For Immediate Release

US SENATE REJECTS ABOMINABLE GUN INDUSTRY IMMUNITY BILL

March 02, 2004

CeaseFire Maryland and National Coalition Applaud Today’s Action, Call for Reinvigorated Campaign to Renew and Strengthen Federal Assault Weapons Ban

Baltimore, MD: CeaseFire Maryland, the state’s leading gun violence prevention group, cheered today’s bipartisan rejection of S.1805, gun lobby-inspired legislation to protect the gun industry from civil liability. CeaseFire Maryland was joined by States United to Prevent Gun Violence (States United), the national coalition of independent state-based gun violence prevention organizations.

Leah Barrett, Executive Director of CeaseFire Maryland, said: “We are thrilled today that, for the first time in years, Congress voted to protect America’s homes, schools and communities by voting against legislation proposed by the gun lobby. The Gun Industry Immunity bill would have granted wholesale immunity from liability to the makers of the most lethal of products, guns. The gun industry is already the most protected in the country. Enactment of S.1805 would have made it the only industry in American history to enjoy blanket immunity.”

“We are proud of our Senators Sarbanes and Mikulski who stood with the overwhelming majority to reject this abomination in the face of opposition from the White House and strenuous lobbying by the National Rifle Association and its partners. Legislators are finally realizing what we in the gun violence prevention movement have known all along - that the vast majority of Marylanders and Americans oppose unwarranted protections for the gun industry.”

Carolynne Jarvis, President of States United, said: “The member organizations of States United, while applauding rejection today of Gun Industry Immunity, will not rest on our laurels. We constitute the most important grassroots component of the gun violence prevention movement and played a crucial role in our states in convincing Senators to oppose Immunity. Today’s huge victory for sanity will serve to reinvigorate our campaign to renew and strengthen the soon-to-expire federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB). We are devoted to enactment of S.1431 and H.R.2038 and will not be distracted from our goal.”

Barrett noted that an amendment to extend the current AWB gained bipartisan passage earlier in the day, about which she said: “CeaseFire Maryland believes that this morning’s passage of a simple extension of the existing AWB served the important purpose of making defeat of Immunity easier. We also view this morning’s vote on the AWB as a strong indication of support in the country for getting and keeping these weapons of war out of our communities. CeaseFire Maryland joins its colleagues in States United in asserting the need for a strengthened AWB. Neither the current AWB nor the amendment passed this morning are adequate for the safety of law enforcement or citizens.

Here in Maryland we will continue to work for passage of SB 288, The Assault Weapons Ban of 2004, in the Maryland General Assembly. We hope our state senators sit up and take notice at what the US Senate, courageous democrats and republicans, did today. Any wavering state senators should come to their senses and pass this bill out of committee this Thursday or Friday. Marylanders deserve nothing less.”