[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 122 (Tuesday, August 23, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
   CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 3355: THE VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND LAW 
                            ENFORCEMENT ACT

                                 ______


                             HON. VIC FAZIO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 23, 1994

  Mr. FAZIO. Mr. Speaker, due to an error by the Office of Official 
Reporters of Debates for the Congressional Record, remarks made by my 
colleague from North Carolina, Mr. Watt, were incorrectly attributed to 
me in the Congressional Record for Sunday, August 21, 1994, page H8988. 
Following is my correct statement.
  I rise in support of the most comprehensive crime package in our 
Nation's history, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 
1994.
  In recognition of the critical role that our communities play in 
fighting crime, the bill focuses attention and resources on the State 
and local levels--the frontlines where the bulk of the responsibility 
for responding to crime lies. And it moves us closer to meeting our 
overall goal of ensuring that justice is dispensed equally and fairly, 
and that punishment is also fair, fast, and consistent.
  It contains the three-strikes-and-you're-out provision, which will 
keep repeat violent offenders off the streets. It also supports 
programs that reduce gang membership and provides alternatives for 
youth who are at risk. Other provisions provide substance abuse 
treatment for Federal prisoners and increased sentences for Federal 
hate crimes. There are also measures to reduce the incidence of 
violence against women, and to punish those who commit crimes of 
violence against women.
  The bill also bans certain specific assault weapons. This legislation 
will have very little affect on the right of the average American to 
bear arms. It includes weapons used almost exclusively by organized 
crime, gangs, and drug cartels, but does not include any weapons, 
semiautomatic or otherwise, used for hunting. The further restrictions 
on the sales and ownership of assault weapons that are in this bill 
will not cause a major reduction in crime. However, they will make it 
much more difficult for drug dealers, violent criminals, and 
psychopaths to get their hands on military-style semiautomatic rifles 
and certain shotguns and pistols.
  Although we do not have detailed, nationwide statistics on the 
misuses of these weapons, the Oakland Police Department Weapons Unit 
reports that criminal misuses of assault weapons in Oakland fell by 
virtually half since the enactment of the California ban. This is a 
small price to pay to help curb the unnecessary and senseless violence 
that plagues communities throughout our country. If 1 life or 1,000 
lives are saved because we are able to keep an assault weapon out of 
the wrong hands, it is worth the effort.
  The bill includes a number of provisions that attack crime in rural 
areas, too, including one which I introduced along with my colleague, 
the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Stupak], a former police officer and 
State trooper. The Fazio-Stupak amendment expresses the sense of 
Congress that rural areas should continue to receive the level of 
support that they had prior to enactment of this crime bill--that rural 
America should not receive less funding than it did in fiscal year 
1994. It was developed in response to feedback which I received from 
sheriffs and police chiefs in my district who, in a visit to Washington 
earlier this year, expressed their concern that they would lose Federal 
funding that supports their efforts to fight drugs and the violence 
that accompanies this persistent problem. In response, my amendment 
will help ensure that rural communities do not lose ground as the rest 
of the country moves forward on new anticrime strategies.
  Because crime is not an isolated problem, it cannot be dealt with in 
isolation. And there is no one solution to the overwhelming problem of 
crime in our neighborhoods and communities. But this bill is an 
important step toward confronting and addressing it. It is a good place 
to start, and the time is now. We should all be able to put aside our 
partisan differences and come together on behalf of what is good for 
this country--our communities, our families, and our children. I urge 
my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to join me in support of 
this crime bill and to support this conference report.

                          ____________________