Brady Campaign Rates the States (mine got an F+! Woo hoo!)

Brady Campaign ^ | 03-08-2006

[RogueIsland]

Washington, D.C. - Criminals, youth and other prohibited persons are gaining access to guns with remarkable ease and continue to wreak havoc on communities around the country. And elected officials are doing little to stop them. That’s the lesson of the 2005 Annual Report Cards of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Overall, 32 states received a grade of "D" or "F" for the 2005 report card.

With the leaders of America’s cities crying out for help from either the Federal government or state Capitols; with front page stories providing daily examples of the pain inflicted on communities by the misuse of guns and with major exposes in the news media about how illegal guns are wreaking havoc in our nation’s cities, state legislative leaders who could do something about it continue the recent trend of winking at the gun lobby, doing nothing, and letting the gun lobby and the gun industry it protects get away with murder.

“We have cracked down on library books, cell phone calls, fertilizer purchases and wearing shoes in the airport, but we have done almost nothing, at the state or Federal level, to make it harder for either a terrorist, garden variety armed robber, or young person to get their hands on a handgun,” said Sarah Brady.

Consider these facts:

From 2004 to 2005, only four states changed their “grade” - and three of those grade changes were demotions. And most state legislatures are currently considering firearm related legislation - but the majority of legislation are bills pushed by the gun lobby that threaten to increase firearm violence rather than decrease it. Despite growing awareness of how to stem the tide of illegal guns - by limiting bulk purchases of guns, imposing background checks on every gun purchase and by allowing local municipalities to pass their own measures to stem gun violence - only Illinois enacted important legislation to require background checks at gun shows in 2005. That’s the bad news - but there are positive signs popping up across America like spring blossoms:

In some key political battleground states, like Illinois, Colorado, and Maryland courageous elected leaders and gun violence prevention advocates have challenged the gun lobby and intend to run for office as aggressive supporters of sensible gun laws designed to protect families and children. At least four states are considering state-level assault weapons bans to help assuage the dangers created by the sunset of the Federal ban in September 2004. Other states like California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington state and Illinois are considering measures to stem the tide of illegal guns in their state. These measures will help police solve gun crimes, will hold gun stores accountable and will ensure that guns don’t get into the hands of convicted felons, terrorists, and teenagers. Gun violence prevention advocates and leaders in major urban areas - New York, Boston, Hartford, Philadelphia, Columbus, Detroit, Seattle and Los Angeles, among others - are ramping up the pressure on state legislatures to help them fight the easy availability of guns to prohibited purchasers, including youth. The states that saw a grading change include Florida, which went from a “D” to an “F+” as the first state in America to pass a “Shoot First” law, sanctioning the shooting of innocent bystanders in the name of self-defense; Alaska, which went from “D-“ to “F+” for passing a law mandating that private businesses allow guns on workplace property; Kansas, which stripped local governments of the right to regulate firearms and droped from a “C+” to “C-“; and Illinois, which took positive steps to strengthen background checks at gun shows and required child safety locks be sold with new handguns and moved from a “B+” to an “A-.”

The Brady Campaign began grading state gun laws nine years ago. The state scores are available in complete category-by-category detail at www.bradycampaign.org.

[facedown]

Proudly moving from an A- state to a D+ state soon.

[VRWCmember]

as the first state in America to pass a “Shoot First” law, sanctioning the shooting of innocent bystanders in the name of self-defense;

Talk about misrepresentation! Of course, where I come from we call that "LYING" but then we never preface any response to a question of fact with "that depends on what the definition of 'is' is" here in Texas.

[ConservativeMan55]

Whats your state?

[RogueIsland]

I wonder how Helping Criminals, Inc. rates Illinois?

"and Illinois, which took positive steps to strengthen background checks at gun shows and required child safety locks be sold with new handguns and moved from a “B+” to an “A-.” "

[aShepard]

Well here in Rhode Island, we rated a B- !!

