May-5-94 (HOUSE)  PUBLIC SAFETY AND RECREATIONAL FIREARMS USE PROTECTION ACT



Note: This document is the unofficial version of the Congressional Record.

      The printed Congressional Record produced by the Government Printing

      Office is the only official version.



PART      CONGRESSIONAL RECORD (HOUSE)

DATE      May 5, 1994

PAGE                                                                 PAGE H3063

TITLE          PUBLIC SAFETY AND RECREATIONAL FIREARMS USE PROTECTION ACT

TEXT        Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules,

          I call up House Resolution 416 and ask for its immediate

          consideration.

            The Clerk read the resolution as follows:

                                                                     PAGE H3064

                                      H. RES. 416

            Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this resolution

          the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 1(b) of rule XXIII, declare the

          House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the state

          of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4296) to make

          unlawful the transfer or possession of assault weapons.  The first

          reading of the bill shall be dispensed with.  All points of order

          against consideration of the bill are waived.  General debate shall

          be confined to the bill and shall not exceed two hours equally

          divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member

          of the Committee on the Judiciary. After general debate the bill

          shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule.  The

          amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the

          Committee on the Judiciary now printed in the bill shall be

          considered as read.  All points of order against the committee

          amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived.  No amendment

          to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute and no

          other amendment to the bill shall be in order.  At the conclusion

          of consideration of the bill for amendment the Committee shall rise

          and report the bill to the House with such amendment as may have

          been adopted.  The previous question shall be considered as ordered

          on the bill and any amendment thereto to final passage without

          intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without

          instructions.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Mazzoli). The gentleman from South

          Carolina (Mr. Derrick) is recognized for 1 hour.

                                       TIME: 1210

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield

          the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr.

          Solomon), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume.

          During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for

          the purpose of debate only.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            (Mr. DERRICK asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 416 is a rule

          providing for the consideration of H.R. 4296, the Public Safety and

          Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act. The rule provides for 2

          hours of general debate equally divided and controlled by the

          chairman and ranking minority member of the Judiciary Committee.

          The rule provides that the Judiciary Committee amendment in the

          nature of a substitute now printed in the bill shall be considered

          as read.  All points of order are waived against the committee

          substitute.  The rule provides that no amendment to the committee

          substitute nor the bill shall be in order.  Finally, the rule

          provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

            Mr. Speaker, the Assault Weapons Ban Act would ban the

          manufacture, possession or sale of assault weapons.  The bill

          exempts from the ban, weapons that are already legally owned at the

          time of enactment.  In addition, the bill is very specific in

          defining which semiautomatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns would be

          prohibited.  The bill exempts 650 specified sporting guns including

          Browning and Remington rifles and all bolt, pump, slide, and level

          action guns from the ban.  The legislation does not affect the use

          of these weapons by governmental agencies, such as law enforcement

          officials and the military.  Finally, the bill`s provisions contain

          penalties for those who violate the ban.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            Mr. Speaker, our Nation is under siege.  Our emergency rooms are

          overflowing with victims of gun violence from assault weapons.  In

          Los Angeles military trauma physicians have been recruited in

          hospitals to relieve the workload resulting from gun violence.

          Physicians in these hospitals receive practice in treating wounds

          from high-velocity assault weapons - wounds similar to the type

          seen in the Vietnam War.

            Mr. Speaker, every year the problem of gun violence only seems to

          get worse as more assault weapons find their way into the hands of

          criminals.  It is estimated that there are roughly one million

          assault weapons in the United States. According to the Bureau of

          Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms between 1990 and 1993, reports of

          assault weapons increased by 35 percent.  From 1990 to 1993, the

          percent of firearms traced that were assault weapons rose from 5.9

          percent to 8.1 percent.  Since studies show that assault weapons

          make up only 1 percent of the firearms in circulation, assault

          weapons are in proportion used more often to commit crimes.  In

          fact, these weapons are 18 times more likely than other guns to be

          cop-killers, and 16 times more likely to be traced to crime than

          other firearms.

            Mr. Speaker, enough is enough.  Assault weapons are used by

          criminals,not hunters or sport shooters.  The sole purpose of these

          weapons is to kill a lot of people quickly.  What was originally

          intended for military combat, has now become the weapon of choice

          for drug dealers and gangs.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            These large-capacity ammunition weapons have resulted in death

          and injury throughout our Nation. Last year alone assault weapons

          resulted in: The killing of 6 and the wounding of 19 on a Long

          Island commuter train; the killing of 2 CIA workers and the

          wounding of 3 others in McLean, VA; the killing of 8 and the

          wounding of 6 in a San Francisco high-rise office building, and the

          list goes on.

            Foreign nations are now issuing travel advisories to warn their

          citizens about traveling to our Nation due solely to the epidemic

          of gun violence.  And foreign visitors are not the only ones

          fearful, most U.S. citizens experience this same fear daily.  My

          own constituents who live in small rural towns now rate crime as

          the No. 1 issue.

            Mr. Speaker, according to a recent Washington Post editorial:

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            One of the lamest excuses a House member can parrot from the

          (assault weapons ban opponents) is that there`s no difference

          between assault-style weapons and the firearms of sporting.  If

          this is so, why are law enforcement groups from coast to coast

          pleading for passage of a bill to ban the sale of 19 specific

          models? Who`s more believable - the cops who are out there dealing

          with armed criminals everywhere, or representatives of the weapons

          manufacturers worldwide who promote anything with a trigger?

            The Assault Weapons Ban Act has the support of every major law

          enforcement group including the National Association of Police

          Organization, the National Sheriffs` Association, Police Executive

          Research Forum, Police Foundation, Police Management Association,

          the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, the International

          Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Federal Law Enforcement

          Officers.

            In addition, organizations representing education, children, the

          medical community, social services providers, civic groups,

          lawyers, clergy, and government have voiced their support for a ban

          on assault weapons.  Groups such as the American Bar Association,

          American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association,

          American Academy of Pediatrics, International Ladies Garment

          Workers Union, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of

          Cities, National Association of Counties, League of Women Voters,

          AFL-CIO, National Urban League, NAACP, Handgun Control, and the

          National Education Association all support the bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            The bill has also been endorsed by three former Presidents

          including Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and Gerald Ford.

            Mr. Speaker, the American people are demanding an end to the

          growing epidemic of gun violence.  H.R. 4296 cannot end all the

          violence brought on by guns, but it is a step in the right

          direction.  In California where assault weapons are now banned,

          preliminary statistics indicate that it has slowed down the growth

          in the use of these weapons as compared to the rest of the Nation.

            Mr. Speaker, it is time to take back our streets from the

          criminals and to end the carnage that has made us all prisoners of

          our own fear.  We cannot wait any longer.  House Resolution 416 is

          a fair rule that will enable us to consider this very important

          legislation.  I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the

          bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may

          consume.

            (Mr. SOLOMON asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks and include extraneous matter.)

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule and

          the bill it makes in order.

            This bill is misguided because it penalizes good law-abiding

          American citizens, not the criminals who are the cause of the

          problem.  The criminals will ignore this law.  The law abiding will

          have their rights taken away.

            In the Rules Committee yesterday I moved to make in order a

          substitute for this bill offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr.

          McCollum).

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            The McCollum substitute is a rational solution to the problem of

          gun violence.  It provides mandatory prison terms for use of a

          firearm during a State crime of violence or State drug trafficking

          crime.

            This approach penalizes the criminal who is guilty of abusing a

          gun, not law-abiding American citizens.

            My motion was turned down in the Rules Committee and the main

          objection was that the substitute would have required a waiver of

          points of order.  But, Mr. Speaker, this rule before us today

          waives all points of order against consideration of the bill and

          also waives all points of order against the committee substitute.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            Why should our substitute not have been given the same waiver?

          The rule also prohibits all other amendments.

            Mr. Speaker, this bill is the second shoe to drop on the way to

          taking away the right of Americans to bear arms.  The first shoe to

          drop was the Brady bill which was signed into law last November.

