U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and U.S. Representatives Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Mike Castle (R-DE) have introduced legislation to close the gun show loophole. The loophole allows people to buy guns at gun shows in most states without passing a Brady criminal background check.

A new Brady report makes a strong case for Brady background checks on all gun sales in America, including those at gun shows. Allowing dangerous people such as convicted felons and domestic abusers to buy guns without criminal background checks threatens the safety of our families and communities.

Our national policy should be: no background check, no gun, no excuses.

U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and U.S. Representatives Peter T. King (R-NY) have introduced common sense legislation to deny firearms and explosives to terrorists. Currently, federal authorities cannot stop sales of guns — including military-style assault weapons — by dealers to known or suspected terrorists. This gap in the law threatens our nation's safety.

A new GAO report finds that, from February 2004 to February 2009, there were 963 cases in which a known or suspected terrorist attempted to buy a gun. In 90 percent of those cases — a total of 865 times — they were cleared to proceed with that purchase. One of those cases involved the purchase of explosives.

Congress must pass the Terror Gap bill to stop known or suspected terrorists from buying guns.

According to the GAO report, a large proportion of the firearms fueling Mexican drug violence originated in the U.S. According to the report, more than 20,000, about 87 percent, of firearms seized by Mexican authorities and traced over the past 5 years originated in the U.S.

The Brady Center reached many of the same conclusions earlier in the year in the report, Exporting Gun Violence: How Our Weak Gun Laws Arm Criminals in Mexico and America.

We urge U.S. leaders to strengthen American gun laws to make it harder for Mexican criminals to arm themselves with U.S. guns. The same weak gun laws that are enabling the supply of Mexican criminals are supplying criminals in the U.S. as well.

A reckless amendment that could allow people to carry loaded guns, including AK-47s, in national parks was passed by the Congress. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) carried the gun lobby's water and added the amendment to completely unrelated legislation to protect credit card users.

In March, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly struck down a Bush administration rule on guns in parks that was implemented days before the President left office, finding that the administration issued it in an "astoundingly flawed process."

The Obama administration then agreed to halt the implementation of the rule. The Brady Center had filed suit to block the rule in December, 2008.

The Coburn amendment, which is even more radical than the Bush rule, could override Judge Kollar-Kotelly's injunction. It could allow concealed or open carrying of loaded firearms, including semiautomatic assault weapons, in every national park and wildlife refuge where state law does not prohibit it.

Since 2004, the so-called Tiahrt Amendments (named after Congressman Todd Tiahrt of Kansas) includes several riders attached annually to Justice Department appropriations legislation. The Amendments require the destruction of most Brady background check records, prohibit the government from requiring gun dealers to fully account for their firearms, and prohibit public access to crucial information about guns used in crime.

The Obama Administration had pledged to repeal the Tiahrt Amendments. However, in its FY 2010 budget, the Administration failed to propose the repeal of the Amendments.

Brady President Paul Helmke issued a statement saying "We are profoundly disappointed that President Obama has failed to follow through with his promises for 'openness' by reaffirming much of the so-called Tiahrt Amendments. This means a continuation of the reckless Bush-era policies that endanger public safety and make it easier for criminals to obtain illegal firearms."

Brady Law and Policy Director Dennis Henigan calls on Congress to oppose any amendments eliminating D.C. gun laws at a news conference with D.C. City Council

The Senate amendment would legalize assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, gut federal firearm anti-trafficking laws and eliminate D.C.'s firearm registration. It would also prohibit the D.C. Council from enacting any new law that could "discourage firearms ownership."

The U.S. House of Representatives could consider the D.C. House Voting Rights Act soon. The House should oppose any amendments that would weaken or eliminate gun laws in Washington, D.C.