[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 88 (Friday, June 14, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1093]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 INTRODUCTION OF JUNK GUNS LEGISLATION

                                 ______


                             HON. JACK REED

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 1996

  Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, kids deserve a chance to succeed. An 
environment free of crime--and the gun violence that claims the lives 
of thousands of our Nation's children every year--provides this 
opportunity.
  Recent events are a painful reminder of the devastation that firearms 
cause for children in every part of our country. Last month, 4-year-old 
Marimal Colon was playing in front of her house in my home State of 
Rhode Island. As she prepared to accompany her siblings to a candy 
store, she was hit in the back by a stray bullet, fired in an exchange 
between two cars passing her home.
  Since coming to Congress, I have worked hard to stop this violence by 
enacting tough new laws, like the Brady bill and the assault weapons 
ban, that keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
  These laws are making an impact, but we must do more to stop the 
plague of gun violence. We must stop criminals from obtaining their 
weapons of choice: junk guns.
  These firearms, also known as Saturday night specials, are cheap, 
small, easily concealable, made of cheap materials, and lack adequate 
safety devices.
  Junk guns are not hunting weapons, but they are 3.4 times as likely 
to be used in crime as are other firearms. Indeed, the Bureau of 
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms reports that 8 of the 10 firearms most 
frequently traced at crime scenes in 1995 were junk guns.
  The Junk Gun Violence Protection Act that I am introducing today 
takes a stand against junk guns. This bill and Senator Boxer's 
companion legislation ban the junk guns that criminals prefer.
  In the past, Congress has recognized the danger of junk guns, and 
taken bipartisan action to combat the abuse of these weapons. In 1968, 
Congress passed the Gun Control Act to prohibit the importation of junk 
guns. This measure unintentionally led to the creation of a vast 
domestic junk gun industry. In 1972, the Senate passed a bill to apply 
the import standards to domestically produced guns by a vote of 68 to 
25.
  The Reed-Boxer bill is modeled after this impressive example. The 
measure, which at last closes the deadly loophole that protects 
domestic junk guns, is an important step toward safe communities.
  I look forward to working with Senator Boxer, our colleagues, and the 
millions of Americans committed to reducing the toll of gun violence to 
ensure that this critical goal becomes a reality.

                          ____________________