          Mark my words, this will turn out to be a centipede with a lot of

          shoes.

            If this bill is passed, there will soon be another one cutting

          away a little more of the right to bear arms provided under the

          second amendment to the Constitution.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            The ironic part of this is that many of the same people who are

          cutting away our rights under the second amendment, are the ones

          who would be most insistent about protecting rights under the first

          amendment, like free speech.  All of our rights under the U.S.

          Constitution should be protected, not just ones that the current

          President happens to favor.

            Mr. Speaker, supporters of this bill have given the impression

          that weapons banned by this bill produce a spray of bullets.  This

          is just not the case.  The firearms banned in this bill are not

          machine guns.  Machine guns are already restricted by law.  The

          guns being banned in this bill are semiautomatic and fire only one

          shot with each pull of the trigger.

            They are useful for target shooting, self-defense, and hunting,

          just as other firearms are.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            Moreover, the supporters of this bill repeatedly make reference

          to the 19 weapons which are specifically banned under this bill.

          But the actual number which would be banned is much greater than

          that.

            In the Congressional Record of May 2 Senator Larry Craig inserted

          correspondence with the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,

          and Firearms, concluding that the actual number of weapons banned

          under Senate language similar to this bill is approximately 180,

          not just the 19 often cited by supporters of this bill.

            Some supporters of this bill give the impression that so-called

          assault weapons are used in a large percentage of crimes.  But I

          would like to cite an unimpeachable source, namely the chairman of

          the House Judiciary Committee, my good friend Jack Brooks, who in

          dissenting views accompanying this bill notes a number of relevant

          facts.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            For example, Chairman Brooks points out that most of the firearms

          labeled as assault weapons in this bill are rifles - yet rifles are

          the category of firearms used least often in the commission of

          violent crimes.

            The next fact which should be kept in mind is this.  The FBI

          Uniform Crime Reports, 1992, the most recent comprehensive data

          available, shows that rifles of any description are used in only

          3.1 percent of homicides, while knives are used in 14.5 percent of

          homicides.  This means that knives are used in more than four times

          as many homicides as all rifles, not just rifles banned in this

          bill.

            But there is more.  It turns out that fists and feet are used in

          5 percent of all homicides.  When are we going to ban those? Also

          blunt objects are used in another 5 percent of homicides.  Are we

          going to ban rocks, for example?

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            Professor Gary Kleck, of Florida State University, the 1993

          recipient of the American Society of Criminology`s Hindelang Award,

          estimates that only one half of one percent of violent crimes are

          committed with assault weapons.  This bill is clearly missing the

          target, Mr. Speaker.

            But there is more.  Right here in Washington, DC, which has the

          highest per capita rate of homicides of any major city in the

          United States, between 1980 and 1993 there occurred only four rifle

          related homicides out of a total of more than 4,200 homicides in

          the period according to the metropolitan police.

            Mr. Speaker, there is a problem with crime out there, but this

          bill is not the solution.  It is not even a meaningful part of the

          solution.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            Mr. Speaker, the actual purpose of this bill is to direct

          attention away from the real cause of crime, namely, the criminal.

          This bill is part of an agenda which advances the notion that

          things other than the criminal - such as guns, root causes, or

          sociological conditions - are the cause of crime.

            If Congress adopts the theory that limiting access to firearms

          reduces crime, there will be increasing pressure to ban more and

          more of them.  Eventually the right to bear arms will be nullified.

            At the same time murder and mayhem will continue, because we are

          failing to do the things that need to be done to deter crime, take

          criminals off the street and keep them off the street.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            The House had an opportunity to get tough on crime when the

          Republican anticrime agenda was offered a few weeks ago.

            It included such things as prison construction combined with

          truth in sentencing, a workable death penalty, and reform of the

          exclusionary rule.  That bill was the way to reduce crime.  This

          bill is not.

            In the Rules Committee yesterday there was another opportunity to

          do something real about crime, when the McCollum substitute was

          offered.  But that opportunity was voted down.

                                                                     PAGE H3064

            This bill is a step in the wrong direction, that is, taking away

          the constitutional rights of American citizens.  And the sad part

          is that crime will still be just as much of a problem if this bill

          is passed as it is now.  This bill should be defeated.

            Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the following information:

                                                                     PAGE H3065

                         --------------------------------------

                     OPEN VERSUS RESTRICTIVE RULES 95TH-103D CONG.

          Congress (years)

          95th (1977-78)

            Total rules granted (FOOTNOTE 1): 211

            Open rules -- Number: 179

            Open rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 2): 85

            Restrictive rules -- Number: 32

            Restrictive rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 3): 15

          96th (1979-80)

            Total rules granted (FOOTNOTE 1): 214

            Open rules -- Number: 161

            Open rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 2): 75

            Restrictive rules -- Number: 53

            Restrictive rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 3): 25

          97th (1981-82)

            Total rules granted (FOOTNOTE 1): 120

            Open rules -- Number: 90

            Open rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 2): 75

            Restrictive rules -- Number: 30

            Restrictive rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 3): 25

          98th (1983-84)

            Total rules granted (FOOTNOTE 1): 155

            Open rules -- Number: 105

            Open rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 2): 68

            Restrictive rules -- Number: 50

            Restrictive rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 3): 32

          99th (1985-86)

            Total rules granted (FOOTNOTE 1): 115

            Open rules -- Number: 65

            Open rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 2): 57

            Restrictive rules -- Number: 50

            Restrictive rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 3): 43

          100th (1987-88)

            Total rules granted (FOOTNOTE 1): 123

            Open rules -- Number: 66

            Open rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 2): 54

            Restrictive rules -- Number: 57

            Restrictive rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 3): 46

          101st (1989-90)

            Total rules granted (FOOTNOTE 1): 104

            Open rules -- Number: 47

            Open rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 2): 45

            Restrictive rules -- Number: 57

            Restrictive rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 3): 55

          102d (1991-92)

            Total rules granted (FOOTNOTE 1): 109

            Open rules -- Number: 37

            Open rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 2): 34

            Restrictive rules -- Number: 72

            Restrictive rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 3): 66

          103d (1993-94)

            Total rules granted (FOOTNOTE 1): 62

            Open rules -- Number: 13

            Open rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 2): 21

            Restrictive rules -- Number: 49

            Restrictive rules -- Percent (FOOTNOTE 3): 79

               (FOOTNOTE 1) Total rules counted are all order of business

          resolutions reported from the Rules Committee which provide for the

          initial consideration of legislation, except rules on

          appropriations bills which only waive points of order.  Original

          jurisdiction measures reported as privileged are also not counted.

               (FOOTNOTE 2) Open rules are those which permit any Member to

          offer any germane amendment to a measure so long as it is otherwise

          in compliance with the rules of the House. The parenthetical

          percentages are open rules as a percent of total rules granted.

               (FOOTNOTE 3) Restrictive rules are those which limit the

          number of amendments which can be offered, and include so-called

          modified open and modified closed rules, as well as completely

          closed rule, and rules providing for consideration in the House as

          opposed to the Committee of the Whole. The parenthetical

          percentages are restrictive rules as a percent of total rules

          granted.

              Sources: `Rules Committee Calendars & Surveys of Activities,`

          95th-102d Cong.; `Notices of Action Taken,` Committee on Rules,

          103d Cong., through May 4, 1994.

          103d Cong., through May 4, 1994.

                         --------------------------------------

                         --------------------------------------

                       OPEN VERSUS RESTRICTIVE RULES: 103D CONG.

          Rule number date reported

          H. Res. 58, Feb. 2, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 1: Family and medical leave

            Amendments submitted: 30 (D-5; R-25)

            Amendments allowed: 3 (D-0; R-3)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 246-176. A: 259-164. (Feb. 3,

              1993).

          H. Res. 59, Feb. 3, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2: National Voter Registration Act

            Amendments submitted: 19 (D-1; R-18)

            Amendments allowed: 1 (D-0; R-1)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 248-171. A: 249-170. (Feb. 4,

              1993).

