SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 17 (AScribe Newswire) -- In a report released today, Legal Community Against Violence (LCAV) presents a comprehensive, national review of federal, state and selected local laws on more than twenty topics covering all major areas of gun policy. "Regulating Guns in America - An Evaluation and Comparative Analysis of Federal, State and Selected Local Gun Laws," is a first-of-its-kind publication designed for public officials and advocates working to reduce gun violence across the country.
"Regulating Guns in America" demonstrates conclusively that gaps in federal policy contribute significantly to the country's gun violence epidemic. With 100,000 Americans killed or injured by firearms each year, the report puts to rest any notion that federal regulation is adequate.
"In the absence of federal regulation, states and local governments can enact creative laws to address the problem of gun violence in their communities and regions," noted Nina Vinik, LCAV's Legal Director. "The gaps in federal policy are an opportunity," Vinik added.
In addition to identifying the limits of federal law, "Regulating Guns in America" describes state and local laws in each policy area, highlighting innovative measures already in place at the state and local levels.
"LCAV has created a resource to allow policymakers to learn from each other and establish priorities for regulatory reform," commented outgoing Executive Director Sue Ann Schiff, who oversaw the report's development. According to Schiff, "Never before have U.S. gun policies been analyzed so thoroughly, in a way that systematically identifies, compares and contrasts regulatory approaches and points out opportunities for reform at the state and local levels."
Significantly, opportunities for reform exist at the local level in many jurisdictions. Nine states (California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York and Ohio) presently provide local jurisdictions broad authority to regulate firearms. "Regulating Guns in America" examines laws in ten major cities located in eight of those nine states, including Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Hartford, Los Angeles, Newark, New York City, Omaha, and San Francisco, and finds many examples in which local governments are leading innovation in policy reform.
"Regulating Guns in America" grew out of LCAV's work with the City of Chicago on the Illinois Gun Law Reform Project, a multi-year collaboration in which LCAV is providing legal and technical assistance to further Chicago's efforts to secure reasonable state and local gun laws and policies in Illinois. In 2005, at the request of Mayor Richard M. Daley, LCAV joined with the City of Chicago in this effort. To help the Mayor's Office assess its policy priorities, LCAV analyzed state and local firearms laws in Illinois against the backdrop of federal law and the laws of the other states and the District of Columbia.
"Understanding the value of our research for the City of Chicago, we decided to expand our analysis beyond Illinois and develop a national resource to educate public officials and gun violence prevention advocates throughout the country," Vinik explained.
In 2006, spearheaded by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, mayors from every region and both political parties are working together to stop illegal weapons trafficking. "We believe our report will help these mayors develop collaborative strategies to keep weapons off their streets, even if the federal government fails to act," stated Vinik.
"Regulating Guns in America" may be downloaded from LCAV's website,http://www.lcav.org/, in its entirety or by section at http://www.lcav.org/library/reports_analyses/regulating_guns.asp. Visit http://www.lcav.org/library/reports_analyses/ExecutiveSummary.8.16.06.pdf to download the Executive Summary.
ABOUT LCAV
Legal Community Against Violence is a public interest law center dedicated to preventing gun violence. LCAV focuses on policy reform at the state and local levels and serves public officials and activists working to prevent gun violence. Founded by lawyers in response to the tragic shooting at 101 California Street in San Francisco in 1993, LCAV is the country's only organization devoted exclusively to providing legal assistance in support of gun violence prevention. LCAV launched its national membership program in 2004 and welcomes attorneys and others who support its work. To learn more, visit http://www.lcav.org/ www.lcav.org, the nation's most comprehensive resource for information on U.S. firearms regulation.
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CONTACT: Nina Vinik, 847-733-1855, nina@lcav.org
Media Contact: See above.
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