[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 17758-17759]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   EXPIRATION OF ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, next week, the assault weapon ban 
expires. This ban, enacted 10 years ago, on some models has been 
supported by past Presidents Ford, Reagan, Bush I, and President 
Clinton. It has been supported by police chiefs and officers across 
America, and the majority of the public. Even candidate Governor George 
Bush 4 years ago said he supported extending the assault weapons ban.
  Today, we stand poised in 120 hours to see the assault weapons ban 
expire because of a lack of leadership on the part of President Bush 
and of the Republican leadership in Congress. It appears that there is 
no intention to stand up to the National Rifle Association and bring 
forward an opportunity for the men and women in this Chamber to be 
heard on this critical issue.
  I suppose this should not come as a surprise when we saw the 
administration, President Bush, Attorney General Ashcroft cave in to 
the NRA when it came to eliminating within 24 hours the previous gun 
registration records that would have been available to this 
administration, to law enforcement authorities, to help in the fight 
against terrorism. Having the NRA trump this potentially important tool 
in the fight against terrorism in this country is unfathomable to most 
of the people I represent. But sadly, it makes sense in the upside-down 
way that we deal with politics and the politics of gun violence in this 
Chamber and in the American political system.
  America has the worst record of gun violence of any developed 
country. There are a wide array of simple, commonsense provisions that 
would help deal with gun violence that would not in any way deny any 
legitimate hunter an opportunity to use their weapons to go out and 
hunt, to target shoot, legitimate collectors. There are, however, 
people who resist any effort at record-keeping, at enforcement, at 
dealing with the most simple, direct, commonsense, and nonintrusive 
proposals.
  Does anybody think in America that we are going to be safer if the 
assault weapon ban expires and there are more opportunities to have 
assault weapons

[[Page 17759]]

in the United States? There are people ready now to market, if the ban 
expires, to market new gun lines. There are people that have kits to 
convert weapons to make them, previously illegal, that would be lawful 
if the ban expires, to have these kits so they can make the conversion.
  I would find it disappointing on several levels if this tragedy 
occurs. First, we are not going to be safer. I hear repeatedly from the 
people I represent that sports people do not need assault weapons to 
hunt game in this country. There are lots of opportunities for target 
shooting, for sportsman activities. Assault weapons are designed to 
shoot with great firepower very quickly and to generate maximum carnage 
on people. We will not be safer.
  It will be a blow to the credibility of the political process if 
candidate Bush can make a promise that President Bush is not going to 
deliver on.
  Finally, it continues the chipping away at our ability to function 
here with real live legitimate problems. Gun violence is a legitimate 
problem. There are legitimate policy options, and we are taking them 
off the table.
  I would hope that President Bush remembers what candidate Bush said 4 
years ago and takes a small step to provide real leadership that he had 
promised in coming out in support of extending the assault weapon ban 
and calling upon the Republican leadership in Congress to follow 
through, allowing a vote to prevent that expiration. We have 120 hours 
left. I hope that the American people will avail themselves to dealing 
with these candidates who are out around the country to have that 
conversation with President Bush to follow through on his commitment.

                          ____________________