          H. Res. 103, Feb. 23, 1993

            Rule type: C

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 920: Unemployment compensation

            Amendments submitted: 7 (D-2; R-5)

            Amendments allowed: 0 (D-0; R-0)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 243-172. A: 237-178. (Feb. 24,

              1993).

          H. Res. 106, Mar. 2, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 20: Hatch Act amendments

            Amendments submitted: 9 (D-1; R-8)

            Amendments allowed: 3 (D-0; R-3)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 248-166. A: 249-163. (Mar. 3,

              1993).

          H. Res. 119, Mar. 9, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 4: NIH Revitalization Act of 1993

            Amendments submitted: 13 (d-4; R-9)

            Amendments allowed: 8 (D-3; R-5)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 247-170. A: 248-170. (Mar. 10,

              1993).

          H. Res. 132, Mar. 17, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 1335: Emergency supplemental

              Appropriations

            Amendments submitted: 37 (D-8; R-29)

            Amendments allowed: 1(not submitted) (D-1; R-0)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 240-185. (Mar. 18, 1993).

          H. Res. 133, Mar. 17, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H. Con. Res. 64: Budget resolution

            Amendments submitted: 14 (D-2; R-12)

            Amendments allowed: 4 (1-D not submitted) (D-2; R-2)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 250-172. A: 251-172. (Mar. 18,

              1993).

          H. Res. 138, Mar. 23, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 670: Family planning amendments

            Amendments submitted: 20 (D-8; R-12)

            Amendments allowed: 9 (D-4; R-5)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 252-164. A: 247-169. (Mar. 24,

              1993).

          H. Res. 147, Mar. 31, 1993

            Rule type: C

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 1430: Increase Public debt limit

            Amendments submitted: 6 (D-1; R-5)

            Amendments allowed: 0 (D-0; R-0)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 244-168. A: 242-170. (Apr. 1,

              1993).

          H. Res. 149 Apr. 1, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 1578: Expedited Rescission Act of

              1993

            Amendments submitted: 8 (D-1; R-7)

            Amendments allowed: 3 (D-1; R-2)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 212-208. (Apr. 28, 1993).

          H. Res. 164, May 4, 1993

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 820: Nate Competitiveness Act

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (May 5, 1993).

          H. Res. 171, May 18, 1993

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 873: Gallatin Range Act of 1993

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (May 20, 1993).

          H. Res. 172, May 18, 1993

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 1159: Passenger Vessel Safety Act

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 308-0 (May 24, 1993).

          H. Res. 173 May 18, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: S.J. Res. 45: United States forces in

              Somalia

            Amendments submitted: 6 (D-1; R-5)

            Amendments allowed: 6 (D-1; R-5)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote (May 20, 1993)

          H. Res. 183, May 25, 1993

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2244: 2d supplemental

              appropriations

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 251-174. (May 26, 1993).

          H. Res. 186, May 27, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2264: Omnibus budget reconciliation

            Amendments submitted: 51 (D-19; R-32)

            Amendments allowed: 8 (D-7; R-1)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 252-178. A: 236-194 (May 27,

              1993).

          H. Res. 192, June 9, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2348: Legislative branch

              appropriations

            Amendments submitted: 50 (D-6; R-44)

            Amendments allowed: 6 (D-3; R-3)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 240-177. A: 226-185. (June 10,

              1993).

          H. Res. 193, June 10, 1993

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2200: NASA authorization

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (June 14, 1993).

          H. Res. 195, June 14, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 5: Striker replacement

            Amendments submitted: 7 (D-4; R-3)

            Amendments allowed: 2 (D-1; R-1)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 244-176.. (June 15, 1993).

          H. Res. 197, June 15, 1993

            Rule type: MO

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2333: State Department. H.R. 2404:

              Foreign aid

            Amendments submitted: 53 (D-20; R-33)

            Amendments allowed: 27 (D-12; R-15)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 294-129. (June 16, 1993).

          H. Res. 199, June 16, 1993

            Rule type: C

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 1876: Ext. of `Fast Track`

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (June 22, 1993).

          H. Res. 200, June 16, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2295: Foreign operations

              appropriations

            Amendments submitted: 33 (D-11; R-22)

            Amendments allowed: 5 (D-1; R-4)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 263-160. (June 17, 1993).

          H. Res. 201, June 17, 1993

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2403: Treasury-postal

              appropriations

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (June 17, 1993).

          H. Res. 203, June 22, 1993

            Rule type: MO

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2445: Energy and Water

              appropriations

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (June 23, 1993).

          H. Res. 206, June 23, 1993

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2150: Coast Guard authorization

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 401-0. (July 30, 1993).

          H. Res. 217, July 14, 1993

            Rule type: MO

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2010: National Service Trust Act

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 261-164. (July 21, 1993).

          H. Res. 220, July 21, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2667: Disaster assistance

              supplemental

            Amendments submitted: 14 (D-8; R-6)

            Amendments allowed: 2 (D-2; R-0)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 245-178. F: 205-216. (July 22,

              1993).

          H. Res. 226, July 23, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2667: Disaster assistance

              supplemental

            Amendments submitted: 15 (D-8; R-7)

            Amendments allowed: 2 (D-2; R-0)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 224-205. (July 27, 1993).

          H. Res. 229, July 28, 1993

            Rule type: MO

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2330: Intelligence Authority Act,

              fiscal year 1994

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (Aug. 3, 1993).

          H. Res. 230, July 28, 1993

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 1964: Maritime Administration

              authority

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (July 29, 1993).

          H. Res. 246, Aug. 6, 1993

            Rule type: MO

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2401: National Defense authority

            Amendments submitted: 149 (D-109; R-40)

            Amendments allowed:

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 246-172. (Sept. 8, 1993).

          H. Res. 248, Sept. 9, 1993

            Rule type: MO

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2401: National defense

              authorization

            Amendments submitted:

            Amendments allowed:

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 237-169. A: 234-169. (Sept. 13,

              1993).

          H. Res. 250, Sept. 13, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 1340: RTC Completion Act

            Amendments submitted: 12 (D-3; R-9)

            Amendments allowed: 1 (D-1; R-0)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 213-191-1. (Sept. 14, 1993).

          H. Res. 254, Sept. 22, 1993

            Rule type: MO

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2401: National Defense

              authorization

            Amendments submitted:

            Amendments allowed: 91 (D-67; R-24)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 241-182. (Sept. 28, 1993).

          H. Res. 262, Sept. 28, 1993

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 1845: National Biological Survey

              Act

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 238-188 (10/06/93).

          H. Res. 264, Sept. 28, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2351: Arts, humanities, museums

            Amendments submitted: 7 (D-0; R-7)

            Amendments allowed: 3 (D-0; R-3)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 240-185. A: 225-195. (Oct. 14,

              1993).

          H. Res. 265, Sept. 29, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 3167: Unemployment compensation

              amendments

            Amendments submitted: 3 (D-1; R-2)

            Amendments allowed: 2 (D-1; R-1)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 239-150. (Oct. 15, 1993).

          H. Res. 269, Oct. 6, 1993

            Rule type: MO

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2739: Aviation infrastructure

              investment

            Amendments submitted: N/A

            Amendments allowed: N/A

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (Oct. 7, 1993).

          H. Res. 273, Oct. 12, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 3167: Unemployment compensation

              amendments

            Amendments submitted: 3 (D-1; R-2)

            Amendments allowed: 2 (D-1; R-1)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 235-187. F: 149-254. (Oct. 14,

              1993).

          H. Res. 274, Oct. 12, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 1804: Goals 2000 Educate America

              Act

            Amendments submitted: 15 (D-7; R-7; I-1)

            Amendments allowed: 10 (D-7; R-3)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (Oct. 13, 1993).

          H. Res. 282, Oct. 20, 1993

            Rule type: C

            Bill number and subject: H.J. Res. 281: Continuing appropriations

              through Oct. 28, 1993

            Amendments submitted: N/A

            Amendments allowed: N/A

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (Oct. 21, 1993).

