[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 23, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H1345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 AMERICANS SUPPORT ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, in April of 2003, James Oo-
ja-muh of Seattle pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to help al 
Qaeda. He planned to train terrorists in Oregon. According to one 
recruit, members of the cell brought AK-47s, pistols, and other assault 
rifles, enough for anybody and then some.
  Mr. Speaker, assault weapons will go back on our streets in 174 days, 
that is, September 14. If we do not bring the bill up for a vote here 
on the House floor, it will expire; and we will be back where we were 
10 years ago. That is good news for terrorists and other criminals, but 
bad news for American families and communities and our police officers.
  Since I came to the floor to talk about gun violence last week, 
almost 400 people have died in the past week to gun violence in this 
country. Simply put, assault weapons were designed to kill as many 
people as possible as quickly as possible, and we want them back on our 
streets? Where in God's name do we understand that kind of an attitude? 
That sounds like the perfect weapon for a terrorist whose goal is to 
create as much death and fear as possible.
  Following the fall of Kabul in November of 2001, a document was found 
in a safe house advising those that were training where to buy the 
guns: go to America and buy all the guns you can. It is also known that 
during the 1980s al Qaeda purchased dozens of advanced sniper rifles 
for use in the Afghan war against the Russians.
  Since going into effect in 1994, the Assault Weapons Ban has 
increased public safety and prevented dangerous weapons from falling 
into the wrong hands.
  There are those who wish to see this critical and commonplace public 
safety measure die a quiet death. The American people support this ban. 
Our law enforcements across this Nation support this ban.
  During the 2000 year election, then-Governor Bush, now President 
Bush, promised he would sign the bill if it went on his desk. Well, 
that, unfortunately, is the trick. Unless we have a vote on it here, it 
is never going to get on his desk. It is up to the American people to 
use their right to have their voices heard. All they have to do is call 
the two bodies, call the White House and say, we want to have an 
assault weapons ban in place.

                              {time}  1930

  Let me say this: Ten years ago I was not in Congress. Ten years ago I 
was back home in Mineola. I was a nurse, and something happened to my 
family. They were shot with many others on the Long Island Rail Road. 
That is when I woke up to the gun violence in this country.
  I promised that I would do whatever I could to reduce gun violence in 
this country, and the first thing I started working on was the assault 
weapons ban. If we do not approve this, it is going to die.
  Large capacity clips, our police officers are allowed to use them, 
our military men are allowed to use them. Our hunters are not allowed 
to use them. Hunters give animals a better chance of surviving than we 
allow people. Clips that have 15 bullets in it. Well, we can go back to 
the old days, 20, 30, 40.
  Why in God's name do we need these particular guns on our streets 
again?
  Please, I am asking the American people, have your voices heard. I 
hear continuously they feel they have no voice in government. You can 
have a voice in government. You can make a difference. One person can 
make a difference. How many votes have we had here on the House floor 
where it is won or lost by one vote?
  I am asking the American people to get involved in this. Please. We 
can make a difference.

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