[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20190]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          A SOLEMN ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, this fall marks a solemn 2nd anniversary of 
the sniper attacks which terrorized the Washington, DC area and the 
country for 3 weeks in 2002. In October of that year, John Allen 
Mohammad, who was sentenced to death, and John Lee Malvo who was 
sentenced to life imprisonment, indiscriminately shot 13 innocent 
people, killing ten.
  In a settlement that marked victory for the 2002 sniper shooting 
victims, Bushmaster Firearms, manufacturer of the XM-15 assault rifle 
used in the attacks, agreed to pay $550,000 in damages for negligence 
leading to criminal violence in connection with the shooting spree.
  According to reports, Bushmaster continued to sell firearms, 
including the XM-15 assault rifle used in the sniper shootings, to 
Bull's Eye Shooter Supply in Tacoma, WA, even after several ATF audits 
documented the dealer's inability to responsibly account for its 
inventory of weapons. Reports indicate that 238 guns had gone missing 
from Bull's Eye's inventory and over 50 had been traced to criminal 
acts since 1997. As part of the settlement with victims, Bull's Eye has 
agreed to pay $2 million for its negligence in failing to account for 
the assault rifle that ended up in the hands of the snipers.
  Earlier this year, I voted with 89 of my colleagues to defeat S. 
1805, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. That bill would 
have weakened the legal rights of gun violence victims by terminating a 
wide range of pending and prospective civil cases against members of 
the gun industry. The victims of the sniper shootings would have lost 
their ability to sue Bushmaster Firearms and Bull's Eye Shooter Supply 
had S. 1805 become law.
  For the families and victims impacted by the 2002 sniper attacks, no 
amount of money will replace their loss and suffering. However, we 
should continue to pursue sensible gun safety legislation, including 
reinstating the expired assault weapons ban, to help prevent future gun 
crimes and improve the security of communities across our Nation.

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