Getting guns out of the wrong hands

Vice President Al Gore has proposed several new ways to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, while maintaining the rights of law-abiding citizens to own guns.\nBuilding on years of experience as a congressman, senator and vice president, Gore has worked to end gun violence. He fought to close the gun-show loophole that allowed convicted felons to purchase guns without a background check. In 1994, he was instrumental in passing the administration's Crime Bill, that took 19 dangerous assault weapons off our streets.\n"We stood up to the gun lobby, to pass the Brady Bill and ban deadly assault weapons," Gore said. "We didn't take a single gun away from a single hunter or sportsman -- but we stopped nearly half a million felons, fugitives and stalkers from buying guns."\nUnder Democratic leadership, we have seen a 35 percent reduction in crimes committed with guns and a 16 percent increase in prosecutions of gun criminals at the federal level, according to Gore's campaign Web site. In 1996, 22 percent more criminals were incarcerated for either state or federal weapons offenses than in 1992, in part because of better coordination with state and local law enforcement officials.\nDemocrats believe in sensible measures to reduce gun violence and children and criminals' access to guns, and increased penalties for those who use guns to commit violent crimes.\nAs part of a plan to reduce children's access to guns, Gore has proposed mandatory child safety locks on all handguns. Further expanding on the administration's achievements during the last eight years, he would increase from 38 to 50 the number of cities across the country with the Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative (YCGII), which helps law enforcement officers crack down on traffickers who supply guns to young people. \nGore also worked to pass the Gun Free Schools Act, which requires the expulsion of students caught bringing firearms to schools. Between 1996-1998, 10,000 students were expelled for bringing guns to school, according to Gore's Web site.\nWhile the vice president's achievements alone are impressive, as president he would do even more to reduce gun violence:\n• Extend the Brady Law to violent juveniles, barring youth convicted of serious violent crimes from owning firearms as adults\n• Require child-safety locks for all new handguns\n• Increase penalties for gun-related crimes\n• Raise the minimum age to possess a handgun from 18 to 21\n• Hire new federal, state and local gun prosecutors to get gun criminals off the street and put them behind bars\nIn a speech on the anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings, Gore applauded the Republican Party's presidential nominee for talking about the moral and character dimensions of finding a solution to school violence, but called his approach only "half a solution."\n"I think he misses something else that's very important," Gore said. "We have to address not just the spiritual dimension of this challenge, but also the physical fact that there are too many guns, too readily available to those who should not have them."\nAs President, Al Gore will stand-up for families and continue his efforts to reduce violent gun crimes.\nOn election day, you will choose between someone with a proven record on reducing gun violence and someone who has no such record. Go to www.algore2000.com/guns to find out more about the Gore-Lieberman agenda on reducing gun violence.