03/06/2000 02:30 PM House JUD

HJR 35 - REPEAL BRADY ACT                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN KOTT announced that the final order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 35, relating to requesting the United                                                                
States Congress to repeal the "Brady Handgun Protection Act".                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Number 2294                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
RYNNIEVA MOSS, Staff to Representative John Coghill, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, introduced HJR 35 on behalf of the sponsor.  She                                                                   
explained the HJR 35 requests the United States Congress to repeal                                                              
the "Brady Handgun Protection Act".  Representative Coghill had                                                                 
introduced HJR 35 after reading about the direction of                                                                          
congressional actions on gun controls.  He felt it appeared that                                                                
Congress was giving up on the Second Amendment.  In the past few                                                                
years, Congress has been reviewing legislation that would change                                                                
how gun laws are handled by disallowing civil suits against gun                                                                 
manufacturers and disallowing retention of criminal search records                                                              
of law-abiding citizens.  Representative Coghill feels that                                                                     
Congress is going in the wrong direction to restore the ability of                                                              
individuals to protect themselves and their families.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. MOSS told members that Representative Coghill's real question                                                               
is who the Brady Act protects.  She said it already is known that                                                               
illegal weapons are prized commodities that usually [result in]                                                                 
burglary or death, and that Switzerland's practice of requiring                                                                 
citizens to be armed can reduce crime.  Criminals don't buy                                                                     
firearms through legal means, and when criminals do attempt to                                                                  
purchase firearms contrary to the Brady Act, the law is not                                                                     
enforced by the administration.  One of the big criticisms now is                                                               
that there are stringent federal laws against criminals having                                                                  
guns, but those laws are not being enforced.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TAPE 00-29, SIDE A                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. MOSS concluded by saying that if the Brady Act is not enforced,                                                             
then there really is no compelling interest on the part of the                                                                  
federal government to invade the privacy of law-abiding citizens.                                                               
restricting their ability to protect themselves and their families                                                              
against criminals, and, for that matter, their ability to provide                                                               
food for their families.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN KOTT announced that HJR 35 would be held over.