The National Education Association (NEA) adopted a resolution at its July convention that commits the group to a national petition drive to promote its anti-gun agenda in Congress.

The NEA is the nation’s largest teachers union and has been a consistent proponent of more restrictions on the private ownership of firearms by law-abiding Americans. The group even ran newspaper advertisements in support of the May 14 “Million” Mom March.

The resolution was hotly debated at the convention, but eventually passed, with about one-third of the delegates voting against it.

According to NEA President Bob Chase, the union’s anti-Second Amendment wish list—which it hopes to submit to Congress by Feb. 1, 2001—calls for gunowner licensing, national gun registration, “ballistic fingerprinting” schemes, mandatory locks and storage requirements, and the re-imposition of waiting periods for all gun purchases.

The National Rifle Association noted that the NEA gun agenda closely mirrors that of Democrat Al Gore’s presidential campaign position.

The NRA pledged to carefully monitor the campaign for any attempts by the NEA, or other groups, to improperly use the nation’s schools to promote this anti-gun political agenda.