[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 53 (Thursday, April 22, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RENEWING THE ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 22, 2004

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of renewal 
of the Assault Weapons Ban. In 1994, President Clinton signed the 
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which banned the 
manufacture and importation of many semiautomatic assault weapons. This 
law is set to expire on September 13, 2004, just 144 days away.
  In 1995, the FBI reported that trace requests for assault weapons 
declined 20 percent only one year after enactment of the ban. Since 
enactment, criminals are using these guns less frequently, and innocent 
lives are saved every day as a result.
  I am proud to join 108 of my colleagues as a cosponsor of H.R. 2038, 
the Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act. This vital 
legislation will permanently extend the 1994 Act and help keep these 
weapons out of our country and away from criminals.
  If we allow the assault weapons ban to expire, our streets will again 
be flooded with an arsenal of Uzis and AK-47s--guns which are 
responsible for pre-ban killings such as the Stockton Schoolyard 
Massacre and a shooting at the CIA Headquarters.
  Twenty percent of police officers killed in the line of duty today 
are shot using these banned assault weapons. This number is sure to 
increase if these weapons are more readily available. The weapons 
banned under current law pose too great a risk to the general public, 
and especially law enforcement officers, to be legalized. For this 
reason, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the 
Fraternal Order of Police both support extending the ban.
  In addition to this important measure, I have introduced two other 
pieces of legislation to cut down on shooting deaths. Approximately 1 
percent of the nation's gun stores are the source of 57 percent of the 
firearms traced to crimes. H.R. 1540, the Crackdown on Deadbeat Dealers 
Act, would increase the ability of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 
Firearms and Explosives to investigate record-keeping compliance among 
these delinquent gun dealers. The second bill is H.R. 821, the 
Accidental Shooting Prevention Act, which requires chamber load 
indicators on handguns, allowing gun owners to quickly recognize if 
their weapons are loaded. I encourage my colleagues to cosponsor these 
two bills and help reduce the number of gun deaths in America without 
infringing on the rights of lawful gun owners.
  The three pieces of legislation I have mentioned do not unreasonably 
restrict law-abiding citizens from using appropriate firearms for 
sporting purposes or self-protection. Rather, sensible gun control 
prevents firearms from getting into the wrong hands.
  My colleagues in the House and Senate must understand how important 
it is that we continue this ban on assault weapons to prevent parents 
and children from suffering life-altering senseless violence should 
these guns again become legal.

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