[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 102 (Wednesday, July 21, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H6538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SMART SECURITY AND ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, during the 2000 Presidential campaign, 
George W. Bush pledged to renew the assault weapons ban that President 
Clinton signed into law in 1994. This is a courageous decision by a 
candidate who claimed he was not your typical conservative.
  Four years have passed and Candidate Bush's pledge has gone 
unfulfilled by President Bush. It is amazing what the politics of a 
reelection campaign will do to one's former pledges.
  The assault weapons ban will expire on September 13 unless President 
Bush renews the ban before that very point. First, Congress would need 
to approve this decision, however. With recess approaching, that leaves 
only 3 legislative days in September before military assault weapons 
designed to kill large numbers of people are once again available on 
America's streets.
  Of course, President Bush and the White House are well aware of this 
deadline. So why are they not acting? Actually, the answer is simple. 
The answer is the National Rifle Association has conditioned its 
support for George W. Bush on his strong opposition to gun control 
measures. The NRA has issued a not-so-subtle threat to withhold its 
vast resources from the President's reelection campaign unless he 
agrees not to renew the assault weapons ban.
  The problem, besides the fact that President Bush has once again 
failed to live up to one of his campaign promises, is that this is an 
issue of extreme importance to our national security.
  Al Qaeda training manuals recovered in Afghanistan specifically urge 
terrorists to exploit America's ``lax gun laws'' to acquire and train 
with assault weapons. For many terrorists around the world, America is 
known as the great gun bazaar.
  Mr. Speaker, I do not know about you, but I find this highly 
disturbing. If President Bush truly wanted to be smart about keeping 
America safe from terrorism, as he says he does, he would work to 
immediately renew the assault weapons ban. Renewing the ban is 
absolutely necessary to protect Americans from terrorism. Renewing the 
ban would keep deadly weaponry out of the hands of terrorists.
  These guns serve only one purpose, to take lives. In fact, the 2003 
National Hunting Survey by Field and Stream Magazine confirmed that 
most gun owners do not consider assault weapons suitable guns for 
hunting in the first place. The ban clearly works.
  In 1995, the first year the assault weapons ban went into effect, the 
assault weapons represented nearly 4 percent of all guns recovered from 
crimes. By 2000, assault weapons represented a little more than 1 
percent of weapons used in crimes.
  Mr. Speaker, clearly the time has come for a national security 
strategy that protects Americans from assault weapons, not one that 
protects the President's favorite campaign donor from losing revenue.
  That is why I have introduced H. Con. Res. 392, legislation to create 
a SMART security platform for the 21st century. SMART stands for 
sensible, multilateral, American response to terrorism.
  In crafting this legislation, my staff and I received the support of 
the wonderful organizations, Physicians For Social Responsibility, the 
Friends Committee on National Legislation, and Women's Action for New 
Directions. Without these groups, the legislation would not have 
happened in the way it did.
  SMART security is stronger on national security than President Bush 
claims to be. SMART security will stop the sale of weapons to 
oppressive regimes and regimes involved in human rights abuses.
  SMART security will pursue enhanced inspection regimes and regional 
security arrangements to ensure that state sponsors of terrorism do not 
get a hold of more light weaponry or even deadlier chemical or 
biological weapons.
  It is time America got smart about its national security. I urge all 
of my colleagues to cosponsor this vitally important resolution, H. 
Con. Res. 392 because SMART security is tough, is pragmatic, is 
patriotic, and it will keep America safe.

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