[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 145 (Friday, October 7, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    THE CASE FOR AMMUNITION CONTROL

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, 3 weeks ago, the city of Chicago became 
the first in America to ban the sale of handgun ammunition. I rise 
today to congratulate the Chicago City Council for this courageous 
action, which I hope will prompt other cities and towns to follow suit.
  Chicago has long been a pioneer in seeking innovative ways to fight 
gun violence; 12 years ago, the city banned the sale of all handguns. 
That was a step in the right direction, but as we all know, such a move 
could only have had a limited effect. There are roughly 70 million 
handguns in circulation in the United States. Unless abused, they will 
last almost indefinitely.
  That is why we must go after the bullets. A gun is useless without 
ammunition. If we have perhaps a two-century supply of handguns, but 
only a 4-year supply of ammunition, then clearly gun control must lead 
to ammunition control. The Chicago City Council has displayed foresight 
in recognizing this inevitable fact.
  Mr. President, ammunition control is not a new idea. Indeed, many 
local jurisdictions already employ efforts to regulate ammunition. The 
District of Columbia and some other cities prohibit a person from 
possessing ammunition without a valid license for a firearm of the same 
caliber or gauge as the ammunition. Beginning in 1990, the city of Los 
Angeles banned the sale of all ammunition 1 week prior to Independence 
Day and New Year's Day in an effort to reduce injuries and deaths 
caused by the firing of guns into the air.
  Such efforts are laudable, but these are isolated attempts to cure 
what is in truth a national disease. The scourge of gun violence now 
affects even the most tranquil of our neighborhoods. So we must press 
for national laws, as the Senator from New York has done over the last 
decade. I have repeatedly introduced legislation to ban or heavily tax 
some of the most pernicious types of bullets. And I will continue to 
push for Federal legislation to restrict those rounds most often used 
in the commission of crimes as well as particularly dangerous rounds 
such as Black Talons and bullets capable of piercing the soft body 
armor worn by police officers.
  The city of Chicago deserves high praise for the precedent it has 
set. As Daniel Kotowski, project coordinator for the Illinois Council 
Against Handgun Violence, has said, ``A city can only do so much to 
control handguns, but Chicago has done all it can.'' I commend the 
Chicago City Council for their brave decision and I hope that the rest 
of the country will not be far behind.

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