[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 160 (Thursday, November 6, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14178-S14179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH (for himself and Mr. Leahy):
  S. 1835. A bill to extend the effective period of the Undetectable 
Firearms Act of 1988 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) for 10 years; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce, along with my 
colleague Senator Patrick Leahy, and Ranking Democrat Member of the 
Judiciary Committee, legislation to reauthorize the Undetectable 
Firearms Act. I want to thank Senator Leahy for joining with me in 
introducing this bill and for his cooperation in working together on 
this important issue.
  This reauthorization will extend the existing ban on the manufacture, 
sale, importation, shipping, possession, transfer, or receipt of 
firearms that could not be detected by a metal detector or x-ray 
machine. Everyone in this Chamber knows how deeply I care for the 
Second Amendment and the individual's right to own and bear arms. I 
want everyone to understand that this ban does not ban a single firearm 
in production today. It prevents any individual or company from 
creating an undetectable firearm.
  I urge my colleagues to support the measure.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased to join with Senator Hatch to

[[Page S14179]]

introduce legislation to extend the Undetectable Firearms Act for ten 
years. I appreciate working with the Chairman of the Judiciary 
Committee and thank him for his leadership on this legislation.
  The Undetectable Firearms Act became law in 1988, long before the 
tragic attacks on our country on September 11, 2001. The Undetectable 
Firearms Act also known as the ``plastic gun law'' made it illegal to 
manufacture, import, possess, or transfer a firearm that is not 
detectable by walk-through metal detectors or airport x-ray machines. 
This law has been extended once, and is due to expire on December 10, 
2003.
  It is critical that this bill does not expire at the end of this 
year. Over the past two years, Congress has done tremendous work to 
make America a safer place and prevent any more terrorist attacks. We 
need to act today to ensure that Americans are not needlessly 
vulnerable to attacks at airports, schools, and other public buildings.
  I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation to extend the 
Undetectable Firearms Act for the next ten years.
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