[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 22]
[Senate]
[Page 30537]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 MILITARY SNIPER WEAPON REGULATION ACT

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, in the November 3, 2003 edition of Air 
Safety Week a connection was drawn between airline safety and gun 
safety. And, while some people may think there is no connection between 
airline safety and gun safety, the connection is serious. Attention has 
been paid to potential vulnerabilities of commercial aircraft to 
terrorists armed with shoulder-fired missiles. A more pedestrian but an 
equally deadly potential threat looms from terrorists armed with .50 
caliber sniper rifles.
  The .50 caliber sniper rifle is among the most powerful weapons 
legally available. These weapons are not only powerful, but they're 
accurate. According to the House Government Reform staff report, the 
most common .50 caliber weapon can accurately hit targets a mile away 
and can inflict damage to targets more than four miles away. The thumb-
size bullets, which come in armor-piercing and incendiary variants, can 
easily punch through aircraft fuselages, fuel tanks, and engines.
  These weapons pose a serious threat to planes both in the air and on 
the ground. According to a recent Violence Policy Center report, 
aircraft landing are particularly vulnerable, as illustrated by the 
testimony of Ronnie G. Barrett, President of Barrett Firearms 
Manufacturing. As an expert witness during a 1999 criminal trial, 
Barrett was asked about the relative difficulty of hitting a stationary 
target and a moving target, such as a motorcycle or an airplane. He was 
asked about shooting at an airplane ``coming in to land . . . 
descending over 120 miles an hour.'' He testified: ``If it is coming 
directly at you, it is almost as easy. Just like bird hunting. But yes, 
it is more difficult if it is horizontally, or moving from left to 
right . . . '' In other words, according to Barrett, shooting at a 
moving object coming directly at one is ``almost as easy'' as a 
stationary target, an answer that is consistent with detailed 
instructions given in a variety of U.S. Army manuals about engaging 
aircraft with small arms.
  Despite these facts, long-range .50 caliber weapons are less 
regulated than handguns. Buyers must simply be 18 years old and submit 
to a Federal background check. In addition, there is no Federal minimum 
age requirement for possessing a .50 caliber weapon and no regulation 
on second-hand sales.
  I believe the easy availability and the increased popularity of the 
.50 caliber sniper rifle poses a danger to airline safety, as well as 
homeland security. That's why last year I cosponsored Senator 
Feinstein's Military Sniper Weapon Regulation Act. This bill would 
change the way .50 caliber guns are regulated by placing them under the 
requirements of the National Firearms Act. This would subject these 
weapons to the same registration and background check requirements as 
other weapons of war, such as machine guns. This is a necessary step to 
protecting the safety of airline travelers.
  The .50 caliber sniper rifle is among the most powerful and least 
regulated firearms legally available. Tighter regulation is needed. I 
urge my colleagues to support Senator Feinstein's bill.

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