Waxman Offers Some Gun Violence Proposals

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House
Energy and Commerce Committee, has made three recommendations on combating gun
violence, and media violence restrictions were nowhere to be found.

In letters to Vice President Joe Biden and Mike Thompson
(D-Calif.), chair of the House Democratic Caucus Gun Violence Prevention Task
Force, Waxman said that in addition to background checks for gun and ammunition
purchases, limiting the size of magazines, preventing straw purchases, and
banning assault weapons, they should consider trigger locks and fingerprint
recognition, public health research and mental health research and medical
coverage.

Together, he said, they would provide "a comprehensive
blueprint for action in tackling one of the nation's most pressing public
health problems. I urge you and the Task Force to adopt them as part of your
final report."

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.