[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 98 (Monday, July 25, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
               INTRODUCTION OF THE BOMBING PREVENTION ACT

                                 ______


                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 25, 1994

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, last week in a courtroom in my hometown 
of Rochester, NY, the prosecution of alleged bomber Michael Stevens 
continued. He and his friend, Earl Figley, stand accused of sending a 
coordinated string of package bombs all around western New York shortly 
before New Year's Day. Five people were killed by those bombs--murdered 
in cold blood by remote control.
  Accoring to authorities, the two New Yorkers obtained their 
explosives by showing phony Vermont identification to a vendor in 
Kentucky. My constituents and I were shocked by the ease with which 
these two disturbed individuals apparently bought deadly dynamite over 
the counter. And the longer I looked at current explosives laws, the 
more gaping loopholes I found.
  As my colleagues may remember, in April this House passed my 
amendment to the crime bill, which will correct some of the most 
glaring problems. Now it is time to finish the job. Today I am 
introducing the Bombing Prevention Act, which will achieve 
comprehensive reform of explosives regulation.
  I have drafted this bill in consultation with the Treasury 
Department, ATF, and the explosives manufacturing industry. All these 
parties agree that comprehensive reform is long overdue. Allow me to 
summarize the major points of this legislation in brief.
  The Bombing Prevention Act would require those who purchase 
explosives to hold a Federal permit, and would mandate a background 
check to get such a permit. In some States, a purchaser is not even 
required to register a name, and can buy a stick of dynamite as easily 
as a loaf of bread. This legislation sets the standard nationwide, not 
State by State. The effective regulation of interstate commerce in 
explosives is no longer feasible without such a system in place.
  The Bombing Prevention Act also redefines the exemptions currently in 
place for black powder and smokeless powder, currently set at 50 pounds 
for the former and a complete exemption for the latter. In recent 
years, about one-third of criminal bombing incidents have involved 
these two explosive materials. At the same time, many Americans enjoy 
sporting and cultural activities which employ black or smokeless 
powder. It is therefore very important to balance safety measures 
against the danger of imposing too many burdensome requirements. For 
that reason, the bill exempts five pounds of black or smokeless powder 
from the permit requirement.
  Finally, the bill acts to protect innocent people from bombs made of 
plastic explosives. Just such a bomb was used in the terrorist attack 
on Pan Am flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. That 
tragedy killed all 270 passengers. After the Pan Am disaster, the 
United States worked with other nations to negotiate a treaty, which 
was approved by the Senate. This treaty, the Montreal Convention, would 
require plastic explosives to include a special chemical that would 
make the material detectable at security checkpoints. Such a system 
could have prevented the explosives in the Pan Am case from getting on 
the plane at all. Unfortunately, despite our ratification of the 
Convention, Congress has not passed implementing legislation to bring 
our laws into compliance. The Bombing Prevention Act would make the 
necessary changes.
  Mr. Speaker, the number of criminal bombing incidents in this country 
has doubled in the last 6 years. This unprecedented increase cannot 
continue unchecked. We need to act now against these particularly cold-
blooded killers. We must not wait for another attention-grabbing 
attack. In addition to the incidents I've mentioned, we have seen mail 
bomb attacks on a judge and a civil rights activist in the South, a 
string of bombings at abortion clinics, and the terrorist attack on the 
World Trade Center in recent years. How much more evidence do we need 
of the pressing need for stronger laws?
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor the Bombing Prevention Act, and I 
hope this House will take swift action to enact comprehensive reform of 
our explosives laws.

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