BRADY BILL)
THE FACTS ABOUT H.R. 975/S.466 (THE
in the House (H.R. 975) by
The "Brady Bill" was introduced 19)
the Senate (S.466) by
in
and
OH(Dn
gha
Fei
ard
Edw
ve
ati
Represent
ation would establish a
isl
leg
The
.
OH)
(Dm
bau
zen
Met
ard
How
r
Senato
enforcement to conduct
law
al
loc
ow
all
to
iod
per
g
tin
wai
day
sevenbackground checks on handgun purchasers.
l and is formally
bil
nt
eme
orc
enf
law
a
is
l"
Bil
ady
"Br
The
anizations including the
endorsed by major law enforcementefsorgof
ice (IACP), the Fraternal
Pol
Chi
of
on
ati
oci
Ass
l
ona
ati
ern
Int
therhood of Police
Bro
l
ona
ati
ern
Int
the
P),
(FO
ice
Pol
of
Order
ch Forum (PERF), the
ear
Res
ive
cut
Exe
ice
Pol
the
,
PO)
(IB
rs
Office
s (NAPO) and the National
ion
zat
ani
Org
ice
Pol
of
on
ati
oci
Ass
al
ion
Nat
ives (NOBLE). Other
cut
Exe
nt
eme
orc
Enf
Law
ck
Bla
of
ion
zat
Organi
466 include the American
/S.
975
.
H.R
g
tin
por
sup
y
ead
alr
s
ion
zat
organi
and the American
ss,
gre
Con
ish
Jew
an
ric
Ame
the
on,
ati
oci
Bar Ass
Academy of Pediatrics.
nt mechanism for the key
eme
orc
enf
an
e
vid
pro
ld
wou
466
/S.
975
.
H.R
hibits criminals, drug
pro
ch
whi
Act
l
tro
Con
Gun
8
196
the
of
n
portio
udicated mentally ill
adj
se
tho
and
ens
ali
l
ega
ill
,
ors
min
s,
addict
tes where waiting periods and obtain
from obtaining handguns. In staed,
ple can instantly
peo
se
the
uir
req
not
are
cks
che
d
oun
backgr
t they do not fall into a
tha
g
tin
sta
m
for
a
g
nin
sig
ply
sim
by
ns
handgu
to lie on the form, no
ony
fel
a
is
it
gh
hou
Alt
ry.
ego
cat
d
ite
prohib
Administration's 1981
gan
Rea
The
.
law
l
era
fed
by
ed
uir
req
is
check
me recommended a waiting
Cri
t
len
Vio
on
ce
For
k
Tas
l's
era
Gen
ey
Attorn
nce drug addicts,
"si
t
tha
g
tin
sta
,
ses
cha
pur
n
dgu
han
for
period
not the best risk for the
are
e
lik
the
and
s,
ive
ect
def
tal
men
,
felons
n the time of signing the
honor system; a waiting period betwee
handgun to the purchaser
the
of
ry
ive
del
and
ms
for
ed
uir
req
tly
presen
sible and necessary..."
sen
is
ty
ili
gib
eli
's
ser
cha
pur
the
ify
to ver
opposing H.R. 975/
now
is
on
ati
oci
Ass
le
Rif
al
ion
Nat
the
le
Whi
own publication, the NRA
its
in
t
tha
e
not
to
ng
sti
ere
int
is
it
S.466,
be effective as a means of
stated that a waiting period would
g people with criminal
tin
ven
pre
in
and
n
sio
pas
of
mes
cri
ing
"reduc
acquiring guns."
records or dangerous mental illness from
ding materials about H.R. 975/
The NRA has distributed some mislea
p correct some of that
hel
uld
sho
on
ati
orm
inf
ing
low
fol
The
S.466.
misinformation.
islation was overwhelmingly
The NRA says that waiting period leg
there has never been a vote
,
But
r.
yea
t
las
ss
gre
Con
the
by
ed
eat
def
In 1985, the House Judiciary
or.
flo
se
Hou
the
on
iod
per
g
tin
wai
a
on
background check of handgun
ale
t-s
pos
a
ed
rov
app
ly
ous
nim
una
tee
mit
Com
purchasers.
Page 2
be extended to include all
can
466
/S.
975
.
H.R
t
tha
ims
cla
NRA
The
handgun sales. It does
to
y
onl
s
lie
app
on
ati
isl
leg
s
Thi
firearms.
waiting period be extended
the
ld
cou
nor
ms,
ear
fir
er
oth
to
ly
not app
in the bill allows law
ion
vis
pro
a
t,
fac
In
s.
day
en
sev
beyond
ting period should an individual
wai
day
ensev
the
ve
wai
to
nt
eme
orc
enf
a handgun.
have a legitimate, immediate need for
is de facto registration. In
The NRA argues that H.R. 975/S.466
license handguns or handgun
or
er
ist
reg
not
ld
wou
l
bil
s
thi
t,
fac
enforcement is required to
law
,
ied
den
is
e
sal
the
ess
Unl
.
ers
own
destroy all records.
iod would not have stopped John
The NRA claims that a waiting per
Press Secretary James Brady and
,
ent
sid
Pre
the
ng
oti
sho
m
fro
ey
ckl
Hin
ey walked into a Dallas pawn
ckl
Hin
n
Joh
t,
fac
In
.
