[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 100 (Monday, July 19, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H5951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TIME IS RUNNING OUT ON RENEWING ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Neugebauer). 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, at the end of this week, we 
all take our 6-week break before we come back to the House. That means 
we only have 9 days left before September 13 when we are going to see 
the assault weapons ban in this country expire. We have already seen 
where the gun manufacturers are coming out and saying they cannot wait 
until this expires, mainly because on September 14 they will be able to 
supply assault weapons back into the stores so anyone that wants to can 
buy them.
  Mr. Speaker, since I have been here in Washington trying to fight and 
reduce gun violence in this country, I have always been fair. I have 
never tried to take away the right of someone to own a gun. But assault 
weapons go way overboard. Do we want to see our citizens in this 
country be able to have assault weapons? Assault weapons are the guns 
that we are seeing every day, unfortunately, in Iraq. Assault weapons 
are guns that are made to take down as many people as possible in the 
shortest period of time.
  A recent poll by the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence shows that 
an overwhelming amount of Americans support renewal of the ban, 
including gun owners around the country and NRA supporters. Voters in 
key Midwestern States, including Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, and 
Missouri, average 72 percent in support of the renewal. In Florida, 81 
percent of likely voters support renewing the ban. In rural States, 
including West Virginia and South Dakota, 68 percent of voters support 
the renewal. The majority of gun owners in this country support the 
renewal, mainly because the majority of gun owners in this country are 
fair, and they know what kinds of guns they need and what kinds of guns 
we do not need.
  In the face of these dramatic numbers in favor of the ban, the issue, 
unfortunately, remains in a political deadlock. In 2000, the President, 
President Bush, said that he would sign the bill if it got on his desk. 
Well, we know that the President has been able to get everything that 
he has wanted through this House by making some phone calls. It is time 
the President stands up. It is time the President says, we should have 
the assault weapons ban certainly renewed, at the least.
  Listen, I support our police officers across this country. The police 
officers across this country want this ban kept in place. Why? Because 
they have found over the last 10 years fewer and fewer assault weapons 
are being used in crimes. Fewer and fewer assault weapons are being 
used to hurt our police officers across this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I happen to believe very strongly that one person can 
make a difference. That is why I came to Congress. But I also know that 
it takes the American people to wake up, to be able to have their 
voices heard here; and this is one chance when the American people can 
come together.
  Do not let this time run out. This is where the American people can 
get involved. Certainly e-mail the Speaker of the House and the 
President of the United States. Let us keep this promise that the 
President made back in 2000 a reality. Do we want assault weapons back 
on our streets? Do we want the possibility of terrorists that are 
supposedly in this country being able to buy these guns? Do we want the 
drug lords to be able to have these guns? Think of the shootings that 
we have had in this country over the last several years. Can we imagine 
if they had had an assault weapon and how many more people they could 
have taken down?
  I spent my life as a nurse before I came to this great House. My job 
is to take care of people. My job is to prevent people from being ill, 
to give them the best quality of life possible. Having assault weapons 
is deadly for all of us. It is deadly for our children. It is deadly 
for our police officers. I here in Congress refuse to let this die. 
That is why I came to Congress, to save lives.
  I am asking the American people to get behind this. When we come back 
in September, over 2,000 people will have died during that time. Two 
thousand people. Two thousand families, not even counting how many have 
been wounded. I know this is personal for me, but the rhetoric that we 
are hearing from the NRA is false.
  Ten years ago we heard constantly the only reason we wanted to get 
this assault weapons ban done is so we could go down that slippery 
road. Well, let me tell my colleagues something. Second amendment 
rights, the Constitution, each one of us swears that we will uphold 
that. I am not out here to take away anyone's right to own a gun.
  Please, the American people must become involved in this.

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