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Congresswoman Robin Kelly Releases Congressional Report on Gun Violence


CHICAGO—(ENEWSPF)—June 30, 2014. Congresswoman Robin Kelly today released the 2014 Kelly Report on Gun Violence in America, the first-ever Congressional analysis of the nation’s gun violence epidemic that offers a blueprint for ending the crisis.

The Kelly Report brings together members of Congress, academics and gun reform advocates to examine the root causes and impact of gun violence in America and provide a comprehensive set of legislative and policy recommendations to stop it. The contributors to the report include Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

“The Kelly Report is a call-to-action for Congress to help end the nation’s gun violence epidemic by enacting common sense gun reforms to save lives,” Rep. Kelly said. “Local officials can only do so much on their own. Congress has a duty to support their efforts to combat gun violence by enacting strong federal gun laws to bridge the gaps in local laws to keep criminals from hopscotching jurisdictions to obtain guns.”

Rep. Kelly was joined in Chicago by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and community gun safety advocates as she discussed how to implement locally the common sense solutions to gun violence presented in the report.

“I applaud Congresswoman Kelly’s work to keep Congress and our country focused on the issue of guns in America, because illegal guns are a serious driver of violence,” Mayor Emanuel said. “While Chicago has seen historic reductions in crime and violence over the past year and a half, we all know there’s much more work to be done and getting illegal guns off the streets is critical to our efforts. As a city, we are putting more police on the street, investing in prevention programs for youth, getting more guns, drugs and gangs off the street, and partnering closely with community leaders and residents. Our goal is to ensure that every person, in every community, feels the same sense of safety, and no one will rest until that goal is achieved.”

The Kelly Report – the first ever by a Member of Congress – presents a comprehensive set of legislative proposals and community-based strategies that have been proven to reduce gun violence. It highlights a number of Chicago initiatives, such as the city’s afterschool and tutoring programs.

Among the recommendations, the report proposes establishing firearm restraining orders to allow the courts to take a firearm away from someone who is a danger to themselves or others, investing in smart gun technologies to prevent stolen guns from being used to commit crimes and repealing gun manufacturers’ immunity to allow gun violence victims to sue for damages.

Another key recommendation of the report is expanding law enforcement’s ability to track and trace firearms to crackdown on gun trafficking and straw purchases. Last week, Rep. Kelly introduced alongside Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) H.R. 4946, The Crime Gun Tracing Act, which incentivizes law enforcement agencies to report 100 percent of their recovered crime guns to the National Tracing Center to better target gun trafficking operations and solve violent gun crimes. Sen. Durbin has already introduced the legislation in the Senate.

“It will take all of us—elected officials, community leaders, parents and neighbors—working together to stop the bloodshed. We can’t afford to ignore this problem any longer. Gun violence is robbing us of a generation.” Rep. Kelly said. “I encourage my colleagues in Congress to support these recommendations and to work with me to chart a new course for a better, safer America.”

To view the report, please visit http://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/2014-kelly-report-gun-violence-in-america.

Source: robinkelly.house.gov

 


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