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Show Brady Bill passage should be welcome The passage of the Brady Bill by the House may have been the first time in history that Congress has flexed its muscles against such a powerful foe as the National Rifle Association. We can only hope now that the Senate will follow. The argument from local legislators that the Brady Bill is the first step in taking away Second Amendment rights is "shot" full of holes. The Second Amendment was not designed design-ed to protect our right to be murderers. This is not gun control, it's crime control. Foes of gun control have argued that the Brady Bill, which requires a seven-day "cooling off' period from the day a handgun han-dgun is requested and the gun is actually purchased, will take away their right to bear arms. The Bill would require handgun buyers to present identification to a gun dealer, who would then notify local police of the prospective sale. If no objection is raised in seven days, if the purchaser does not have a history of crime or mental disorders, the sale goes through. When the House approved the Bill by a vote of 239 in favor, 186 opposed, oppos-ed, the chief lobbyist of the National Rifle Association was quoted as saying "This is far from over." What is far from over is the killing that occurs every day by handguns. In the United States in 1990, 60 police officers were killed, 48 of those by handguns. How can we make it stop? The NRA favors another bill which would require dealers to call a national instant check hotline set up by the Justice Department. THe gun may be sold if the buyer is not identified within 24 hours as a convicted criminal. That's ridiculous. How many convicted criminals would give their right name and identification if they are looking to purchase a gun? This sounds like a "Saturday Night Live" routine. "Hello, I'm on parole for killing my family and I'd just like a gun to do a little target practice." In addition to this major flaw in the plan, the Justice Department has said it would take years and millions of dollars to implement a computer hot line in all 50 states. The passage of the Brady Bill was a big victory for gun control con-trol advocates. In a similar confrontation just three years ago the NRA won over Brady, 228-182. Lawmakers on both sides have said the dramatic turn-around is due to the public's growing grow-ing frustration with rising gun violence in the country which is symbolized by the bill's most well known advocate, former White House secretary James Brady. Brady is now wheelchair bound due to a violent attack by a gunman. Only one of our Utah Congressmen had the courage to vote in favor of the bill. Democratic Rep. Wayne Owens supported the bill, and became the first Utahn ever to vote in favor of any kind of federal gun control. Reps. Bill Orton and Jim Hansen voted against the measure. Both stated they favor a less restrictive restric-tive measure. Many of those voting against the bill have said they feel it won't make a difference. Many feel that criminals obtain guns illegally and the waiting period won't deter them. That may be true in some cases, but we've got to start somewhere. The threat from President Bush to veto the bill unless it is a part of a larger crime package is bad politics. Before a new measure can be passed, more innocent people will be injured or die as a result of handguns. In Utah there are many deer hunters who have opposed the Brady Bill. They claim they will be adversely affected by the waiting period. The waiting period does not apply to rifles. It applies only to handguns. In Utah in 1990 there were 3,175 aggravated assaults (assaults usually involving a weapon). You can bet most of those did not involve a deer rifle. It's time to begin to curb the deadly violence faced by many Americans every day. The Brady Bill may not be the definitive answer, but it's a beginning. The actions of the House are to be commended. They have defeated the NRA. Now it's time for them to take on the powerful tobacco lobby. Smoking most likely kills more Americans every day than handguns do in a year. |