[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 117 (Friday, August 2, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9624-S9625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                MOVEMENT TO BAN JUNK GUNS GAINS STRENGTH

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, earlier this year I introduced 
legislation with Senators John Chafee and Bill Bradley to prohibit the 
manufacture and sale of junk guns--or as they have also been called, 
saturday night specials. These cheap, poorly constructed, easily 
concealable firearms pose such a great threat to public safety that 
their sale and manufacture should be prohibited.

[[Page S9625]]

  Nearly 20 years ago, Congress prohibited the importation of junk 
guns, but allowed their domestic manufacture to soar virtually 
unchecked. Today, 8 of the 10 firearms most frequently traced at crime 
scenes are junk guns that cannot legally be imported. My view is that 
if a gun represents such a threat to public safety that it should not 
be imported, its domestic manufacture should also be restricted. A 
firearm's point of origin should be irrelevant.
  Since the introduction of my legislation, a strong grassroots 
movement has developed to help get these weapons off the streets. 
Thousands of volunteers have worked to educate local, State, and 
Federal elected officials about the issues. The emerging coalition 
against junk guns includes law enforcement officials, physicians, 
children's advocates, and religious organizations. More than two dozen 
California police chiefs, including those from California's largest 
cities, have endorsed my legislation.
  The movement to get these junk guns off the streets is clearly 
gaining steam. Many of California's largest cities, such as San 
Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, have enacted local ordinances 
prohibiting the sale of junk guns. Two weeks ago, the mayors of more 
than a dozen cities from California's East Bay pledged to push for 
local junk gun prohibitions in each of their jurisdictions, creating 
the one of the largest junk-gun-free zones in the country.
  I am dedicated to working hard on this issue in the 104th Congress 
and beyond. We will get these killer guns off our streets. When 
Senators return to their States over the August recess, I encourage 
them to discuss this issue with their constituents. I believe they will 
find that citizens do not support the current junk gun double standard, 
allowing poor quality weapons to be produced domestically, but not 
imported.

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