          H. Res. 286, Oct. 27, 1993

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 334: Lumbee Recognition Act

            Amendments submitted: N/A

            Amendments allowed: N/A

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (Oct. 28, 1993).

          H. Res. 287, Oct. 27, 1993

            Rule type: C

            Bill number and subject: H.J. Res. 283: Continuing appropriations

              resolution

            Amendments submitted: 1 (D-0; R-0)

            Amendments allowed: 0

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 252-170. (Oct. 28, 1993).

          H. Res. 289, Oct. 28, 1993

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 2151: Maritime Security Act of 1993

            Amendments submitted: N/A

            Amendments allowed: N/A

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (Nov. 3, 1993).

          H. Res. 293, Nov. 4, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H. Con. Res. 170: Troop withdrawal

              Somalia

            Amendments submitted: N/A

            Amendments allowed: N/A

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 390-8. (Nov. 8, 1993).

          H. Res. 299, Nov. 8, 1993

            Rule type: MO

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 1036: Employee Retirement Act-1993

            Amendments submitted: 2 (D-1; R-1)

            Amendments allowed: N/A

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (Nov. 9, 1993).

          H. Res. 302, Nov. 9, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 1025: Brady handgun bill

            Amendments submitted: 17 (D-6; R-11)

            Amendments allowed: 4 (D-1; R-3)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 238-182. (Nov. 10, 1993).

          H. Res. 303, Nov. 9, 1993

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 322: Mineral exploration

            Amendments submitted: N/A

            Amendments allowed: N/A

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote. (Nov. 16, 1993).

          H. Res. 304, Nov. 9, 1993

            Rule type: C

            Bill number and subject: H.J. Res. 288: Further CR, FY 1994

            Amendments submitted: N/A

            Amendments allowed: N/A

            Disposition of rule and date:

          H. Res. 312, Nov. 17, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 3425: EPA Cabinet Status

            Amendments submitted: 27 (D-8; R-19)

            Amendments allowed: 9 (D-1; R-8)

            Disposition of rule and date: F: 191-227. (Feb. 2, 1994).

          H. Res. 313, Nov. 17, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 796: Freedom Access to Clinics

            Amendments submitted: 15 (D-9; R-6)

            Amendments allowed: 4 (D-1; R-3)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 233-192. (Nov. 18, 1993).

          H. Res. 314, Nov. 17, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 3351: Alt Methods Young Offenders

            Amendments submitted: 21 (D-7; R-14)

            Amendments allowed: 6 (D-3; R-3)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 238-179. (Nov. 19, 1993).

          H. Res. 316, Nov. 19, 1993

            Rule type: C

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 51: D.C. statehood bill

            Amendments submitted: 1 (D-1; R-0)

            Amendments allowed: N/A

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 252-172. (Nov. 20, 1993).

          H. Res. 319, Nov. 20, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 3: Campaign Finance Reform

            Amendments submitted: 35 (D-6; R-29)

            Amendments allowed: 1 (D-0; R-1)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 220-207. (Nov. 21, 1993).

          H. Res. 320, Nov. 20, 1993

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 3400: Reinventing Government

            Amendments submitted: 34 (D-15; R-19)

            Amendments allowed: 3 (D-3; R-0)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 247-183. (Nov. 22, 1993).

          H. Res. 336, Feb. 2, 1994

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 3759: Emergency Supplemental

              Appropriations

            Amendments submitted: 14 (D-8; R-5; I-1)

            Amendments allowed: 5 (D-3; R-2)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 244-168. A: 342-65. (Feb. 3,

              1994).

          H. Res. 352, Feb. 8, 1994

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 811: Independent Counsel Act

            Amendments submitted: 27 (D-8; R-19)

            Amendments allowed: 10 (D-4; R-6)

            Disposition of rule and date: PQ: 249-174. A: 242-174. (Feb. 9,

              1994).

          H. Res. 357, Feb. 9, 1994

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 3345: Federal Workforce

              Restructuring

            Amendments submitted: 3 (D-2; R-1)

            Amendments allowed: 2 (D-2; R-0)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: VV (Feb. 10, 1994).

          H. Res. 366, Feb. 23, 1994

            Rule type: MO

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 6: Improving America`s Schools

            Amendments submitted: NA

            Amendments allowed: NA

            Disposition of rule and date: A: VV (Feb. 24, 1994).

          H. Res. 384, Mar. 9, 1994

            Rule type: MC

            Bill number and subject: H. Con. Res. 218: Budget Resolution FY

              1995-99

            Amendments submitted: 14 (D-5; R-9)

            Amendments allowed: 5 (D-3; R-2)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 245-171 (Mar. 10, 1994).

          H. Res. 401, Apr. 12, 1994

            Rule type: MO

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 4092: Violent Crime Control

            Amendments submitted: 180 (D-98; R-82)

            Amendments allowed: 68 (D-47; R-21)

            Disposition of rule and date: A: 244-176 (Apr. 13, 1994).

          H. Res. 410, Apr. 21, 1994

            Rule type: MO

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 3221: Iraqi Claims Act

            Amendments submitted: N/A

            Amendments allowed: N/A

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote (Apr. 28, 1994).

          H. Res. 414, Apr. 28, 1994

            Rule type: O

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 3254: NSF Auth. Act

            Amendments submitted: N/A

            Amendments allowed: N/A

            Disposition of rule and date: A: Voice Vote (May 3, 1994).

          H. Res. 416, May 4, 1994

            Rule type: C

            Bill number and subject: H.R. 4296: Assault Weapons Ban Act

            Amendments submitted: 7 (D-5; R-2)

            Amendments allowed: 0 (D-0; R-0)

            Disposition of rule and date:

              Note. - Code: C-Closed; MC-Modified closed; MO-Modified open;

          O-Open; D-Democrat; R-Republican; PQ: Previous question; A-Adopted;

          F-Failed.

          F-Failed.

                         --------------------------------------

                                                                     PAGE H3066

                                       TIME: 1220

            Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                                                                     PAGE H3066

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 1

          1/2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Foglietta).

            (Mr. FOGLIETTA asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend his remarks.)

            Mr. FOGLIETTA. Mr. Speaker, There is an old joke about a lawyer

          who is representing the owner of a dog that bit somebody.  First,

          he says the dog did not bite the man.  When that does not work, he

          says that the client did not own a dog.  And when that does not

          work, he says that the dog was not a dog.

                                                                     PAGE H3066

            That is exactly what the National Rifle Association is doing.

          First, they said that assault weapons do not kill people, people

          kill people.  When that did not work, they said that these assault

          weapons are not assault weapons.  When that did not work, they said

          that there is no such thing as a semi-automatic assault weapon.

            Well, to go back to that old expression: These dogs won`t hunt.

            It is so rare that we deal with issues that are so clear cut,

          that make such basic common sense.  These are weapons of war and

          now the artillery of the drug trade.  Let me tell you about one

          story from my city I heard from my district attorney.  It happened

          last year.  Four men, three of them brothers, were standing on a

          corner in west Philadelphia. They were not involved in crime; they

          were just on the wrong corner at the wrong time.  Because, it was a

          drug corner, and they were getting in the way of business.

                                                                     PAGE H3066

            Four of the men who controlled the corner arrived, all armed, one

          with an M-11. They opened fire.  Nineteen shells were recovered

          from the M-11. Two men died.  One brother is confined to a

          wheelchair.  One man was shot eight times and, remarkably,

          survived.

            I have said enough.  Let us vote for the rule, and then vote to

          rid our streets of these killing machines.

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 1/2 minutes to a very

          distinguished member of the Committee on Rules, the gentleman from

          Florida (Mr. Goss), who has to go back up to the Committee on

          Rules, which is meeting right now.

                                                                     PAGE H3066

            (Mr. GOSS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his

          remarks.)

            Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, today`s discussion presents a unique

          legislative situation.  While technically H.R. 4296 is a

          free-standing bill, there are many strings attached.  The fact is,

          H.R. 4296 is a vehicle for this House to clearly state its will on

          a selective assault weapon ban, not to tinker with the fine print

          of such a proposal.  I understand the benefits of focusing on the

          broad philosophical issue: Will this ban on selected assault

          weapons help to reduce violent crime in our communities? Statistics

          and evidentiary experience show the answer is no.  But this rule

          precludes discussion of the other half of this crucial question:

          Wouldn`t the guarantee of tougher penalties do more to reduce

          violent crime in our communities? I am convinced the answer to that

          question is a resounding yes.  Many of us who feel this selective

          gun ban will prove ineffective in combating crime believe very

          strongly that tough and consistent penalties for abuse of firearms

          will work.  Yet, under this rule, the House is denied the chance to

          debate Mr. McCollum`s proposal to ensure tough, mandatory, minimum

          sentences for possession and use of guns in the commission of a

          crime.

            Most law enforcement officials tell us that assault weapons are

          not the key to crime in this country - in fact, even proponents of

          this bill know that assault weapons are responsible for only a

          small fraction of all violent crimes.  We have failed to hold

          people accountable for their actions - we have failed to guarantee

          that heinous crimes and violence will lead to sure, swift, and

          stringent penalties.  We have failed to make sure that crime in

          this country will not pay.  In the Rules Committee, we were told

          that Mr. McCollum`s proposal for mandating tough minimum sentences

          in cases of unlawful activity with guns is nongermane or, not

          relevant to this discussion.  In my view, this ban on certain,

          selected assault weapons is nongermane and not relevant to solving

          our very serious crime problem in this country.

                                                                     PAGE H3066

            Mr. Speaker, a 1990 Florida commission studied the merits of a

          ban on assault weapons, and concluded that such a ban would have no

          impact on crime-related deaths in our State. In fact, an informal

          survey of law-enforcement officials in southwest Florida confirms

          that only three deaths can be traced to assault weapons - although

          they are not necessarily those on the select ban list - and one of

          those deaths was a suicide.  Americans have a constitutional right

          to own guns for self-protection, for deterence, for hunting, for

          target sport shooting, for collection, and for other lawful

          activity.  I make a very clear distinction between ownership and

          use of those weapons.  Sadly, a selective ban on assault weapons

          will not stop criminals from getting their hands on deadly weapons

          and committing deadly crimes.  What it will do is further restrict

          law-abiding folks from going about their business.

            Mr. Speaker, the understandable passions and thoughtful, sincere

          concern on both sides of this debate demonstrate the true problem:

          Americans are fed up with being afraid - we have had enough of our

          misguided and ineffective criminal justice system, which is sending

          the signal that crime in America still does pay.

            So as we struggle to make our neighborhoods safe once again for

          law-abiding citizens - let us not be fooled by high-profile, but

          unfulfillable promises.

                                                                     PAGE H3066

            I wish I could believe that this ban will reduce violent crime.

          But after listening to the arguments on both sides and looking at

          the facts of crime in this country, I am convinced the criminals

          will go right on committing violent crimes and they will still be

          able to get their hands on guns - selective ban or no selective

          ban.  Who knows, some may actually become emboldened by knowing

          that their law-abiding victims will not be able to match their

          firepower.  In the end, this bill asks Americans to give up part of

          their freedom.  But what do Americans get in return? I am afraid it

          will be little and we will have once again missed the chance to do

          something significant to stop crime.  I oppose this rule and will

          vote `no` on H.R. 4296.

                                                                     PAGE H3067

                                       TIME: 1230

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only I yield 2

          minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant).

                                                                     PAGE H3067

            (Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend his remarks.)

            Mr. TRAFICANT. Politics of guns.  Politics of guns.  Tough

          issue.  Congress has traditionally put this sensitive and tough

          political issue on automatic pilot.

            Mr. Speaker, the truth is today Air Force One has taken

          leadership and they are bringing it down to Earth by calling for a

          vote.  I want to give President Clinton credit today.  He is going

          out politically on a limb and, Congress, if you are not prepared at

          some time in your life to go out on a limb, you will never collect

          the fruit and if there is a time to go out on the limb politically,

          today, is that day.

                                                                     PAGE H3067

            Mr. Speaker, I am a former sheriff and let me say this: The

          second amendment to the Constitution makes sure that Americans can

          bear arms and have the right to protect themselves, but the

          Constitution never intended for individuals to strap a stinger

          missile on their back and then cite the second amendment privilege.

            Mr. Speaker, there is a reality here, a real reality.  I have a

          gun, and if I catch somebody in my house at 3 o`clock in the

          morning, I hope I have the drop on them and I am not going to ask

          them if they are there from the local welcome wagon.  But there is

          a limit here, folks.  You do not have to give up your assault

          weapon, America. If you have one, you can keep it.  And if you

          decide to sell it to another sportsman, there are provisions that

          you can do that.  But I am going to submit a bill and ask our

          Congress to authorize that the President, the NRA, the police, and

          the Congress all get together and develop a plan about guns that

          America can live with, live with.

            Mr. Speaker, we are getting phone calls from people who say `no`

          and they mean well, and they are good Americans, but we are not

          getting calls from the grave sites and cemeteries all over America

          today.

                                                                     PAGE H3067

            Mr. Speaker, today we have got to stand up, we have a President

          who has come out and shown some courage.  Let us stand with the

          President today.

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from

          Tennessee (Mr. Quillen), the distinguished ranking member emeritus

          of our Committee on Rules.

            Mr. QUILLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me

          the time.

                                                                     PAGE H3067

            Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the bill itself.  I think it

          will be another foot in the door if it passes to do away with all

          guns, any brand, any kind whatsoever.

            Mr. Speaker, I think the American people are entitled by the

          second amendment of the Constitution to bear arms.  I oppose the

          measure on its final vote and urge my colleagues to do likewise.

            Mr. Speaker, I said on the floor when the Brady bill was up that

          I believed we would have other measures before us to ban any kind

          of guns and weapons.  These assault weapons are used by many people

          for target practice, sports competitions, collections, and for

          other good purposes.  It is a shame and a disgrace to kill anybody,

          and I do not condone that, nobody does.

                                                                     PAGE H3067

            Mr. Speaker, again I urge my colleagues to vote `no` on the final

          passage of this measure.

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 1

          1/2 minutes to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Andrews).

            Mr. ANDREWS of Maine. Mr. Speaker, this Chamber is very, very

          close to doing the right thing and passing the assault weapons

          ban.  This vote could very well be decided this afternoon by those

          in this body who want to do the right thing and vote for this bill

          but who are feeling enormous political pressure from some very

          powerful interests.  My colleagues have probably heard from these

          interests, have probably heard the passage of this bill is a

          slippery slope that could end up in the banning of hunting rifles

          from law-abiding citizens.

                                                                     PAGE H3067

            Mr. Speaker, I am here to say that nothing could be farther from

          the truth.  Hunting is a strong tradition and heritage in my State

          of Maine. There are many thousands of hunting sportsmen and women

          who own and use firearms, they are responsible citizens and should

          not have to worry if politicians or bureaucrats from Washington are

          going to deny them or their children the right to own their firearm

          and carry on this proud tradition and heritage.  But let us be

          clear.  This vote is not about the firearms used by hunters in

          Maine and America. It is a vote to ban from our streets military

          assault weapons that were designed to kill onrushing enemy troops

          in close combat, killing machines designed to kill large numbers of

          people in very short periods of time.

            Mr. Speaker, the National Rifle Association provides some very

          important services.  Growing up I learned to shoot safely and

          responsibly through an NRA gun safety instruction program, but on

          this issue they are dead wrong.  There is a great deal of

          difference between responsible sportsmen and women of Maine and

          America and the gangs, drug dealers, and drug-crazed criminals that

          roam the main streets of America, turning them into killing fields

          with these powerful assault weapons.

            Mr. Speaker, the line must be drawn; protecting the rights and

          heritage of sportsmen and women in States like Maine while

          addressing the terror of military assault weapons on our streets.

