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Senator
Feinstein, California Officials Call for Renewal
of Federal Assault Weapons Ban
-- 76 days remain until ban expires --
June 29, 2004
San Francisco, Calif. – Two days before the 11 year
anniversary of the shootings at 101 California Street in San Francisco,
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) urged her Senate colleagues
to once again approve the reauthorization of the federal assault
weapons ban, which could expire on September 13, 2004.
Senator Feinstein was joined at a news conference by U.S. Senator
Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, San
Francisco Police Department Chief Heather Fong and victims of the
101 California shooting.
The following is the prepared text of Senator Feinstein's remarks:
“Ladies
and gentlemen, the clock is ticking. There are 76 days left
until the Federal assault weapons ban expires.
Seventy-six days before AK-47s, street-sweepers, TEC-DC 9s and
the other guns banned by the law once again will be manufactured
and imported into this country.
Seventy-six days until we turn back the clock to 1994, when
those seeking to kill the greatest number of people in the shortest
amount of time, had easy access to military-style assault weapons.
We all know what this will mean: more Columbines and more 101
Californias.
How can any of us forget the July day almost 11 years ago, when
Gian Luigi Ferri walked into 101 California Street in San Francisco
carrying two high-capacity TEC-9 assault pistols?
Within minutes, Ferri had murdered eight people, and wounded
six others. This tragedy shook San Francisco – and the entire
nation. We saw with absolute clarity the destruction that could
be inflicted with these military-style assault weapons.
Navegar's advertising for the TEC-9 touted the gun as being
for ‘paramilitary' use and ‘resistant to fingerprints,' with
a ‘military non-glare finish,' a ‘military blowback system,'
and ‘combat-type' sights.
Guns like these are dangerous – because they have light triggers,
you can spray fire them, you can hold them with two hands, and
you don't need to aim.
Already, the gun companies are preparing for the day when the
ban is lifted.
In mid-April, Italian customs officials seized more than 8,000
AK-47 assault rifles on their way from the Romanian port of
Constanta to New York, and then apparently bound to a gun store
in Georgia.
According to press reports, the guns were being shipped to the
United States in anticipation of the expiration of the assault
weapons ban.
This is the kind of thing we can expect to happen with increasing
frequency – companies gearing up to once again produce and import
the deadly assault weapons we banned almost ten years ago.
Unless Congress and the President act, our streets will be flooded
with assault weapons.
This should really be an easy issue. After all, this ban already
passed the Senate once – by a vote of 52-47.
The President has said many times that he supports the current
law, and supports renewing the current law.
Every major law enforcement organization in the country supports
renewing the ban, as do countless civic organizations.
Almost three-fourths of the American people and two-thirds of
gun owners support renewing the ban.
And the ban works – the rate of crimes committed with banned
assault weapons has dropped by two-thirds since the ban took
effect almost ten years ago.
So one might wonder: why doesn't the Senate just pass the ban
quickly, get it through the House and have it signed into law
before it expires?
One very powerful interest group is stopping us – the National
Rifle Association.
The NRA has used threats, distortions and bullying tactics to
fight against commonsense gun control at every level and at
all costs.
In March, the NRA was successful in defeating its own highest
priority, the gun immunity bill, simply because the assault
weapons ban was added as an amendment to that legislation.
But we will continue to fight the fight and look to amend the
ban to legislation that has to pass the Senate this year.
The bottom line is this: these guns – and everyone knows it
– have but one purpose, and that purpose is to kill other human
beings.
Why would we want to open the floodgates again and let them
back on our streets? There is simply no good reason. The time
has come to renew the assault weapons ban.”
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U.S.
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Website
Main Page:
http://feinstein.senate.gov/
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EDITOR'S
NOTE: The following is the link for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer's
page on public safety. The list of what she's supported in the past
is posted here, along with links to other sites concerning hate
crimes, safety of children, gun laws, etc.
http://boxer.senate.gov/issues/ps.cfm
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