[url]biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011108/sfth071_1.html[/url]

Thursday November 8, 4:45 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Legal Community Against Violence
Hard Hitting Ad Campaign Brings Grassroots Gun Safety Movement To Central Valley, Orange County, Then Nationwide
SF-Based Group, Formed in Wake of 101 California Street Assault Weapon Massacre, Takes Local Ordinance Strategy Beyond Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sunday, November 11th, the newly-launched Firearms Law Center (www.firearmslawcenter.org) will commence an ad campaign to educate Californians in central and southern California about their ability to pass their own laws to reduce gun-related injuries and deaths. As the gun industry continues to oppose modest regulations, the Firearms Law Center is poised to offer a solution to the gun legislation gridlock across the country.

``Since September 11,'' notes Firearms Law Center Director Barrie Becker, ``the gun industry has tried to cash in on people's fears by arguing that we need more guns on our planes, in our streets, in churches and in schools.'' A recent billboard campaign by the California Rifle and Pistol Association, a group opposing the most modest gun regulations such as comprehensive criminal background checks, urges people to buy more guns, citing the September 11th attacks as grounds for arming Americans to the teeth.

The Firearms Law Center's print ads carry a very different message. In one such ad, (which will begin running this Sunday in the Fresno Bee and the L.A. Times Orange County Edition), two little girls sell lemonade in front of a house, while a man in the same neighborhood has a similar stand with multiple guns stacked on it, with a ``guns for sale'' sign. The text reads, in part: ``Over 50% of gun dealers operate out of homes. This is particularly alarming because a California study on crime guns documented significant corruption among active residential dealers. This corruption includes selling guns to criminals and children.'' The ad goes on to point out that the Second Amendment allows localities and states to pass comprehensive gun regulations, and that the Firearms Law Center can help research, draft and defend such laws to prevent an epidemic that takes the lives of 275 young Americans each month. The same ad, plus a different version, will run in newspapers in the coming weeks and months in San Jose, Modesto, San Diego, and, next year, in several other states.

``We're David to the gun industry's Goliath,'' says Becker. ``We won't spend as much on our ad campaign, but our audience of supporters is vast, if we can just reach them. The majority of Americans believe in the need for stricter gun laws -- laws that allow for legitimate, reasonable gun possession without supplying an underground market that allows school kids to buy assault weapons at gun shows held at county fairgrounds, no questions asked.'' Fresno and Orange County are two jurisdictions that have not yet followed dozens of California localities in banning the sale of guns from residences and requiring dealers to conduct criminal background checks on their employees.

The ad campaign is funded by The James Irvine Foundation.

The Firearms Law Center is a national project of Legal Community Against Violence.

SOURCE: Legal Community Against Violence

Go Vikings.

Imbrog,

You're not happy about this, are you?

Semper Fi

I am ecstatic! Those people deserve all of the gun control that can be dished out.

Where's the ATF, and their pesty NoKnock raids, when you need them most?

Aha! A clue! [:)]


Tyler

What do you mean "Its about time"?
Which side are you on anyway?

OOOHH! The mighty Imbroglio has posted, Lets all line up and kiss his ass (Me first! No Me!)