          That is exactly what this bill is designed to do.  I urge its

          passage.

                                                                     PAGE H3067

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from

          Miami, FL, Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a very distinguished new Member

          of this House.

            (Mr. DIAZ-BALART asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend his remarks.)

            Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, this bill reminds me of the

          anecdote, the man gets home, finds his wife being unfaithful on the

          sofa, mobilizes to sell the sofa and prohibit all sofas.

                                                                     PAGE H3067

            The issue, Mr. Speaker, is not to sell or prohibit the sofa where

          3 percent of the matter occurs or to prohibit the beds where 97

          percent of the matter may occur.  The issue is the need to take

          strong and nonhypocritical measures to prevent the action from

          occurring, not this fatally flawed legislation which is in effect

          hypocritical.

            Mr. Speaker, let me show two photographs here.  One of these

          weapons is prohibited by this bill; the other one is not.  The

          crucial issue here is that the weapon that is prohibited by this

          bill is made in the United States of America. The other one is a

          Chinese Communist produced, with slave labor, weapon.  This very

          lethal weapon produced in Communist China, the SKS, will continue

          to be available, and few measures would help the Communist Chinese

          weapons manufacturing business that, as I said, utilizes slave

          labor and takes advantage of most-favored-nation status with the

          United States more than this hypocritical legislation.

            Mr. Speaker, we need to call this legislation what it really is:

          The Communist Chinese Slave Labor Gun Manufacturing Relief Act.

                                                                     PAGE H3067

            Mr. Speaker, this is not serious crime fighting legislation.

          There are serious business undercurrents in this legislation;

          serious business undercurrents.  People that apparently do not have

          the power here, the business power to have gotten out of the

          legislation are in the legislation.  I know the Communist Chinese

          whom we are being very nice to in our commercial dealings in the

          United States, they are not prohibited, and I have here the

          photograph of the Communist Chinese weapon, and there are others.

          There are others that I have not been able to get a straight answer

          about that also will be able to be imported and sold in this

          Nation.

            Mr. Speaker, this is not a serious measure.  I have supported all

          serious gun control legislation like the Brady bill to keep guns

          out of the hands of felons and to prevent crimes of passion, but

          this is hypocritical.  This is window dressing and it should be

          defeated.

                                                                     PAGE H3068

                                       TIME: 1240

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 1

          1/2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).

                                                                     PAGE H3068

            Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, this bill is a good first step toward

          what I hope will one day be a more comprehensive Federal system of

          gun control legislation - a system that does not prohibit sportsmen

          from hunting but does protect our citizens from mayhem in the

          streets.  This bill prohibits military style assault weapons that

          spray a large number of rounds in a relatively short period of

          time.  These weapons and large-capacity clips have no legitimate

          civilian use, period.  They are useless to hunters - five rounds

          fired into a duck will only make duck soup.  They are military

          weapons designed for use against people - they are perfect for

          wiping out an opposing gang, arming a paramilitary organization, or

          shooting yeshiva students on a bridge.

            These weapons of war are the guns of choice of terrorists and

          criminals.  They have names like `Striker 12` and `Street Sweeper.`

          I can assure my colleagues that these military style weapons are

          not being used to sweep the streets of New York City of deer.

          `Street Sweepers,` Uzis, AK-47`s, and similar assault weapons are

          sweeping our children off street corners.

            Mr. Speaker, the people I represent are tired of attending the

          funerals of children murdered with these legally available weapons

          of war.  We have been subjected to a lot of rhetoric about the

          rights of gunowners.  On behalf of my neighbors, I am here today to

          speak on behalf of the right of law-abiding, taxpaying citizens to

          go to work, to school, and to the corner store without being

          slaughtered by weapons of war.

                                                                     PAGE H3068

            In Brooklyn, just last week, a gun battle erupted in which police

          officers were outgunned by narcotics dealers, one carrying a TEC-9.

          In Buffalo, there have been four assault weapons incidents and two

          deaths from assault weapons in the first 4 months of 1994. Firearm

          deaths now surpass motor vehicle fatalities in my home State of New

          York.

            Polls have consistently shown that between 77 and 80 percent of

          Americans support this bill, as do more than 90 percent of New York

          City residents.  Former Presidents Carter, Ford, and Reagan support

          this bill.  In my State, all those charged with law enforcement,

          from the attorney general to the Association of New York State

          District Attorneys, to the New York State Association of Chiefs of

          Police, to the New York County District Attorney, support this

          bill.  Let us stop the killing.  Let us take the first step.  Let

          us pass this bill.

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to

          the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Barca).

                                                                     PAGE H3068

            (Mr. BARCA of Wisconsin asked and was given permission to revise

          and extend his remarks.)

            Mr. BARCA of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition

          to this rule.

            Too often, the House has a closed rule, allowing for no

          amendments, even in situations when legislation has not been

          considered before the House.

                                                                     PAGE H3068

            With an issue of this significance it is particularly egregious.

          It is clear that there are significant concerns in this bill that

          must be addressed and with this rule those concerns cannot be

          considered.

            In fact, the Chairman has circulated a letter to Members of the

          House from the conference committee supporting a reporting change

          that needs to be made in this legislation.  While I support this

          reporting change by the conference committee, this should have been

          done by amendment on the House floor.  Additionally, other concerns

          should be equally considered by the Members on the floor.

          Therefore, it is important that we vote down this rule.

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from

          New Mexico (Mr. Schiff), a very distinguished former prosecutor, a

          Member of this House and a member of the Committee on the

          Judiciary.

                                                                     PAGE H3068

            (Mr. SCHIFF asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise to correct five misstatements

          about this bill and the weapons it contains that have already been

          made on the House floor this morning.

            First, these are not assault weapons.  True assault weapons are

          true military weapons.  That means pull the trigger once, or they

          have the capacity to set and pull the trigger once, and it

          continuously fires.  Such weapons are already banned.

                                                                     PAGE H3068

            These are semiautomatic weapons.  That means pull the trigger

          once, it fires once.

            Second, these are not battlefield or combat weapons.  None of

          these weapons are issued by any standing army on Earth.

            Third, the claim is that this bill bans 19 and only 19 weapons.

          That is not correct.  This bill bans a specific list of 19 weapons

          plus any other firearm that meets certain other criteria.  Such

          criteria can be that it has the capacity for holding a bayonet.

                                                                     PAGE H3068

            When was the last time criminals launched a bayonet charge at

          anybody?

            Fourth, these weapons are not more effective at killing than any

          other kind of weapon.  Obviously whether a weapon has a bayonet

          mount or not has nothing to do with how it fires.  The proof could

          have been arranged by the proponents of this bill, and it was not.

          They could have staged a range test.  They could have publicly

          demonstrated in a comparison between what they call assault weapons

          and other weapons how the assault weapon is able to fire better,

          faster, more accurately.  They have not done it, because they

          cannot do it.

            Finally, the claim has been made there is no valid use for these

          weapons other than committing crimes.  This may become the most

          important part of the bill, because if the proponents believe their

          rhetoric, why do they exempt all of what they call assault weapons

          from confiscation today? What this bill is, is the future

          manufacture of these weapons is banned.

                                                                     PAGE H3068

            If these weapons were only used by criminals, if these weapons

          had no law-abiding purpose, which we have just heard over and over

          again, would it not be logical to say they should be banned right

          now? They do not say it, because a million law-abiding Americans do

          own them right now.

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 1

          1/2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter).

            Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me

          this time.

                                                                     PAGE H3068

            Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by saying that more New Yorkers die

          on a yearly basis from gunshot wounds than die from vehicular

          accidents, and that the cost to the American health care system

          from gunshot wounds is $1.4 billion a year and rising.

            Mr. Speaker, whatever the gun advocates say, the facts prove a

          different story: when a firearm is used for crime, it is 19 times

          more likely to be an assault weapon than some other type of gun.

          When a police officer is shot to death, it is 18 times more likely

          that an assault weapon was used.  These deadly machines are the

          armament of choice for the gangsters and the drug dealers infesting

          our neighborhoods.

