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STATEMENT BY THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL

Good Morning.

The tragic shootings this week in Mt. Morris Township, Michigan and Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania again reveal the devastating effects of gun violence in this country. As a father,

I was especially affected by the shooting of a six year old by her six year old classmate. I don't want to comment on the specifics of the case, which is still an active investigation, but it seems to me one thing is very clear:

The tragedy in Michigan is a very harsh reminder to all Americans about the safe and responsible storage of firearms.

If you own a gun, you need to ask yourself, today, "Do I know where my gun is?" Because it is very likely that your child does.

I have young kids, one a six year old. I know they get into things at the house; they notice things. They know where things are. People who own guns must unload and lock up any guns in a responsible way.

And as a parent, I think you should ask about guns before you let your kids go to another house to play, to make sure that those parents properly lock up any guns they might keep.

If anybody doubts this, just look at this chart, which shows the rate of gun death for children under 15 years of age in the United States, which far exceeds the number for other countries--it's not even close. The chart was prepared by the Centers for Disease Control. As this chart illustrates, children under 15 years old are dying in alarming and unacceptable numbers in our country as a result of gunfire.

We owe it to our children, and to ourselves and our future, to do all we can to stop this carnage. That is a reflection of this chart.

We know that there is not one simple answer, and we know that there is nothing we can do that will prevent every single crime or act of violence.

But we also know that there are some common-sense things that we can do, and that we must do. So I want to add my voice to those calling for the Congress to finally, to finally pass common sense gun measures.

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• First, to require child safety locks for all handguns that are sold;
• Second, to ban violent juveniles from owning guns;
• Third, to pass the President's handgun licensing proposal which requires safety certification for all handgun purchasers;
• Fourth, to support research in smart gun technology which can limit a gun's use to its authorized owner; and
• Finally, to close the gun show loophole by requiring a background check for all gun purchases at gun shows

Every day that goes by, 12 to13 more children die in this country from gun violence. We need these common sense measures and we need them now.

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