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Ad Campaign Brings Anti-Gun Movement To CA, Then Nationwide (11/11/2001)
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
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, thenewly-launched Firearms Law Center (http://www.firearmslawcenter.org) will commencean ad campaign to educate Californians in central and southern Californiaabout their ability to pass their own laws to reduce gun-related injuries anddeaths. As the gun industry continues to oppose modest regulations, theFirearms Law Center is poised to offer a solution to the gun legislationgridlock 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 weneed more guns on our planes, in our streets, in churches and in schools." Arecent billboard campaign by the California Rifle and Pistol Association, agroup opposing the most modest gun regulations such as comprehensive criminalbackground checks, urges people to buy more guns, citing the September 11thattacks as grounds for arming Americans to the teeth. The Firearms Law Center's print ads carry a very different message. Inone such ad, (which will begin running this Sunday in the Fresno Bee and theL.A. Times Orange County Edition), two little girls sell lemonade in front ofa house, while a man in the same neighborhood has a similar stand withmultiple guns stacked on it, with a "guns for sale" sign. The text reads, inpart: "Over 50% of gun dealers operate out of homes. This is particularlyalarming because a California study on crime guns documented significantcorruption among active residential dealers. This corruption includes sellingguns to criminals and children." The ad goes on to point out that the SecondAmendment allows localities and states to pass comprehensive gun regulations,and that the Firearms Law Center can help research, draft and defend such lawsto 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 comingweeks and months in San Jose, Modesto, San Diego, and, next year, in severalother states. "We're David to the gun industry's Goliath," says Becker. "We won't spendas much on our ad campaign, but our audience of supporters is vast, if we canjust reach them. The majority of Americans believe in the need for strictergun laws -- laws that allow for legitimate, reasonable gun possession withoutsupplying an underground market that allows school kids to buy assault weaponsat gun shows held at county fairgrounds, no questions asked." Fresno andOrange County are two jurisdictions that have not yet followed dozens ofCalifornia localities in banning the sale of guns from residences andrequiring 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 AgainstViolence. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-08-2001/0001612060