            It is clear why criminals prefer assault weapons.  Their rapid

          rate of fire and their random spray make them the most dangerous

          and fearsome guns around.  In just five horrible seconds, an Uzi

          can fire 30 bullets.  In the underworld of gang warfare, this

          destructive power is the key to success.

                                                                     PAGE H3068

            Mr. Speaker, the American people are fed up with teenaged tyrants

          packing AK-47`s. They are fed up with the crazed loners who

          randomly fire assault weapons to terrorize schoolyards and offices

          and commuter trains.  Parents are fed up with sending their

          children out into streets that have become war zones.

            Assault weapons are not used primarily for target shooting or for

          hunting.

            Mr. Speaker, hunters in my district say they would certainly not

          go hunting with one unless they were hunting for hamburger.

                                                                     PAGE H3068

            They are used to intimidate and to murder.  They were designed

          for combat.  They have no place in our society.

            Banning them means saving lives, and do not let anyone tell you

          otherwise.

                                                                     PAGE H3069

            Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, let me say I think this is a very sad

          day for this House on two standards.  It is a sad day procedurally,

          and it is a sad day in substance.

            Let me talk first about procedure.  After 40 years of the

          Democrats controlling the House, as they get further and further

          away from normal Americans and from the average citizens, they more

          and more rig the game by restricting rules.

                                                                     PAGE H3069

            Back in 1977 and 1978, only 15 percent of the rules were

          restrictive; 85 percent were open.  Today in this Congress so far,

          79 percent of the rules, virtually 4 out of every 5, are restricted

          by the Democrats because they are afraid.

            Let us take this bill.  The gentleman from Florida (Mr.

          McCollum), a member of the Committee on the Judiciary, of great

          standing, a man who knows the subject, had a very powerful

          amendment which would have focused on violent criminals, which

          would have, in fact, added a new felony for possessing one of these

          firearms in the commission of a crime, would have counted it as the

          second strike towards a three strikes and you go to life

          imprisonment, would have made this bill not just harass the middle

          class, irritate people who honestly own a gun, but actually go

          after violent criminals: lock them up, do something real about the

          dangerous people who haunt our streets.  Because the truth is if

          you were to take every weapon mentioned today off the street, you

          would have pistols, you would have guns that work precisely like

          these, that are in fact specifically exempted by this bill, 650

          kinds of guns specifically exempted, and the dangerous criminal,

          the one who shoots everybody in the liquor store, and I just want

          to continue to make the point that after 40 years of Democratic

          Party control of this House, the Committee on Rules and the

          Democratic leadership were so afraid that an amendment aimed at

          locking up violent criminals would pass, that the people in this

          country would insist that we focus on the people who are violent,

          that we take them off the street, that we lock them up permanently,

          that they refused to make it in order.

                                       TIME: 1250

                                                                     PAGE H3069

            Not only do they refuse to make it in order under the normal

          amending process, but they restricted the Republicans from their

          right to offer a motion to recommit with instructions.

            Now, why is the Democratic leadership so afraid that we will

          focus on locking up real criminals? Because they know that what

          they brought to the floor today is a press release; it is not

          involving real crimes, involving real people, because real

          murderers, such as the man who killed Polly Klaas can use a variety

          of weapons.  For Polly Klaas the knife that that man held was an

          assault weapon.

            The fact is that real criminals, real murders, real rapists do a

          variety of evil things because we refuse to build prisons, we

          refuse to pass the sentences, we refuse to insist on locking them

          up.  I think that it is sad commentary on the Democratic

          leadership, after 40 years, that they were afraid to allow their

          Members to face a vote on locking up violent criminals, and I think

          it is a fatal flaw of this bill that it does not focus on the

          criminal, it does not focus on the act of violence, it does not

          focus on the people who are doing things wrong; it just tries to

          give those people who have refused to do that a nice press release

          to send back home saying, `Oh, I am really tough.` The truth is no

          people are going to be saved by this because the really violent are

          going to get other weapons and are going to do what they do as long

          as we allow them to stay on the street.

                                                                     PAGE H3069

            I think there are two crimes involved: The violent crime on the

          street, and the crime against decent participatory legislation by

          this Committee on Rules once again passing a closed rule out that

          blocks the Members from having an honest chance to amend.

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 1

          1/2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Tucker).

            Mr. TUCKER. I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me.

                                                                     PAGE H3069

            Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and in support of the

          bill and hope that it will meet final passage.  We have here a lot

          of rhetoric today from the other side about the fact that we want

          to be concerned about the criminals and if in fact we are serious

          about crime, that we should be concerned about the criminals.  Just

          a couple of weeks ago, when we had a crime bill here on the floor

          of the House, Mr. Speaker, the same people who are giving us that

          rhetoric today were very hesitant about providing prevention

          money.  They think that the answer to the concerns for the criminal

          is just to build more prisons.  Mind you, if we have more crime and

          more criminals, we have to have more prisons.

            But if we are really concerned about the crime in this country,

          certainly we should be trying to treat crime futuristically and

          prospectively and providing more prevention money so that we can

          get to the root cause of crime instead of just housing more

          criminals in prisons, which are a festering hole for crime, so that

          when they get back out on the streets they are just more hardened

          than they were when they got in.

            What this bill is really about is not the criminals, whether

          criminals are going to have access to AK-47`s in a black market.

          What it is really about is those people who want the right to bear

          arms.  This bill does not prevent those who are already existing

          gun owners of street sweepers and AK-47`s from relinquishing those

          guns; they can still continue to own them, it is grandfathered in.

                                                                     PAGE H3069

            What it is talking about is a cessation and a rescission of the

          manufacturing, so that we will stop the continuation of all these

          guns proliferating out on our streets.

            If one or two lives can be saved, Mr. Speaker, then it is

          certainly worth it.  The Constitution is not in jeopardy, their

          rights are not in jeopardy, but certainly crime and violence can be

          abated by the passage of this bill.

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to one of our newer

          Members, the distinguished gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Dickey).

                                                                     PAGE H3069

            (Mr. DICKEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. DICKEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me.

            We have before us this gun control amendment.  In the backdrop,

          let us imagine that there is a special interest lobbyist group that

          we will call the Right to Crime. This group is made up of criminals

          everywhere, past and present, and new members are being recruited

          every day even as we speak.  Now, what does this Right to Crime

          organization have to sell? Well, they really have some momentum

          going for them.  They have not had to work too hard to accomplish

          the following in 5 or 6 short years:

                                                                     PAGE H3069

            First, assert and reinforce the impression that they are victims;

          second, completely submerge the absence of rights they gave to the

          victims at the time of the crime; third, lessen the consequences of

          their acts by making it hard to get conviction, give the criminal,

          the members of this lobbyist group an easy time in prison,

          gymnasiums, weight rooms, college scholarships, color TV`s,

          Walkmans, access to the courts at will, and medical care, the very

          finest, on demand, and an early release from their sentence after

          their minor inconveniences, and also the freedom to do it again.

            What diversion does this group, the Right to Crime, use? First,

          they direct attention to emotionalism rather than justice, they

          give high visibility to Jim Brady and others rather than talking

          about justice.  Second, they direct attention to less than 1

          percent of the crime as being caused by these semiautomatic weapons

          rather than enforcing the laws when people violate them with guns.

          Third, they direct attention to the NRA when they cannot explain

          the failure of the gun control laws in Washington, DC, New York

          City, or when they are faced with the statement of the proposition

          that the second amendment is being abolished.

            Fourth, try to get us to believe that guns kill people, not

          people killing people.  Fifth, try to describe the guns as ugly

          while hiding the fact that it is the criminal who is ugly.

                                                                     PAGE H3069

            Sixth, try to say that this is not a progression toward full gun

          registration and control, when in fact we have not forgotten the

          same words when they were said about the Brady bill.

            For the people who feel estranged from this Government, for the

          respect of our Constitution, and for our rights and control of our

          lives, vote against this bill and the amendment.

