To: POLITICAL EDITORS

Contact: Peter Hamm of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, +1-202-898-0792, phamm@bradymail.org

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --As the gun issue gets discussed and debated in political races around the country this election season, the Brady Campaign today released its "annotated guide" to the questionnaire that the National Rifle Association sends out to candidates.

The NRA uses its questionnaire to rate and endorse candidates. But the guide reveals that the NRA's questions are often based on incomplete or misleading assumptions, and candidates' answers therefore may reveal little about their actual views.

The guide is essential to understanding what the group means by "preserving freedom" and "supporting the Constitution" and other seemingly innocuous phrases. Some examples from the NRA questionnaire:

-- When the NRA says "gun sales by private citizens who are not engaged in an ongoing firearms business should not be subject to federal background check requirements," its officials mean that unlicensed sellers should be able sell dozens of guns at gun shows, at tables marked by huge banners saying "No Background Checks!," to anyone who shows up.

-- When the questionnaire reads "the Federal government should not ban firearms," what is meant is that no type of firearm whatsoever should be prohibited for sale, even handguns that would not be detected by airport security, or military-style AK-47s, or even machine guns. The NRA opposes the Federal machine gun ban enacted in 1986.

-- When it asks if the candidate agrees that "ammunition magazines should not be banned," it means there should be no restrictions whatsoever on the number of rounds a gun can fire without reloading. The NRA opposed the Federal assault weapons ban, which limited ammunition magazines to 10 rounds. Now that the ban has expired, the sale of 30, 50, even more than 100 round magazines is legal again.

-- When it says "no records should be maintained on any lawful gun buyer," it means that Federal law enforcement shouldn't be allowed to retain even for 24 hours the records of anyone who successfully cleared a Federal Brady background check - even if more time is needed to see if a gun was illegally sold, or if the buyer is on a Federal terrorist watch list.

-- When it asks candidates if they "support legislation to restore the Second Amendment rights of DC residents," it means legislation which would go much farther than the Supreme Court's decision in D.C. v. Heller, and eliminate theDistrict of Columbiagovernment's authority to pass any gun laws at all.

"We believe that not only candidates, but the general public, will find this guide to the NRA's questionnaire illuminating," said Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign. "As a former candidate and elected official, I know firsthand that the language in a political questionnaire can be loaded, but the NRA's is particularly deceptive."

The annotated version of the questionnaire is available at: http://www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/pdf/politics/2008/nra-questionnaire-explained.pdf

To find out more about where state and Federal candidates for elected office stand on the gun issue, go to the Brady Campaign's "Your Vote Matters" Elections web guide at http://www.bradycampaign.org/elections/.

As the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence, the Brady Campaign, with its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters, works to enact and enforce sensible gun laws, regulations and public policies. The Brady Campaign is devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities.

Visit the Brady Campaign website at www.bradycampaign.org. For continuing insight and comment on the gun issue, read Paul Helmke's blog at www.bradycampaign.org/blog/.

Contact: Peter Hamm, 202-898-0792, phamm@bradymail.org

SOURCE Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

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