Lautenberg on the Need for Gun Safety Reforms

Sunday, July 22, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) released the following statement today on the need for gun safety reforms:

“Far too many American families have felt the horror of gun violence. Our hearts are still heavy with sadness after the tragedy in Colorado, but we need to start today on efforts to prevent the next attack. We should begin by passing my legislation to ban the sale of high-capacity gun magazines,” Lautenberg said.  “No sportsman needs 100 rounds to shoot a duck, but allowing high-capacity magazines in the hands of killers like James Holmes and Jared Loughner puts law enforcement at a disadvantage and innocent lives at risk. The NRA should join with us and the rest of America on sensible gun safety reform to stop the violence."

Senator Lautenberg is a leader in Congress for responsible gun safety measures.  Last year, Lautenberg introduced common-sense legislation to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines.  Lautenberg also is the author of two bills aimed at closing significant loopholes in U.S. law—the “gun show loophole” and the “Terror Gap”—that make it easier for criminals and terrorists to obtain guns and explosives to carry out their crimes.  Additional information about Lautenberg’s common-sense gun safety reforms can be found here

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Senator Lautenberg authored the Domestic Violence Gun Ban, which bans the shipment, transport, sale or ownership of guns by individuals convicted of domestic violence. Since it was enacted in 1996, the law has succeeded in keeping guns out of the hands of spousal and child abusers on approximately 200,000 occasions.