Sarah and Jim Brady Join Law Enforcement to Commemorate Third Anniversary of Brady Law

Feb 28, 1997

(Washington, DC) "Today is a very special day for Jim and me as we commemorate the third anniversary of when the Brady Law went into effect," said Sarah Brady, Chair of Handgun Control, Inc. "We are proud to stand with our friends in law enforcement who worked so hard to get this law passed. Law enforcement fought for the opportunity to do the background checks mandated in the law because they knew how important it was to keep handguns out of the hands of criminals."

Marking the third anniversary of the Brady Law, Mr. and Mrs. Brady noted that the Brady Law is working the way it was intended to work-- keeping handguns out of the hands of felons and other prohibited purchasers. This week, the Department of Justice released a study showing that, since the Brady Law went into effect, background checks nationwide have kept 186,000 criminals and other prohibited purchasers -- including 157 felons every day -- from buying handguns.

"We don’t know how many lives have been saved or how many crimes were prevented because these felons couldn’t get a handgun," said Mrs. Brady. A recent analysis of FBI Crime Reports, however, indicates that gun crimes have fallen more than violent crime overall since the Brady Law went into effect. The number of Federal Firearms Licensees has also dropped by more than half since 1993.

"Earlier this week, we saw what a gun in the wrong hands can do when a gunman opened fire on the observation deck of the Empire State Building. The gunman in that shooting had no prior criminal record, but everyday criminals do attempt to buy guns and it’s the Brady Law that stops them," noted Mrs. Brady.

In front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Jim Brady, board member of CPHV, noted that the justices have yet to issue a ruling on the constitutionality of the background checks.

"Let me say this -- the Brady Law background checks are working," said Mr. Brady. "Law enforcement fought to be able to do them, they will continue to do them. We must make sure that we don’t go back to the days of "lie and buy" when a criminal could walk into a gun store, lie on the form, and walk out with a handgun.

"Here’s a big thumbs-up to the Brady Law -- and our friends in law enforcement who helped pass it," said Mr. Brady.

Joining Mr. and Mrs. Brady at the news conference were: Chief Darrel Sanders, President, International Association of Chiefs of Police; Hubert Williams, Chairman, Law Enforcement Steering Committee and President of the Police Foundation; Sheriff Pat Sullivan, Jr., Chairman of Congressional Affairs Committee, National Sheriffs’ Association; Chief John Farrell of the Major Cities Chiefs; Ira Harris, Executive Director, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives; and Alan Whitney, Assistant to the President, International Brotherhood of Police Officers.

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