gun control round 3: conference committee

[Stephen Cooke <scooke@uidaho.edu>]

Dear Visionaries,
 There is another chance to influence the gun laws in America. The House 
and Senate conferees will be reconciling differences in their approaches to 
juvenile justice bills. Below is the liberal take on the issues. Pls get 
this important issue your consideration. A letter or email could help at 
the margin. If someone from Idaho supports gun security/control that might 
suggest something about the depth of support in the nation as a whole.
Thank you,
Steve Cooke
CONFEREES APPOINTED FOR JUVENILE JUSTICE LEGISLATION
This week, the Senate and House named conferees to the
juvenile justice conference committee.  The members listed
below were appointed to the conference committee.

Senators:  Thurman (R-SC), Hatch (R-UT), Sessions (R-AL),
Leahy (D-VT) and Kennedy (D-MA).

Representatives from the House Judiciary Committee:  Hyde
(R-IL), McCollum (R-FL), Gekas (R-PA), Coble (R-NC), Smith
(R-TX), Canady (R-FL), Barr (R-GA), Conyers (D-MI), Frank
(D-MA), Scott (D-VA), Berman (D-CA), Lofgren (D-CA),
Jackson-Lee (D-TX), and Meehan (D-MA).

Representatives from the Education and Workforce Committee:
Goodling (R-PA), Petri (R-WI), Castle (R-DE), Greenwood
(R-PA), DeMint (R-SC), Clay (D-MO), Kildee (D-MI), and
McCarthy (D-NY).

Representatives from the Commerce Committee for certain
portions of the bill:  Bliley (R-VA), Dingell (D-MI), Tauzin
(R-LA), and Bilirakis (R-FL).

ACTION ALERT:  JUVENILE JUSTICE BILL A DANGER TO CHILDREN
On June 17, the House approved its version of juvenile crime
legislation and at the same time, failed to pass meaningful
gun control measures.  The Senate passed its own juvenile
crime bill on May 20, 1999.  This week, the Senate and House
appointed conferees to work out a final version of the
juvenile justice legislation.  It is imperative that you urge
Congress to protect children in the juvenile justice system,
as well as include provisions to keep children safe from guns
in the final juvenile justice legislation.

ACTION NEEDED:  Contact Congress to raise concerns about the juvenile 
justice legislation among our elected officials and
their staffs.  CALLS TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO ARE SERVING ON THE 
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ARE ESPECIALLY CRITICAL.
TO CALL:  You can reach your Senators' and Representatives' office by 
calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202/224-3121.
When you are connected with their office, request to speak to
the aide who handles juvenile justice issues.  Urge the aide
to make sure the Senator or Representative is aware of your
concerns:

--- Core protections of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act 
(JJDPA) must be maintained or strengthened, not weakened or eliminated.
--- Juvenile justice funds must be dedicated for prevention
efforts.

--- Common sense gun laws should not be delayed.  At a minimum, gun safety 
provisions as approved by the Senate in S.254 should be included in the 
final juvenile justice legislation.

TO WRITE:  Here is a sample letter to send to your Senators and 
Representative.  (Remember to put your name and address at the bottom of 
the letter.)
The Honorable____________
United States Congress
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Member of Congress:
I am writing regarding juvenile justice legislation (S.
254/H.R. 1501), which recently passed both the Senate and the House of 
Representatives.  As the House and Senate begin to develop a final version 
of these bills, I urge you to assure that the final juvenile justice 
legislation:
--- Maintains or strengthens, not weakens or eliminates, core
protections of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Act (JJDPA).  The goal of our juvenile justice system is to
rehabilitate and protect our nation's children who have come
into contact with the law.  Oppose any efforts to weaken
current law, to include provisions that would harm children or
place them at risk of assault and abuse in adult jails, or to
open up and broadly disseminate juvenile records that would
have devastating consequences for the future employment and education of 
many children.
--- Dedicates juvenile justice funds for prevention efforts.
Unfortunately, when limited juvenile justice funds are
available, prevention programs are often shortchanged.  We
need to dedicate funds specifically for prevention programs if
we are to see real dollars going toward programs that keep
children safe and out of trouble.  We should listen to what
both local law enforcement agencies and community groups know to be 
true-prevention works.  No legislation that is serious about reducing crime 
and delinquency should ignore the merits of crime prevention programs.
--- Includes the gun safety provisions as approved by the
Senate in S. 254.  On average, nearly 13 children die each day
from gunfire in America, about one every 100 minutes or the
equivalent of a classroom of children every two days.  Gun
safety provisions such as requiring handgun safety locks,
background checks at gun shows, imposing one gun a month
purchasing restrictions, and requiring guns to be stored
safely and out of reach of children will help to address the
high death toll of our nation's children.  More American
children have died as a result of gun violence since 1979 than the number 
of soldiers killed in combat in Vietnam.  Say no to the NRA; it is time we 
protect children, not guns.
Sincerely,

[Your Full Name]
[Your Full Address]


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