- Right now @clgoddard is delivering 35K signatures to Congress pre-State of the Union to push for action on #guns http://t.co/C04i0QaY
- What can you do to help make a safer nation? Consider volunteering time & talent. Details here: http://t.co/hG1SKqJL
- If you've lost a loved one to gun violence, plz share your story: http://t.co/vSjqVbmI
- Tell Congress we want action to reduce #gun violence. Help reach the goal of 30,000 emails by midnight: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Only hours left to make as big an impact as possible. Plz RT to help reach goal of 30K emails to Congress: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- #NowIsTheTime to rally friends & followers to reach our goal of 30,000 emails to Congress in the next few hours: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- #NowIsTheTime to make Congress hear our demand to reduce #gun violence. Help send 30K emails by midnight http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Make sure Congress hears our demand for action to reduce #gun violence. Let's send 30,000 emails over the next 48 hours http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Make our voices heard. Help send 30,000 emails urging Senate Judiciary Committee members to act on #gun reform http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- #NowIsTheTime to rally friends, family & followers to help send 30,000 emails to Congress in the next 48 hours: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Nationwide call-to-action: Help rally friends & family to send 30,000 emails to Congress in the next 48 hours: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- President, Gabby Giffords & Mark Kelly say #NowIsTheTime for #gun reform. Tell Congress you agree: http://t.co/NJBj2Vt8 http://t.co/bWHypNuY
Paranoid Pentagon Shooter, Denied Guns by Law, Obtains Weapon Through Gun Show Loophole
Mar 15, 2010
Washington, D.C. - Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statement about news reports that John Patrick Bedell, the dangerously mentally ill California man who opened fire on police guarding the Pentagon March 4, was armed with a gun sold without a Brady background check at a gun show in Las Vegas, Nevada:
"If media reports are correct, a dangerous and delusional man was denied a gun by a Brady background check in California, but was able to arm himself with a gun purchased at a Las Vegas gun show without a Brady background check.
“Again we see the cost of the loophole in the Brady Law that allows guns to be purchased from so-called private sellers, most often at gun shows, without a background check. A man is dead, and two law enforcement officers are recovering from gunshot wounds, and Congress still refuses to take action to close this loophole. The Pentagon attack shows that our weak gun laws are not just a public safety issue but also a national security issue.
“Nearly a hundred members of Congress have signed on as cosponsors of legislation to require background checks on firearm sales at gun shows. It is long past time to close this dangerous loophole.”
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The Brady Campaign is the nation's largest citizens' lobby to prevent gun violence. We represent the voice of the overwhelming majority of Americans who are tired of living with the constant tragedy of gun violence and are in favor of strong laws and policies that will save lives. We are the light that exposes politicians who are putting the American people at risk, empowering the American people to hold them accountable for decisions and actions that undermine public safety.
We are driven by the focused vision of a nation where all Americans are safe at home, at work, at school, and in our communities.
Dan Gross is the President of the Brady Campaign and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. A photo and more information about Dan Gross is available here.
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