[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 18 (Thursday, January 29, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S1052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, in the 4 years since the federal ban on 
assault weapons was allowed to expire, hundreds of people in this 
country have died and been injured by previously banned weapons. The 
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence report, ``Assault Weapons: Massed 
Produced Mayhem,'' details the deaths of 165 people and the injury of 
185 people by assault weapons since the ban expired. This includes the 
death and injury of 38 police officers. The simple fact is, our 
communities are less safe than they were 4 years ago.
  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives described 
assault weapons in their Assault Weapons Profile as weapons ``designed 
for rapid fire and close quarter shooting at human beings. That is why 
they were put together the way they were. You will not find these guns 
in a duck blind or at the Olympics. They are mass produced mayhem.'' 
Unlike semiautomatic hunting rifles, which are designed to be fired 
from the shoulder and rely on the accuracy of a precisely aimed 
projectile, assault weapons are designed to be fired at the hip and to 
maximize their ability to rapidly shoot multiple human targets.
  The report also outlines the dangerous weapons race law enforcement 
officers have been forced to enter in an effort to counter the 
increasing likelihood that they will be confronted by a criminal 
wielding an assault weapon. In addition to the common criminal, assault 
weapons are highly attractive weapons for terrorists. The ease with 
which they can currently be purchased, combined with their designed 
ability to inflict as much damage as possible, make them ideal tools 
for conspiring terrorists. Just last year five men were arrested in New 
Jersey with a stockpile of assault weapons, while planning to attack 
the U.S. States Army base at Fort Dix.
  Despite the overwhelming support of the law enforcement community, 
the ongoing threat of terrorism and bipartisan support in the Senate, 
the assault weapons ban was not allowed to expire. Now, 4 years later, 
19 previously banned military-style assault weapons, some capable of 
firing up to 600 rounds per minute, are once again pervading our 
streets and neighborhoods. This Congress we must take up and pass 
sensible gun safety legislation, including reinstating the assault 
weapons ban.

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