Department of Justice Seal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DAG

SUNDAY, MAY 2, 1999

(202) 514-5000

WWW.USDOJ.GOV

TDD (202) 514-1888


STATEMENT BY DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER


WASHINGTON, D.C. - Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder appeared this morning on ABC's "This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts." After the show, he issued the following statement:

"Earlier today I cited an American Medical Association study to show that crime had fallen 23% because of Virginia's one-gun-a-month law. The AMA statistic I cited actually referred to a study of laws that held adults responsible for allowing young people access to guns. The AMA found that these laws resulted in a 23% decrease in gun deaths among children.

"When the AMA analyzed the success of Virginia's one-gun-a-month law, it found that the number of guns connected to crime traveling Northeast from Virginia fell 20%.

"I regret the error."

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