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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 1999

News Release

Education, Health and Religious Groups Call For Tough Gun Laws

Urge Congress to Stand Up for Children's Safety

Washington, D.C. -- Twenty-one leading education, health and religious organizations today called on members of Congress to quickly pass strong gun control and child safety legislation. In a joint letter delivered to every Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the groups urged lawmakers to "take this opportunity to address the critical issue of school safety" as they vote on H.R. 1501 next week.

Among the provisions the organizations want included in the pending juvenile justice legislation:

• a requirement that child safety devices be on all new guns sold;
• a ban on the possession by or transfer to juveniles of semiautomatic assault rifles;
• mandatory background checks of purchasers at gun shows and pawn shops;
• a ban on the provision of bomb-making information, especially via the Internet;
• an increase in the legal age of handgun possession from 18 to 21; and
• creation of anonymous tip lines to allow students to alert adults to potential problems.

The groups also called on Congress to support and adequately fund:

• student mental health and counseling services;
• training of school staff in how to recognize early warning signs of potential violence;
• development of comprehensive school-based safety programs and increased security in schools; and
• additional school counselors and related student services personnel.

Calling for passage of these measures are:
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; American Academy of Pediatrics; American Association of School Administrators; American Counseling Association; American Federation of School Administrators; American Federation of Teachers; American School Counselor Association; Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law; California State Superintendent of Public Instruction; Church of the Brethren, Washington Office; Council of Chief State School Officers; National Association of Elementary School Principals; National Association of School Psychologists; National Association of Secondary School Principals; National Association of Social Workers; National Education Association; National Mental Health Association; Unitarian Universalist Association. of Congregations; United Church of Christ, Office for Church in Society; and United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society.

"As chillingly illustrated by recent events in Littleton, Colorado and Conyers, Georgia," the organizations write, "investments in crime prevention and regulation of youth access to guns are critical pieces of a school safety agenda."