[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 17, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E104-E105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     BAN ON SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIALS

                                 ______


                         HON. LUIS V. GUTIERREZ

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 17, 1995
  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, the opening day of the 104th Congress, I 
reintroduced my bill, H.R. 250, to ban the manufacture and sale of 
Saturday Night Specials. I did so because I know these guns are used to 
commit crimes, from armed robbery to murder, every day. As crime in 
this country has grown so has the prevalence of Saturday Night 
Specials. I believe that taking these dangerous weapons off of our 
streets is a key to reducing violent crime and saving the lives of our 
Nation's citizens.
  We have all heard the cliche ``Guns don't kill people; people kill 
people.'' However, on the streets of our cities and in the schools of 
our neighborhoods guns kill people, some types of guns kill more often 
than others. Although we have successfully banned semi-automatic 
assault type weapons, we have failed to ban Saturday Night Specials, a 
type of handgun that dominates ATF's list of guns used most often in 
crime. One model, the Raven P-25, has topped that list since 1991.
  Saturday Night Specials are cheap, easily concealed handguns. Many 
sell for between $70 and $115 while the average handgun costs 
approximately $400. Often they are made with deficient materials and do 
not possess any safety features. The guns my legislation addresses have 
already been banned from import by ATF because of their inherently 
dangerous characteristics. Five of the ten guns traced most often to 
crime by ATF in 1994 would be banned under the import criteria. 
Additionally, of all crimes committed with guns appearing on ATF's top 
ten list, the percentage committed with Saturday Night Specials 
increased from 58 percent in 1991 to 73 percent in 1994. ``Made in 
America'' usually means quality and pride, but not in the production of 
Saturday Night Specials.
  [[Page E105]] Just recently, Intratec, famous for the TEC-9 semi-
automatic, introduced the CAT-9 semi-automatic pistol. This new weapon 
weighs just 18 ounces and measures 5.74 inches overall, perfect for any 
criminal. Not only is it relatively cheap and very small, it has the 
capability to shoot seven rounds of 9 mm ammunition in a short amount 
of time. Guns and Ammo found that it is ``designed for relative ease of 
concealment and close range shooting.'' I know of no sporting or 
defensive purposes that demand such features. This gun, too, would be 
banned under the import criteria but instead is in full production 
today.
  Crime with guns is increasing. Saturday Night Specials, because of 
their design, are clearly the favorite weapon of criminals. H.R. 250 
uses the same criteria ATF established for imports and does not apply 
to all handguns. Therefore, it is both easily implemented and easily 
enforced.
  The basic fact is that passage of such legislation is critical to the 
survival of too many people for us to ignore.


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