men
ty
uri
sec
two
l form and instantly obtained
era
fed
the
on
s
res
add
se
fal
a
e
gav
p,
sho
n attempt. Had a waiting
tio
ina
ass
ass
the
in
d
use
he
n
dgu
han
the
n, it could have
ake
ert
und
ck
che
d
oun
kgr
bac
a
and
ect
period been in eff
a felony by lying about his
ted
mit
com
ey
ckl
Hin
t
tha
d
ine
erm
det
n
bee
ld have been stopped.
cou
he
and
m
for
l
era
fed
the
on
s
res
add
s do not stop crime because
The NRA claims that waiting period
g periods. Law enforcement says
criminals do not submit to waitin
the samples listed below, officials
otherwise. As you can see from
t where a waiting period and/or to
from across the nation report tha
and others not qualified
background check is required, criminals
buy handguns have been caught:
State Police, in
sey
Jer
New
the
of
nt
nde
nte
eri
Sup
the
According to
required a background check foring
the 19 years that New Jersey has ted
felons have been caught try
handgun purchases, 10,000 convic
to buy handguns.
rgia says that the city's
The Chief of Police in Columbus,s Geo
ons a week trying to buy
three-day waiting period catche two fel
handguns.
nessee reports that the state's
A police sergeant in Memphis, Ten
out about 50 applicants a month,
15-day waiting period screens ord
s.
most of whom have criminal rec
rida Sheriff's office, in the
According to the Broward County, Flo
of a 10-day waiting period, 37
first six months after enactment
e past felony convictions,
applicants who were found to hav
rejected.
arrests, and outstanding warrants were
ice says that the state's
The California Attorney General's00 off
prohibited handgun buyers in
15-day waiting period caught 1,2
one year alone.
ice, an ordinance requiring at
According to Atlanta, Georgia pol
chasers found that ten percen
fingerprint check for handgun pur
ut their criminal records
of all prospective purchasers lied abo
or mental health.
Page 3
lice Firearms License
Po
e
at
St
nd
la
ry
Ma
e
th
of
r
de
The Comman
ing period caught
it
wa
y
da
nve
se
s
e'
at
st
e
th
Section reports that
handguns from gun
se
ha
rc
pu
to
ng
yi
tr
rs
ye
bu
n
732 prohibited handgu
dealers in 1986.
ent criminals from
ev
pr
t
no
do
s
od
ri
pe
g
in
it
wa
The NRA argues that
om other sources.
fr
ns
gu
nd
ha
t
ge
s
al
in
im
cr
e
obtaining handguns becausau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, "Project
-state [handgun]
of
But, a study by the Bure
tou
of
ge
ta
en
rc
pe
he
"t
at
of the local
Identification," found th
th
ng
re
st
e
th
to
al
on
ti
or
op
purchases is directly prFor example, the study found that of handguns
rchased in the
firearm regulations."
pu
re
we
t
en
rc
pe
ur
fo
ly
on
,
used in crime in New Yorkexceptions, the rest were purchased in states
state. With only a few or background checks.
without waiting periods
ing periods or
it
wa
t
ou
th
wi
es
at
st
in
at
th
The study also showed
handguns used in
e
th
of
ty
ri
jo
ma
ng
mi
el
wh
er
background checks, an ovthe same state. For example, of the handguns
in
crime were purchased as
purchased in Texas.
re
we
t
en
rc
pe
87
,
ll
Da
in
e
used in crim
y passed waiting
ad
re
al
ve
ha
es
ti
li
ca
lo
ny
ma
While 18 states and
for a national
ed
ne
ed
at
tr
ns
mo
de
a
is
e
er
period laws, clearly th
waiting period law.
S.466 is a 1985 U.S.
5/
97
R.
H.
r
fo
ed
ne
e
th
ng
ti
Further substantia
Criminal in America"
d
me
Ar
he
"T
ed
tl
ti
en
y
ud
St
e
Department of Justic ast 21% of criminals obtain their handguns
which found that at leThe authors concluded that efforts to prevent
through gun dealers.
should not be
es
or
st
n
gu
at
ns
gu
nd
ha
g
in
in
to arguing
nt
le
va
ui
criminals from obta
eq
be
ld
ou
"w
e,
ot
wr
ey
abandoned. "To so argue,"aith
because they only
es
ch
ar
se
l
ta
me
t
or
rp
e
th
that we should stop
passenger."
ng
yi
rr
ca
s
on
ap
we
a
ct
te
de
rarely
uld incur major costs bya
wo
s
nt
me
rt
pa
de
ce
li
po
at
th
The NRA claims
ile H.R. 975 mandates
Wh
.
ks
ec
ch
nd
ou
gr
ck
ba
t
uc
nd
being forced to co
at police do
th
e
at
nd
ma
t
no
es
do
it
,
od
ri
seven-day waiting pe
whether or not to
de
ci
de
d
ul
wo
ce
li
po
l
ca
Lo
background checks.
the manner in which
e
in
rm
te
de
d
ul
wo
d
an
ks
ec
ch
conduct background
sociation of Chiefs of
As
l
na
io
at
rn
te
In
e
th
As
d.
checks are conducte
fe by requiring a
li
e
on
st
ju
ve
sa
n
ca
we
f
"I
Police has stated,
w abiding gun
la
to
e
nc
ie
en
nv
co
in
l
ma
ni
mi
waiting period, the
well worth it."
be
ll
wi
s
nt
me
rt
pa
de
ce
li
po
purchasers and to