Senators Feinstein, Schumer, Chafee, Boxer, Durbin Introduce Legislation to Reauthorize the Assault Weapons Ban

- Bill would also close loophole in 1994 law that has allowed millions of large capacity ammunition clips to be imported into this country -

May 8, 2003

Senator Feinstein is joined by Senators Schumer, Boxer and Chafee to support re-authorization of the assault weapons ban.

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced legislation that would reauthorize the federal assault weapons ban and close a loophole in the law that has allowed millions of large-capacity ammunition clips to be imported into this country. The 1994 assault weapons ban was authored in the Senate by Senator Feinstein and authored in the House bySenator Schumer.

If Congress does not take action, the ban will expire on September 13, 2004, and manufacturers would once again be able to make the assault weapons that have been banned for almost 10 years.

"Military-style assault weapons simply have no place on America's streets," Senator Feinstein said. If Congress fails to act, the current ban will expire next year. This would be a terrible mistake. This is why Congress must reauthorize the ban and close the high-capacity clip importation loophole - so that we can help keep America's streets safe from the violence produced by assault weapons."

"The fact of the matter is that there is no legitimate use for these weapons," Senator Schumer said. "That was as true in 1994 as it is today. But in a post-9/11 world, the assault weapons ban carries even greater urgency. With terrorists on American soil looking for ways to attack us at home, giving them carte blanche to pick up a Tec-9 with a high capacity clip is just plain stupid. It makes no sense. Sometimes the most basic and sensible laws are the most effective measures against terrorism that we have. I'd have to say this legislation fits that category."

The legislation would reauthorize the 1994 assault weapons ban by striking the sunset date from the original law. This would:

Maintain the ban on the manufacture and importation of 19 types of common military style assault weapons - for all time.
Maintain the ban on an additional group of assault weapons that have been banned by characteristic for 8 years.
Continue to protect some 670 hunting and other recreational rifles for use by law-abiding citizens; and
Preserve the right of police officers and other law enforcement officials to use and obtain newly manufactured semi-automatic assault weapons -- helping to prevent instances when law enforcement agents are outgunned by perpetrators.

"To the gun advocates who say assault weapons are not used for crimes, I say: Open your eyes, read the newspapers, see the heartbreak on TV every night across America," Senator Durbin said. "Just last week, in the town of Maywood, Illinois, a thug armed with an AK-47 rifle shot seven people, including a three-year-old boy. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, and we will only see more of these tragic headlines if we allow the current ban on these deadly weapons to expire next year."

The goal of the original bill was to drive down the supply of these weapons and make them more difficult to obtain. In the years following the enactment of the ban, crimes using assault weapons were reduced dramatically.

According to the most recent statistics made by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms:

In 1993, assault weapons accounted for 8.2 percent of all guns used in crimes;
By the end of 1995, that proportion had fallen to 4.3 percent; and
By November 1996, the last date for which statistics are available, the proportion had fallen to 3.2 percent.

In addition, the legislation introduced today would close a loophole in the 1994 law, which prohibits the domestic manufacture of high-capacity ammunition magazines, but allows foreign companies to continue sending them to this country by the millions.

A measure that would have closed this loophole passed the House and Senate in 1999 by wide margins, but was bottled up in the 1999 Juvenile Justice conference report due to an unrelated provision. Since 1994, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms has approved the importation of almost 50 million high capacity ammunition magazines from some 50 countries.

President Bush has consistently indicated his support for the assault weapons ban, and just a few weeks ago, his spokesman Scott McClellan reiterated his support for reauthorizing the ban when he said: "The President supports the current law, and he supports reauthorization of the current law." Additionally, the President has also indicated his support for banning the importation of high capacity ammunition clips.

"Assault weapons are the weapons of choice for criminals and those who are seeking to do the maximum damage possible in the shortest amount of time," Senator Feinstein said. "That's what makes them so dangerous - because they have light triggers, you can spray fire them, you can hold them with two hands, and you don't really need to aim. They are not weapons of choice for hunters or those trying to protect themselves."

The legislation is also cosponsored by Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Jack Reed, and Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA).

###