Mayor Rendell Urges Passage of "One Gun a Month" Legislation

by Ed Somers and Chip Brown

On September 2, Philadelphia Mayor Edward Rendell, Chair of the Conference of Mayors' Gun Violence Task Force, testified in support of Senate legislation designed to prevent the multiple sale of handguns.

The special forum was held by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (NJ), sponsor of the "Anti-Gun Trafficking Act" (S 466), which would limit individuals from purchasing more than one handgun a month. Similar legislation has been introduced in the House by Rep. Charles Schumer (NY).

The intent of the legislation is to stop the "straw purchasing" of handguns by individuals, which often results in the illegal resale of guns, and the transportation to and illegal sale of guns in jurisdictions outside of the state of city in which they were purchased.

Mayor Rendell testified that the legislation would, "significantly cut straw purchasing and reduce the illegal sale of weapons," a major problem in Philadelphia and other cities across the nation.

Gun Manufacturers Reject Request to Support Legislation

In the August 5 meeting of the Gun Violence Task Force and the firearms manufacturers held in St. Louis, the industry was asked to join Mayor Rendell in supporting the legislation at the hearing.

Unfortunately, an August 31 letter to the Task Force by Richard Feldman, Executive Director of the American Shooting Sports Council, rejected this request. Mayor Rendell said the industry, "declined without a good rationale, without a good reason."

Mayor Rendell stressed that he supports stronger enforcement of existing gun laws as called for by the industry, and is seeking to replicate a Richmond (VA) program called "Project Exile" in Philadelphia. Project Exile takes advantage of stiffer bond rules and sentencing guidelines by having the federal government prosecute cases where defendants used guns in narcotics trafficking, during domestic violence or if a defendant possessing a firearm is a convicted felon.

However, the Mayor stressed that tougher enforcement alone will not sufficiently address the problem of illegal straw purchasing and expressed his extreme disappointment with the industry's decision to oppose the legislation.

A number of the members of the Gun Violence Task Force submitted letters of support for the legislation including Mayors Vera Katz of Portland, Scott King of Gary and Clarence Harmon of St. Louis. In his letter to Sen. Lautenberg, Mayor Harmon stated, "Handguns pose a complex problem for our cities and they will require a toolbox of policies with which to fight them. Your legislation will serve as an important piece of the puzzle."

Also appearing at the hearing was former White House press secretary James Brady and his wife, Sarah Kemp Brady.

Sarah Brady, currently serving as Chair of Handgun Control, Incorporated, has campaigned successfully for handgun control and legislation to regulate and monitor the selling of firearms, resulting in the passage of the "Brady Bill."

Mrs. Brady appealed for a "national law [that] would do so much more to curb gun violence" than the individual states' one-gun-a-month laws that are already proving as a deterrent to illegal gun purchases and trafficking. She went on touting "prevention of ...not punishment after" crimes as the way elected officials need to look at the challenges to combating violence in their cities and other jurisdictions.

Following Mrs. Brady's impassioned plea for national legislation to prevent "straw man" purchases, James Brady made his own case as a living example of what can happen when handguns fall into the wrong hands. Mr. Brady stated, "There's one small businessman who should be put out of business -- that's the professional gun trafficker." Brady then presented a scenario using a real-life gun runner named "Cartier" to show how illegal purchases in one state can encourage violence in communities in many other states. Both Brady testimonies contained instances in which "others with technically clean records" have made multiple gun purchases with the intent to redistribute them to a criminal element.

In addition to Mayor Rendell and the Bradys, the forum featured presentations from top law enforcement officials from Maryland and Virginia -- states in which one gun a month laws have significantly reduced straw purchasing -- and from youth who have witnessed the illegal sale of weapons which resulted from straw purchasing.