Archived Town Meeting: Gun Safety Special (October 2, 8:30pm ET)

Sarah
Besides electing responsible representatives on this issue, what can we as parents do to ensure that our children are not exposed to gun violence both intentional or accidental?

Jean Elliott Brown
The most important thing parents can do is give their time and attention to their children. Overly violent video games should be monitored. Gun safety education should be taught. Children should know that guns are not toys and that consequences are often permanent. Heightened antenae toward casual threats and troubled children will also help.

John Campbell
Jean, I happen to own an AR-15 that I will never register or surrender to ant government. You don't hunt Deer with the AR because the caliber 5.56mm is way to small for that purpose. It is only good for small game such as squirrels or wood chucks. The primary reason for owning an AR-15 is defense against a tyrannical government. Surely you would not suggest that such a need will never arise would you?

Jean Elliott Brown
I understand that some people feel strongly about what is called the "militia mentality." I understand that I can not change it, but I do not share it, and I maintain that my feelings are more representative of the district as a whole. But that's why we have elections, (and debates) so that people can choose the person who best represents their positions.

Anonymous
I heard your advertisement today. I really liked it. What else are you going to do to highlight this issue throughout the campaign?

Jean Elliott Brown
Thank you. We will be highlighting the core of Foley's voting record each week, to emphasize the fact that he does not represent the district. Gun safety legislation will continue to be an important part of our media campaign.

Mike in CT
Has anyone pointed out to John that the *NRA* had NGO status at the UN conference on small arms?

Jean Elliott Brown
Good point.

Tom, PBI
12 "kids" a day? Really? How old is a kid? Your credibility is streched here.

Jean Elliott Brown
For purposes of this estimate, "kids" is defined as people under the age of 20.

John Campbell
Jean, You say that you get your info from Handgun Control INC. The NRA gets it's funds from millions of common people just like me. Don't you find it the least bit strange that HCI gets it's funding from Socialist organizations, over seas donors, and some right through the current U.S. government? Some of their support also comes from the U.N. NGO's. Isn't it interesting that an organization made up of 85% Socialist nations, mostly Communist origin, are so conserned about U.S. citizenry possesion of fire arms?

Jean Elliott Brown
Handgun Control, Inc. is this nation's largest citizen lobbying organization working for gun safety legislation.

Henry
ATF estimates there are 223 million firearms in the US of which about 1/3 are firearms. Bulking up on more access control laws seems like a drop in the bucket if you don't do anything to enforce the laws already in place. There's essentially no way you can stop someone from obtaining a firearm illegally if they really want one. Why isn't your emphasis on enforcing laws that people are already breaking at record rates?

Jean Elliott Brown
I agree that gun laws should be enforced. I also understand that most of the laws on the books are local, not federal and must be enforced, community by community. Also, a great many laws refer to what to do after the crime, not before. We must also focus on prevention.

Anonymous
I noticed all the tobacco money Foley takes too on your site. Where do you stand on that issue?

Jean Elliott Brown
Let's do that topic another day, and stick to our guns, today.

Jennifer
What's Foley's excuse for consistently voting w/ the gun lobby? I just don't get how one can justifify it. No one is trying to take away the firearm of a responsible gunowner. But what's wrong w/ asking gunowners to make the smallest of sacrifices -- like submitting to a waiting period for background checks -- in order to prevent needless tragedy. If it could save just one life...

Jean Elliott Brown
That's my feeling. I have no idea what excuse he has, except that he votes the way the money flows. Foley does not represent the interests of the district!

Anonymous
On the gun used in the Washington DC shooting.... it's interesting to note that the Supreme Court just denied cert to Florida gun maker Navegar -- who was challangoing the Assault weapons ban. The Circuit Court had ruled that gun trafficking has a significant interstate component That is confirmed by ATF -- in New York City, 1 in 8 "crime guns" traced originated with a retail sale in NY State -- not significantly higher than the 1 in 10 which were originally sold at retail in Florida and found their way to NY. Meanwhile, in Miami, 80% of the guns used in crime had their first retail sale in Florida.

Jean Elliott Brown
That's why we need uniform gun safety legislation.

mbailin510
Is there any way, in this day and age, to teach children about the responsible ownership and use of guns?

