[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 136 (Thursday, October 11, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H6682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 GUNS, MONEY, AND A GREAT BIG BOOMERANG

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. McKinney) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. McKINNEY. Mr. Speaker, what has the al-Qaeda organization, a 
heavy 50-caliber sniper rifle designed for elite troops, and a firearms 
manufacturer in Tennessee got in common? Guns, money, and a great big 
boomerang.
  Last Sunday, October 7, 2001, the Violence Policy Center issued a 
report entitled ``Voting from the Rooftops,'' which detailed, among 
other things, the sale and supply of 25 50-caliber sniper rifles 
manufactured by a local gun manufacturer, Barrett Firearms 
Manufacturing, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to the al-Qaeda terrorist 
organization.
  The report cites evidence given earlier this year in New York during 
the African Embassy bombings trial that Essam al Ridi testified that in 
about 1988 or 1989 he had purchased 25 Barrett 50-caliber sniper rifles 
for $150,000 and shipped them to al-Qaeda. The report went on to detail 
other sales of the special 50-caliber Barrett weapon to members of the 
IRA and other groups. Tragically, the report cited numerous incidents 
of British soldiers being shot and killed with sniper rifles.
  The report said that there is no evidence yet available about whether 
Ronnie G. Barrett, the 1993 trading name of Barrett Firearms 
Manufacturing, actually knew that the 25 guns being sold to bin Laden's 
al-Qaeda, nor do we know whether the guns were sold directly from the 
factory or through a dealer or dealers. Jane's International Defense 
Review reported in 1989 that, ``Barrett will not identify its weapons 
purchasers.'' But the unavailability of evidence is not reassuring.
  The fact is we should know all of the people who were in this country 
buying and selling these kinds of specialist weapons to terrorists and 
the hands that these specialist weapons pass through before they left 
this country. The events of September 11 have now made that kind of 
information vital to showing the links between the al-Qaeda members.
  The Barrett and M82A1 50-caliber sniper rifle is a tremendously 
powerful weapon providing heavy hitting power with high accuracy out to 
an estimated 1,800 yards. U.S. Marines used the Barrett 50-caliber in 
the Gulf War to knock out Iraqi armored vehicles from 1,750 yards away. 
Mr. Speaker, for those of us in Washington, D.C., that is roughly the 
distance from the Smithsonian Institute metro stop to the west front of 
the Capitol.
  These weapons are state-of-the-art firearms and can be used against 
vehicle armor, fuel tanks, penetrating concrete walls, aircraft and 
helicopters. These weapons should not be in the hands of terrorists. 
These weapons should not be in the hands of civilians. These are 
specialist weapons which should be sold and supplied only to the 
military.
  Barrett Firearms Manufacturing company's Web site ironically states 
that ``long-range shooting competitors and large caliber rifle 
enthusiasts throughout the world rely on Barrett products.'' Well, Mr. 
Speaker, I can think of a lot of adjectives to describe members of al-
Qaeda and the IRA, but large caliber rifle enthusiasts is not among 
them. Now, not only might our young servicemen and women be confronted 
by the stinger missiles sold by the CIA, but it appears that they might 
be confronted with sniper rifles from Tennessee.
  I understand that Senator Feinstein and other Members of the Senate 
have introduced a bill to curb the sale and supply of these specialist 
50-caliber weapons and that the NRA has already come out against it. 
Mr. Speaker, the NRA and its followers are fond of saying that ``guns 
don't kill, people do.'' Well, in this case, the boomerang of unbridled 
arms sales and bad public policy might just come back to hurt us in 
Afghanistan. Arms sales are a boomerang.

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