Free Republic

Dear Violence Policy Center Action Network Member: Last Friday, by a vote of 65 to 31, the U.S. Senate passed S. 397, a bill shielding the gun industry from certain types of civil litigation. Click here to see the Reuters story on the vote which cites the VPC: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2005-07-29T234038Z_01_N29544354_RTRIDST_0_POLITICS-CONGRESS-GUNS-DC.XML Thank you to everyone who called and e-mailed their Senators to urge them to vote against this bill. To see how your Senators voted, click here: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00219 The bill will now move to the U.S. House of Representative--which has passed similar legislation in the past--for action. Following Senate passage Friday, the...

Dear Violence Policy Center Action Network Member: The U.S. Senate will vote TODAY on legislation to shield the gun industry from some civil liability (S. 397). This would make the firearms industry, which is already exempt from federal health and safety regulation, the most protected consumer product manufacturer in America. Please call your Senators TODAY and urge them to vote YES on the Reed Substitute to S. 397! (Background information on the Reed substitute is below.) Call your Senators through the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, or look up your Senators' contact information here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm THANK YOU! *** BACKGROUND SUPPORT...

Columbus, Ohio, Assault Weapons Ban Greater Tragedy to NRA Than Columbine Massacre, NRA's Wayne LaPierre Reveals Washington, DC—Following today's announcement by National Rifle Association (NRA) Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre that in reaction to Columbus, Ohio's recent City Council vote to ban assault weapons the NRA would move its 2007 annual meeting, the Violence Policy Center released the following statement from Executive Director Josh Sugarmann: "Today's announcement confirms that to the National Rifle Association, the Columbus, Ohio, assault weapons ban is a far greater tragedy than the Columbine assault weapons massacre. For those who had any doubt, it is clear...

Violence Policy Center Launches Web Site to Aid Citywide Effort to Stop Congressional Repeal of DC Handgun Ban Web Site Asks “If The U.S. Capitol Can be Handgun Free, Why Can’t DC?” Washington, DC--The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today launched a new web site to aid citywide efforts to stop Congressional repeal of the Washington, DC, handgun ban and other District gun laws. The web site–http://www.handgunfreedc.org–contains background information on efforts to repeal the District’s landmark law, information on the ban’s effectiveness, and a downloadable placard to be displayed in the windows of homes and businesses that reads, ”Keep the DC...

Violence Policy Center Hails New York State Assembly's Passage of 50 Caliber Sniper Rifle Ban Washington, DC—The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today applauded the New York State Assembly for voting last night to ban 50 caliber sniper rifles. The measure must now go to the New York State Senate. The legislative effort was spearheaded by New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV), the state's leading gun violence prevention organization. The VPC has long advocated for a ban on the sale and possession of 50 caliber sniper rifles and was the first organization in the country to alert the American public to...

The price of freedom': More bodies The harsh reality is that too many Americans love their guns more than they love their children JOSH SUGARMANN In just 10 days last month, two mass murder-suicides -- one ending in a Minnesota high school, the other taking place during a religious service in a Wisconsin hotel -- left a combined toll of 18 dead and more than 10 injured. As Americans go through the familiar ritual of asking how this could happen, the National Rifle Association has a stark answer articulated by former head Harlon Carter more than 20 years ago. America's...