Jean Elliott Brown
Absolutely. There is a program being implemented right here in Lake Worth where the last child/teacher shooting took place. It takes a "scared straight" tactic and I understand it is very effective and age appropriate. It teaches them about the consequences of violence and about gun locks and gun safety.

j
Where do you stand on assault weapons?

Jean Elliott Brown
I do not think they are necessary to our daily lives, unless the deer have grown thicker hides in the last few decades. My opponent has, however, voted to repeal the assault weapons ban. I disagree.

Jay and Lorraine Newman Boca Raton
hi Jean: it always amazes me how a politician can take blood money from the NRA. What objection could anyone have for background checks, trigger locks, gun education, and knowing that if you have a gun you are responsible for any crime or accident committed with that gun. When is it enough.

Jean Elliott Brown
Hi, guys! I agree with you, completely. I maintain that these are reasonable safety measures, and will fight for them.

Mike in CT
Ms. Brown.... Heaven knows I support reasonable controls (and your efforts), but closing the gun show loophole isn't enough. As the folks who who can't buy guns from federally licensed sellers at gun shows move to the next table to buy them from unlicensed sellers, now they will just move from the gun shows to the street corners. It's a necessary step, but it's not the end of the process (which can only be registration -- not so someone can come knocking at 55 millions in the middle of the night -- no one has every quite explained who would knock on all those doors -- but so the responsible owners aren't tainted by the sloppy sellers who pass themselves off as "responsible" owners, but sell to anyone with the cash in hand.

Jean Elliott Brown
Mike, you're right, we must do more than just close the loophole. We must do more than just regulate gun purchases. We must explore the underlying social problems such as poverty, anger management and conflict resolution, kids with too little supervision and too many violent video games. Gun safety legislation is the one we can do now.

John Campbell
To place demands on the people of this country by way of federal mandate in restricting the free exercise of a right as a method of curbing crime is collectivist in thinking. Collectivist thought and ideals are a violation of rights when we use such methods against the innocent. How do you reconcile such a dramatic departure from this nations foundings of Individual responsibility and rights to favor a collective nature where federal government involves itself in an area it is forbidden?

Jean Elliott Brown
The basis of our government is a compromise between individual freedoms and the health of the nation. We, as a country, decide on a case by case basis when the need is such that the government intercedes, i.e., we have free speech, nonetheless, we cannot yell fire in a crowded theatre. We may also decide as a nation, to place safety measures on the sale of handguns.

Anonymous
I don't think guns should be banned, but what can we do short of that to minimize unnecessary deaths?

Jean Elliott Brown
This is exactly my feeling on the subject. The problem is a complex social issue that will need more than one solution. If we can pass legislation to ensure a 72 hour waiting period, trigger locks and to close the gunshow loophole, I think we will be on our way to minimizing tragic deaths by handguns, while we explore the solutions to the other social aspects of the problem.

John Campbell
Is Jean related to another Florida Congressional representative by the name of Brown?

Jean Elliott Brown
No. Corinne Brown is unrelated, but I think we need as many Browns who support gun safety legislation as possible.

Anonymous
Where do you get the number of kids that have died from guns? It seems like a lot.

Jean Elliott Brown
We are using the commonly accepted figure (released by Handgun Control, Inc.) of 12 per day.

John Comerford
I think that it is interesting that Mark's 1994 campaign message was built about how tough he was going to be on crime. I took your advice and looked at his web site and I just can't find any discussion about crime or gun control.

Jean Elliott Brown
Hi John. Mark's record is very poor and he would rather not talk about it at all. That's why he keeps ducking debate commitments and leaves it off his web-site.

Anonymous
What is the gun-show loophole you mention in your position paper?

Jean Elliott Brown
The gun show loophole refers to the lack of background checks that occur over the weekend at gun shows. Purchasers at these gun shows escape the rigorous background checks that others go through creating a loophole in an otherwise wellmeaning law. We need to close this loophole.

PFitz422
Guns are banned from Washington D.C., why, then was there a shooting at the National Zoo?

Jean Elliott Brown
It would seem that the gun was not purchased in D.C. and the situation points to the need for unified national gun safety legislation. This tragedy of children shooting children underscores the need for immediate intervention.