[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S1884]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE FIVE-SEVEN PISTOL

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, the Five-Seven handgun, manufactured by the 
Belgian firearms company FN Herstal, was reportedly designed to provide 
military and law enforcement personnel with a small, lightweight, and 
accurate pistol that was powerful enough to kill or seriously injure 
enemies wearing body armor. A January 2000 cover article in the popular 
American Handgunner magazine profiled the handgun and predicted that, 
for obvious reasons, ``neither the gun nor the ammunition will ever be 
sold to civilians.'' Unfortunately, the American Handgunner article was 
wrong and FN Herstal made the Five-Seven pistol available to private 
buyers in 2004. These high-powered firearms clearly have no sporting 
purpose and pose a great threat to the lives of our law enforcement 
officers.
  According to the FN Herstal website, the Five-Seven weighs less than 
2 pounds fully loaded and measures only 8.2 inches in length, making it 
easily concealable. A statement which previously appeared on the 
website boasted ``Enemy personnel, even wearing body armor can be 
effectively engaged up to 200 meters. Kevlar helmets and vests as well 
as the CRISAT protection will be penetrated.'' This statement has since 
been removed.
  Ballistics tests conducted by the American Handgunner for their 
January 2000 article provided evidence of the armor-piercing 
capabilities of the Five-Seven pistol. In the tests, ammunition fired 
by the Five-Seven successfully pierced level IIA Kevlar body armor and 
penetrated 6 inches into ballistics testing gelatin behind it. 
According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, level IIA 
Kevlar body armor is the kind commonly worn by law enforcement 
officers.
  The already lethal nature of the Five-Seven handgun was amplified 
when Congress failed to renew the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, allowing it 
to expire on September 14, 2004. Among other things, Congress's 
inaction resulted in the legalization of previously banned high-
capacity magazines, including the 20 round clip currently sold with the 
Five-Seven.
  The law enforcement community is rightfully concerned about the Five-
Seven's ability to kill law enforcement personnel, even while they are 
wearing protective body armor. Last year, a coalition of law 
enforcement groups including the International Association of Chiefs of 
Police, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, and the 
National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives issued a 
warning to their members about the threat posed by Five-Seven handguns.
  Bernard Thompson, director of the National Organization of Black Law 
Enforcement Executives, warned regarding the Five-Seven:

       No one is safe from a weapon like this. Police body armor 
     won't offer protection if a criminal has this pistol.

  In addition, the legislative director of the International 
Brotherhood of Police Officers, Steve Lenkhart, called the Five-Seven 
``an assault rifle that fits in your pocket.''
  In response to concerns raised by law enforcement officials and 
others, Senator Lautenberg, introduced the Protect Law Enforcement 
Armor Act on March 3, 2005. Among other things, this legislation would 
prohibit the sale of the Five-Seven pistol and its ammunition to 
private buyers in the U.S. Unfortunately, despite the continuing threat 
posed by this high-powered pistol to our law enforcement officers, 
Senator Lautenberg's legislation has yet to receive any consideration 
by the Senate Judiciary Committee in the year since it was introduced.
  We should not ignore the concerns of our law enforcement officers 
with regard to the Five-Seven pistol and other military-style firearms. 
Congress should take up and pass commonsense legislation banning the 
sale of these dangerous weapons because of the threat they pose to the 
safety of our communities and those who work so hard each day to 
protect them.




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