What can we do to improve ourselves to an F????

[DemforBush]

Why, my state rates an "F" but somehow manages to have far less violent crime and fewer shootings than "B" ranked Washington, D.C.

I'm shocked I tell you. SHOCKED!

/sarcasm

[pcottraux]

Ack! I got a "C"!!!

[MarkL]

Darn! Missouri only got a D+. But then, if we really try, maybe we can get a D- or even an F next year!

I want to make Sara Brady cry. And since Kansas just overrode the governor's veto, Kansas citizens will be elligible for CCW after the first of the year! I hope that they'll have a recipricle agreement with MO.

I hope that makes Sara cry.

Mark

[RedMonqey]

?We have cracked down on library books, cell phone calls, fertilizer purchases and wearing shoes in the airport,

Where is it illegal to make fertilizer purchases?
Wear shoes in the airport?
Own and possess a cell phone?

What a whacko!!

[MikefromOhio]

sanctioning the shooting of innocent bystanders in the name of self-defense;

Damn. Could they have misrepresented that law a BIT more?

[who knows what evil?]

When is the last time you EVER saw Tennessee, Idaho, and VERMONT on the same end of ANY survey??? That has GOT to be a sign of the Apocalypse...

[holymoly]

Michigan rates a "D+".

I pray SB 1046 passes (castle doctrine/stand your ground), then perhaps we'll rate an "F", as in "F Off, Sarah Brady".

[afraidfortherepublic]

C+

Wisconsin Receives a "C+" on Laws Shielding Families From Gun Violence

Legislation Grade Comments

---

Juvenile Possession Law A-
YES, must be 18 for all firearms

Juvenile Sale/Transfer Law A-
YES, must be 18 for all firearms

Child Access Prevention Law C-
YES, under 14

Gun Safety Locks and Safer Design Standards F
NONE

Allow Cities To Regulate Guns (Non-Preempt) F
NO

Secondary "Private" Sales Background Checks F
NO

Carrying Concealed Weapons Law A+
PROHIBITED

Extra Credit Demerits

---

48-hour waiting period for handgun sales. No Demerits Given

---

[dhuffman@awod.com]

Booyah in Mississippi? Booyah is Norwegian chicken soup. As in 'cheese, booyah and beer'.

[MikefromOhio]

awww Ohio only got a D-


I know we can do better!!! I mean if we aren't SHOOTING (hehe) for at least a K-, we aren't trying.

Tony, this may be one for your list :)

[raybbr]

I am surprised Connecticut got an A-.

2005 State Report Card

A-

Connecticut Receives an "A-" on Laws Shielding Families From Gun Violence

Legislation

Grade

Comments

---

Juvenile Possession Law

A-

YES, must be 21 for handguns. No restriction on other firearms

Juvenile Sale/Transfer Law

A-

YES, must be 21 for handguns

Child Access Prevention Law

B

YES, under 16, posted, strict liability

Gun Safety Locks and Safer Design Standards

B-

SOME: safety locks for handguns

Allow Cities To Regulate Guns (Non-Preempt)

A

YES

Secondary "Private" Sales Background Checks

B+

YES: Gun show sales and permit needed for handguns

Carrying Concealed Weapons Law

B-

Police have discretion, training, limited jurisdiction, not need —based

Extra Credit	Demerits
Permit and safety training required to purchase handguns. Ban on assault weapons. Police may remove firearms from people considered dangerous.	No Demerits Given

Links

[LadyPilgrim]

Alabama got a nice fat " F ". ;-)

[JCEccles]

My state got a D-minus. We should have done better, an F-plus at the very least.

[L98Fiero]

Check this one. A strike against my state:

"No restriction on the sale or possession of rapid-fire ammunition magazines that can fire up to 100 bullets without reloading."

Rapid fire magazines that fire bullets. LOL!!!

[Tarpon]

Mine is a F as well .. woot ... we made the big time.