GUN SAFETY PETITION

Every year, gun violence is responsible for approximately 30,000 deaths per year in the United States, far more than in any other country in the world. Children today grow up with a greater sense of insecurity from gun violence than ever before, and with a keen awareness of the threats from guns given the repeated incidents of violence in school settings. “Lock downs” from real and perceived threats of gun violence have become commonplace in the U.S. educational system, and early dismissals and missed days of school due to threats of violence are more pervasive than in the past. We believe that the time has come to institute common-sense gun regulations in order to create a more safe and secure society in the U.S. for children, students, and all citizens.

To this end, the following steps should be taken:

1. Basic child protections must be required on all guns sold. The latest “smart gun” technologies, entailing fingerprint recognition, must be utilized in order to prevent children from accidentally firing weapons and injuring themselves and others.
2. A national permit-to-purchase or PTP policy must be instituted which would require anyone buying a firearm to obtain a permit, contingent on passing a background check. This policy would include the closing of the “gun show loophole” by which people can currently buy guns without such a background check. This type of strategy has been the most consistently successful in stopping the flow of guns to criminals.
3. A national law should be passed to keep guns out of the hands of perpetrators of domestic violence or people with domestic violence restraining orders. In the vast majority of cases, those killed due to domestic violence are women and children. In states where such laws have been passed, a measurable decrease intimate partner violence and homicide has occurred.
4. Repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), passed in 2005, giving legal immunity to gun manufacturers and gun dealers. Without the possibility of being sued for death or destruction as a result of gun violence, gun makers and sellers have no incentive to align their business practices with the needs of public health.

We the people and children of this society, who are the future of this nation, in order to insure domestic tranquility and to provide for the common defense, as outlined in our Constitution, call for the above common-sense policies to be instituted immediately.