The Brady Law, also known as the Gun Violence Prevention Act of 1994, was set up to try and establish a set of national standards to promote the safe use of firearms and to reduce gun violence (GVPA, 1994). Included in this are handgun licensing and registration, a stronger regulation of licensed manufacturers, importers, and dealers, and laws against the sale of semi-automatic assault weapons and other dangerous weapons (GVPA, 1994).
Licensing and Registration of handguns is one of the first issues in the act. For a citizen to purchase a handgun they must first receive a state license. This license provides for the issuance and revocation and the reporting of losses and thefts of handguns and handgun ammunition (GVPA, 1994). The license must be issued by the chief law enforcement officer of the state and must contain information about the person including photo, a license number, age, date of birth, and an address (GVPA 1994). …
