During debate on a measure (S. 1805) that would prohibit certain civil liability lawsuits against gun manufacturers, the Senate approved an amendment that would require child safety locks on guns. Sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), the amendment was approved, 70-27, on February 26. The Senate will continue to debate the underlying measure next week.
Saying the amendment “will protect our children from violence,” Sen. Boxer pointed to the statistics: “In the United States of America…a child or a youth is killed by an accidental shooting every 48 hours.” She continued, “According to the CDC, the rate of firearm deaths of children under the age of 14 is nearly 12 times higher in the United States than in 25 other industrialized countries combined.”
Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) opposed the amendment, saying, “I am not arguing about the care, the emotion, the concern, and the reality…I understand that. But I do not believe that government ought to be telling the average citizen how they store objects within their home.” Stating that the Consumer Product Safety Commission had recently tested 32 types of gunlocks and found 30 could be opened without a key, Sen. Craig said, “These devices are not a panacea that reduces all accidents.”
On the same day, the Senate narrowly rejected an amendment, sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), that would have temporarily extended unemployment benefits through June 30, 2004. The law (P.L. 108-26) providing an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits to jobless workers who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits expired on December 31, 2003. The amendment failed, 58-39, when supporters were unable to garner the 60 votes necessary to waive a budgetary point of order against the amendment. The House voted to extend the program earlier this month (see The Source, 2/6/04).
