return regulatory authority of arms exports back to the State Department.

Prevent the Diversion of Firearms to the Illegal Market

1.    Direct ATF to interpret the phrase “statistical aggregate data” in the Tiahrt Amendments to include the aggregate number of crime gun traces on a per dealer basis, and to include information about the largest crime gun suppliers in the annual state trafficking reports.

2.    Direct ATF to assess the terms of all MOUs with state and local law enforcement agencies regarding the use of eTrace data and ensure that no provisions place any restrictions on state and local use of trace data that are not necessary to comply with the language of Tiahrt.

3.    Instruct ATF to require all states to report multiple sales of long guns so that it can identify traffickers and the dealers that facilitate gun trafficking.

4.    Direct ATF to permit entities with eTrace logins to share trace data across state lines.

U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Accountability and Reform

1.    Direct ATF to prioritize crime gun suppliers, non-compliant FFLs, and other high-risk FFLs for more frequent compliance inspections, and to formally track and report its progress on an annual basis

2.    Direct ATF to issue an annual report providing detailed information about legal violations by gun dealers, distributors, and manufacturers and how ATF has chosen to address such violations, broken down by geographic areas that correspond with ATF field divisions, to provide transparency about gun industry compliance and ATF compliance inspections.

3.    Direct ATF to release an annual updated report containing all of the same categories of information contained in the 2000 report. This would equip policymakers with information necessary to prevent violence in their communities.

Prioritize Public Public Health and Safety

1.    Appoint a well-qualified National Director of Gun Violence Prevention to coordinate federal responses to gun violence, a call originated by March for Our Lives.

2.    Convene a task force that would seek comprehensive, actionable solutions to police violence.

3.    Direct the CDC to adopt a methodology that provides reliable and accurate data regarding gunshot injuries.

4.    Instruct ATF to develop and issue federal guidance on firearm safety and home storage safety and encourage FFLs to provide all firearms purchasers with educational materials on safe storage options, including offsite storage that may be available in their area. Providing such information and guidance can work to change social norms and proactively prevent avoidable incidents of family fire,86 whether unintentional discharges, intentional shootings, or firearm suicide, which will save lives.

5.    Instruct ATF to develop and provide guidance, education, and suggested procedures to gun range owners and their employees to prevent incidents of gun violence onsite, as well as theft or burglary.

 

BRADY CELEBRATES THE PASSAGE OF H.R. 8 AND H.R.1446 IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

https://www.bradyunited.org/press-releases/passage-hr8-hr1446-house-of-representatives-background-checks

 Washington, D.C., March 11, 2021 - Following the passage of H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446 in the U.S. House of Representatives, Brady calls for the U.S. Senate to quickly take up and pass these bipartisan bills for President Biden’s signature. Today’s vote demonstrated again the demand for common-sense gun violence prevention policies from all Americans, regardless of party. This bipartisan vote clearly demonstrates that the U.S. House of Representatives has recognized that gun violence prevention is not a partisan issue, it is a life-saving necessity.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“This is a momentous day. Today, the House of Representatives reflected the will of the people in a bipartisan vote. These representatives took action, not sides. This is unsurprising, as just this week new polling showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans, including substantial majorities of Democratic, Republican, and Independent voters, want common-sense reforms like background checks on all gun sales. The House of Representatives has delivered.

It is now up to the Senate to take up these bills and send them to President Biden for his signature. The Senate cannot delay and we will not accept obstruction. Gun violence kills over 100 people a day and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable and disenfranchised communities. If the Senate cannot pass these bills due to outmoded procedures like the filibuster, then they must receive a simple majority vote where we know they will pass. This is about saving lives.”

About H.R. 8:

Introduced on March 2, 2021 by Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5), H.R. 8makes it unlawful to sell or transfer a firearm in any transaction without a Brady Background Check. This bill expands the current Brady Law to every sale or transfer in private sales, subject to the narrow exceptions.

About H.R. 1446:

Introduced on March 2, 2021 by Rep. Jim Clyburn (SC-6), H.R. 1446 provides the background check system with additional time to make a final determination on a potential firearms purchaser before a licensed dealer can transfer a gun, addressing the so-called “Charleston loophole.”

Currently, federal law allows a “default proceed,” whereby a federally licensed firearm dealer (FFL) can transfer a gun to a customer if the federal background check is not completed within 3 business days of the background check request to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

The Charleston loophole is named for the 2015 mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Charleston, S.C., that killed nine innocent people. The shooter – who was prohibited by law from possessing a firearm – was able to acquire his gun before the FBI could complete his background check. Although the FBI needed more time to investigate the shooter’s disqualifying records to determine whether the purchase was lawful, federal law allowed the dealer to transfer the gun after three days even though the check was not completed.

 

REGISTER NOW! VIRTUAL RALLY for EXPANDED BACKGROUND CHECKS

Virtual Rally for Expanded Background Checks
Monday, March 8, 1-2 p.m. ET
REGISTER NOW: bit.ly/checkrs-rally

Join Brady and Team ENOUGH for a virtual rally and phonebanking event

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation to expand and strengthen background checks on gun sales. These bills (H.R. 8/S.529 and H.R. 1446) are common-sense, life-saving solutions to prevent gun violence. Congress is moving quickly to vote on these two bills, and now is the time for us to unite and urge them to support and pass this legislation!

Our virtual rally will teach you about what background checks are, how they save lives, and how you can take action. You’ll hear from advocates and survivors alike, who will share stories to energize you to act. Following the virtual rally, we’ll channel our energy by delving into a phonebank, where we’ll work together to drive calls to our members of Congress so we can urge them to support and pass these bills!

Here’s how you can help:

STEP ONE: First and foremost, register for the event! Sign up here: bit.ly/checks-rally