FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement on today's vote to move forward with debate on the Senate's gun control package:

"As the Senate moves forward on gun control legislation, it's important that we don't punish the kids we are trying to protect," said Laura W. Murphy, director of the ACLU's Washington Legislative Office. "The ACLU will be paying close attention to potential civil liberties issues as amendments are filed in the coming days. While well-meaning policymakers might assume that adding more police or school resource officers makes students safer, experience demonstrates otherwise. Our focus should be on our children, not law enforcement."

"We are also concerned about the privacy implications of universal background checks," added Murphy. "Those checks have to be conducted in a way that protects sensitive health records and does not discourage people from seeking drug treatment, and we hope our concerns are addressed as the bill is amended."