Reps. Connolly & Deutch Launch Effort to Add Gun Buyback Provision to Fiscal Cliff Deal
Press Release
Congressmen Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Ted Deutch of Florida want to see a $200 million gun buyback program added to any final fiscal cliff deal in Congress and they are asking their House colleagues to join them in signing their letter to Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
"Gun buybacks have proven successful in communities across the nation," Connolly and Deutch said in a "Dear Colleague" to House members. "Adding $200 million to the final compromise on the fiscal cliff could remove as many as 1 million guns from our streets." Noting that such programs are supported by law enforcement agencies as a valuable resource for reducing gun violence, the two congressmen said including the gun buyback program in any year-end deal "is a simple, immediate step we can take to assure the public we are committed to taking meaningful action." In their letter to Boehner and Pelosi, Connolly and Deutch said federal financial support to help local communities and states conduct buyback programs could also bolster local economic activity. "Distributing funding to the States to run buyback programs using pre-paid debit cards with a three-month expiration date could provide a jolt to local economies that have stagnated in the wake of the recession and concerns over the fiscal cliff." "The murder of 20 youngsters and six educators in their classrooms has galvanized the public's desire for immediate action, and partnering with the States on a nationwide gun buyback program is a modest, common-sense start," the two congressmen said. (Congressman Gerry Connolly's 11th Congressional District in Northern Virginia includes the headquarters of the NRA. Six of the victims of the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, including the shooter, were from Connolly's District. Earlier this week, a column from Connolly on the subject appeared in the New York Times Opinion Pages. - http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/12/17/is-the-gun-lobby-invincible/politicians-with-courage-can-win )
Congressmen Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Ted Deutch of Florida want to see a $200 million gun buyback program added to any final fiscal cliff deal in Congress and they are asking their House colleagues to join them in signing their letter to Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. "Gun buybacks have proven successful in communities across the nation," Connolly and Deutch said in a "Dear Colleague" to House members. "Adding $200 million to the final compromise on the fiscal cliff could remove as many as 1 million guns from our streets." Noting that such programs are supported by law enforcement agencies as a valuable resource for reducing gun violence, the two congressmen said including the gun buyback program in any year-end deal "is a simple, immediate step we can take to assure the public we are committed to taking meaningful action." In their letter to Boehner and Pelosi, Connolly and Deutch said federal financial support to help local communities and states conduct buyback programs could also bolster local economic activity. "Distributing funding to the States to run buyback programs using pre-paid debit cards with a three-month expiration date could provide a jolt to local economies that have stagnated in the wake of the recession and concerns over the fiscal cliff." "The murder of 20 youngsters and six educators in their classrooms has galvanized the public's desire for immediate action, and partnering with the States on a nationwide gun buyback program is a modest, common-sense start," the two congressmen said. (Congressman Gerry Connolly's 11th Congressional District in Northern Virginia includes the headquarters of the NRA. Six of the victims of the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, including the shooter, were from Connolly's District. Earlier this week, a column from Connolly on the subject appeared in the New York Times Opinion Pages. - http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/12/17/is-the-gun-lobby-invincible/politicians-with-courage-can-win )
Congressmen Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Ted Deutch of Florida want to see a $200 million gun buyback program added to any final fiscal cliff deal in Congress and they are asking their House colleagues to join them in signing their letter to Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
"Gun buybacks have proven successful in communities across the nation," Connolly and Deutch said in a "Dear Colleague" to House members. "Adding $200 million to the final compromise on the fiscal cliff could remove as many as 1 million guns from our streets." Noting that such programs are supported by law enforcement agencies as a valuable resource for reducing gun violence, the two congressmen said including the gun buyback program in any year-end deal "is a simple, immediate step we can take to assure the public we are committed to taking meaningful action."
In their letter to Boehner and Pelosi, Connolly and Deutch said federal financial support to help local communities and states conduct buyback programs could also bolster local economic activity. "Distributing funding to the States to run buyback programs using pre-paid debit cards with a three-month expiration date could provide a jolt to local economies that have stagnated in the wake of the recession and concerns over the fiscal cliff."
"The murder of 20 youngsters and six educators in their classrooms has galvanized the public's desire for immediate action, and partnering with the States on a nationwide gun buyback program is a modest, common-sense start," the two congressmen said.
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