[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 100 (Wednesday, July 27, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 KEEP ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN IN CRIME BILL

  (Mr. KLEIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KLEIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the conferees on the 
crime bill to keep the assault weapons ban in the final conference 
agreement.
  My constituents are tired of seeing the streets controlled by these 
heavily armed criminals. I have told you this before but it is worth 
telling you again: In one of my counties, more people died in gun-
related deaths in 1 year than in Great Britain, Australia, and Sweden 
combined.
  Over the years, a small number of interest groups have managed to 
hold Congress hostage to their pro-weapons doctines, and the Nation as 
a whole has suffered. We broke this barrier by passing the first 
national assault weapons ban this past May. We owe it to the American 
people to uphold this position and keep the assault weapons ban in the 
crime bill.
  The ban will save American lives. The 19 specific weapons that were 
banned are all copies of military style submachine guns; they are used 
by criminals to kill people at close quarters with rapid fire lethal 
bursts. I support the rights of sportsmen but these guns are not used 
by sportsmen.
  The assault weapons ban will reduce the amount of firepower available 
to criminals. It is the least we can do for our Nation's next 
generation. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me 
in my request to the conferees to keep the assault weapons ban in the 
crime bill.

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