Jun 1, 2012
Washington, D.C. ? Brady Campaign President Dan Gross today issued the following statement in response to news that the Seattle gunman who killed five people on Wednesday had a concealed carry permit, despite a violent past, and a history of mental illness.
?The mass killer who gunned down five people in Seattle this week was able to get his concealed carry permit under the loose Washington state law that limits the authority of law enforcement to stop people with violent pasts and histories of mental illness from carrying in public, Seattle media now report.
Ian Stawicki is the latest poster child for the NRA?s dark, guns-everywhere vision for America. Stawicki was reportedly charged with assaulting his girlfriend and had a history of serious mental illness, but according to the NRA he was a ?law-abiding citizen,? so Washington?s permissive gun laws forced police to allow him to carry a loaded, hidden handgun virtually anywhere.
In states such as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, and California that give police greater power to deny concealed carry licenses, Stawicki almost certainly would have been denied a permit to carry. The gun lobby is currently pushing to overturn these laws in court, including in cases in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and California that ?the Brady Center has joined in fighting.
Meanwhile, the NRA is now lobbying for federal legislation to override state laws and allow dangerous people like Stawicki to carry guns around the nation. The NRA and the politicians who do its bidding must bear responsibility for the consequences of their recklessly dangerous laws. We reject the NRA?s deadly vision of an armed America and demand the right to keep our families safe from the daily threat of gunfire. We will hold accountable those politicians who continue to do the gun lobby?s bidding.?
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The Brady Campaign is the nation's largest citizens' lobby to prevent gun violence. We represent the voice of the overwhelming majority of Americans who are tired of living with the constant tragedy of gun violence and are in favor of strong laws and policies that will save lives. We are the light that exposes politicians who are putting the American people at risk, empowering the American people to hold them accountable for decisions and actions that undermine public safety.
We are driven by the focused vision of a nation where all Americans are safe at home, at work, at school, and in our communities.
Dan Gross is the President of the Brady Campaign and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. A photo and more information about Dan Gross is available here.
For more insight on gun violence prevention, follow The Brady Blog, Facebook Page and Twitter Account.
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