States Move on Gun Control

The U.S. Senate recently jumped to action on gun control in reaction to recent school shootings, but state legislators have been addressing the issue—either by opposing pro-gun legislation or introducing legislation that would make our communities safer—all along.

As of late April 1999, the following gun control legislation was under consideration in the states:

• Two controversial NRA-backed bills were pulled on April 21 in Colorado—only after the shootings in a Littleton high school. One bill (HB 1305) would have taken away the right of cities and counties to pass any gun violence prevention laws and would eliminate any existing laws to stop the proliferation of guns in a community.

• Texas Governor George W. Bush voiced support for a bill requiring background checks of people purchasing weapons at gun shows.

• Governor Jane Dee Hull in Arizona vetoed the NRA-endorsed House Bill 2275, which would have prohibited cities and counties from filing lawsuits against the gun industry and forbidden localities from enacting any gun violence prevention ordinances.

• An NRA-sponsored bill in Ohio would allow virtually any citizen to carry a concealed weapon. A poll conducted by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati released this spring showed that 72 percent of Ohio adults oppose making it easier for citizens to obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun.

• The Child Access Prevention Bill (SB 177) in Illinois would require adults to lock-up or store their firearms away from children.

• On April 22, the California Assembly passed an anti-gun trafficking bill (AB 202) which prohibits bulk-buying of handguns by limiting their purchase to one per month.