[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 76 (Thursday, June 5, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S5305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       JUNK GUN BAN IN CALIFORNIA

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise to mark a historic day in the 
nationwide movement to get junk guns, or Saturday night specials, off 
our streets. The California State Assembly and the California Senate 
passed legislation to prohibit the manufacture and sale of junk guns in 
California. The bills require that all guns made or sold in California 
meet the same quality and safety test currently required of imported 
firearms.
  I applaud and thank each and every member of the California 
Legislature who voted for the bill for their courage in supporting this 
important legislation. I especially wish to acknowledge Assemblyman 
Louis Caldera and Senator Richard Polanco, whose leadership and 
tenacity contributed immeasurably to the passage of this legislation.
  The bills passed by the California Legislature are nearly identical 
to a bill I introduced in the Senate last spring, the American Handgun 
Standards Act, which I have reintroduced this year. For the largest 
State in the Union to pass this legislation is extraordinary.
  I trust that this important victory is just what we need here in 
Congress to move forward with junk gun legislation on the Federal 
level. Each year, nearly 40,000 Americans die from gunshots and more 
than 200,000 are injured. Gunshots are now the leading cause of death 
among children in California.
  I have spoken on this floor many times before about the junk gun 
double standard that has flooded our streets with cheap, unsafe, easily 
concealable handguns. In 1968, Congress required that all handguns 
imported to the United States meet a tough quality and safety test. 
This import restriction virtually cut off the flow of foreign junk 
guns. However Congress failed to require domestically produced handguns 
to meet the same test. This double standard led to the creation of a 
domestic junk gun industry that has flooded our streets with these 
unsafe, ultracheap handguns.
  Study after study has shown that these junk guns are the criminal's 
weapon of choice.
  California has taken the lead in a nationwide movement to get these 
guns off our streets. Thirty-two cities and counties have enacted local 
ordinances banning junk gun sales within their jurisdictions. Now that 
the California Legislature has taken this courageous step, I urge 
Governor Wilson to sign this historic legislation.
  Today, Californians who want an end to gun violence had a major 
victory, and the U.S. Senate should take notice. I hope that soon we 
will be able to pass the American Handgun Standards Act, which will 
make our children, our families, and our communities safer.
  There is no reason why American-made handguns should not have the 
same quality and safety standards as imported handguns. This dichotomy 
is killing our people.

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