                                                                     PAGE H3070

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to

          the gentleman who has the privilege of representing, among other

          parts of Kentucky, Southgate, his home town in Kentucky, the

          gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Bunning).

            (Mr. BUNNING asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3070

            Mr. BUNNING. I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me.

            Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule and the bill, H.R.

          4296.

            Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4296, the misguided

          attempt to ban so-called assault weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3070

            A couple weeks ago, when we were considering the crime bill, we

          had an opportunity to do something about crime - to get tough on

          crime - but the majority of the Members of this body weaseled out.

            We had the chance to enact truth in sentencing guidelines, reform

          of the exclusionary rule, real habeous corpus reform and a workable

          death penalty - changes that would have made a difference.  This

          body refused to do that.  This body refused to get tough on

          criminals and now it wants to change the subject and get tough on

          guns.

            H.R. 4296, is a circus sideshow.  It will do nothing to reduce

          crime.  It is simply one more bite into personal freedom, one more

          expansion of the Federal Government`s role in our personal lives

          and one more nibble into the right to bear arms.

                                                                     PAGE H3070

            The notion that assault weapons are disproportionately used in

          crime is unsubstantiated.  Criminals rarely use semiautomatic

          rifles.  The ATF recently estimated that there was roughly one

          assault weapon trace for every 4,000 violent crimes reported to the

          police.  Clearly these are not the weapons of choice for criminals.

            Gun bans do not work.  They disarm the law-abiding citizens - not

          the criminals.

            And make no mistake about it, this is not the last we will hear

          from the gun-control crowd.  If we pass this measure, they are not

          going to fold their tents and go home satisfied.  They are going to

          be back wanting more and more and ever more restrictions on guns.

          Their eventual goal is registration and confiscation.

                                                                     PAGE H3070

            If we pass this bill today, we will be setting a dangerous

          precedent that could lead us down a very slippery slope.  Once

          Congress adopts the theory that limiting access to firearms reduces

          crime, there will be tremendous pressure to ban more and more of

          them until the right to bear arms is effectively nullified.

            I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill.  Let`s not try to

          blame crime on weapons.  Let`s put the blame where it belongs - on

          a criminal justice system that worries more about protecting the

          rights of criminals than the rights of victims and on a U.S.

          Congress that wastes its time on gun bans instead of getting tough

          on crime.

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 1

          minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer).

                                                                     PAGE H3070

            Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding this

          time to me.

            Mr. Speaker, `this bill is vague, broad and an indiscriminate ban

          on firearms in this country that leaves our Second Amendment rights

          in the hands of Federal bureaucrats.`

            Those were my words in 1991 when this chamber debated a proposal

          to ban certain semiautomatic weapons.  H.R. 4296 is not the bill we

          considered in 1991, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of

          the legislation before us today.

                                                                     PAGE H3070

            This bill is tightly focussed.  It prohibits by name the

          manufacture and sale of 19 specific semiautomatic weapons.  Instead

          of the sweeping authority contained in the 1991 bill, the

          legislation before us today limits the ban to those guns with

          characteristics useful only for military combat and violent crime.

            It is unthinkable that in our society, we continue to allow

          citizens to walk the streets with guns that have grenade launchers,

          flash suppressors, and bayonet mounts.  What legitimate

          recreational purpose could these characteristics possibly serve? As

          a hunter, I tell you assuredly: `none.`

            Opponents of this bill cite statistics which indicate that

          assault weapons account for only 1 percent of the guns in

          circulation.  What they neglect to point out is that this 1 percent

          is used for over 8 percent of criminal activity.  From 1986 to

          1991, 20,526 semiautomatic weapons were traced to criminal

          activity, and of those, 1,349 were specifically traced to murders

          and 4,031 were linked to drug trafficking activities.

                                                                     PAGE H3070

            The simple fact is that we will not completely stop the violence

          on our streets with this ban.  What we are doing with this bill is

          finally taking a definitive stand against violence in our streets

          and in our schools.  We are letting the American people know that

          we have listened to their concerns about escalating and

          indiscriminate violence by prohibiting companies to manufacture and

          sell these assault.

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 1/2 minutes to the

          distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

            Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding

          this time to me.

                                                                     PAGE H3070

                                       TIME: 1300

            Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the

          rule for H.R. 4296, the ban on military style assault weapons, and

          to urge my colleagues to do the same.

            Mr. Speaker, there is no legitimate reason for any individual to

          own an Uzi, an AK-47 or a TEC-9. These are the vicious instruments

          of war, the implements of death.  They are inviting and inflicting

          a reign of terror on the people of this land, on the people of New

          York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta.

                                                                     PAGE H3070

            There are those who would have us believe that this is an issue

          of sport and freedom, but it is not, this issue, this vote today,

          is an issue of war and the loss of security in the cities and in

          the streets of America. Let us take this step, this small step, to

          restore a sense of peace and tranquillity to our communities by

          removing these instruments of violence.

            Mr. Speaker, I am tired, tired of attending the funerals of young

          men and young women killed by the hail of bullets spewed from these

          instruments of mass destruction.  I am tired of consoling the

          weeping mothers and bereaved fathers of innocents caught up in the

          slaughter, in this madness.  We must stop this insanity.

            I appeal to my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to summon

          up the courage, to stand up and be strong, to do what in your

          hearts, you know to be right.  Support this bill, support the ban

          on assault weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3070

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 1/2 minutes to the

          distinguished chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, the

          gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brooks).

            (Mr. BROOKS asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule

          crafted by the Rules Committee for consideration of H.R. 4296.

                                                                     PAGE H3070

            Some of you might legitimately wonder why I am here today instead

          of negotiating with the Senate in a conference meeting on the crime

          bill - the No. 1 issue concerning all Americans across this

          country.  I am here because of the delay sought by proponents of

          H.R. 4296 from having a simple up or down vote on the assault

          weapon issue immediately following the April 21 passage of the

          crime bill.  That certainly was my preference.  At the very least,

          I had hoped that we could have a separate vote the following week -

          the week of April 25. That also was not to be.

            The proponents sought additional time to try to convince all who

          might listen that this ill-conceived initiative would, in a single

          stroke, stop all violent crime in America. Whether it would

          infringe on the second amendment rights of honest American gun

          owners who use arms for lawful purposes such as target shooting,

          hunting, and self-defense, never entered their minds, and now 2

          weeks after the crime bill passed, the House finally has before it

          a bill, H.R. 4296, that closely tracks the Feinstein amendment

          appearing in the Senate crime bill.  Given this history, I think it

          is appropriate that the Rules Committee, after careful

          deliberation, chose to adopt a closed rule not allowing any

          perfecting amendments that favor one side or the other.

            The opponents of H.R. 4296 - of which I am proud to include

          myself - have bent over backwards to be fair in every way.  At both

          the Judiciary Crime Subcommittee and then again at full committee,

          the proponents of this bill were given full opportunity to offer

          any amendments they wished.  And they did so.  Some other Members

          came to the Rules Committee seeking further amendments.  But the

          pro`s and con`s of this issue have been laid out exhaustively in a

          number of Congresses.

                                                                     PAGE H3070

            For this and other reasons, I believe the rule before us making

          no additional amendments in order is the proper rule.  The rule

          provides for a generous amount of time for general debate and then

          the House can get on with the vote.  And after the vote, the House

          will then have a position on the issue, and the crime bill

          conferees - finally - can begin to do the real work of the American

          people.

            I urge my colleagues to adopt the rule.

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from

          Wyoming (Mr. Thomas), a very distinguished Member of this House,

          and a former marine.  The gentleman is from Casper, and he is the

          single Representative of the entire State of Wyoming.

            Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming. Mr. Speaker, my wife always reacts to that

          single Member business, but, at any rate, I appreciate the

          opportunity, and I rise in opposition to the rule and to the bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            Despite Secretary Bentsen`s comments otherwise, the battle to

          protect the second amendment is indeed a grassroots campaign.  I

          have heard from hundreds of law-abiding citizens and gun owners in

          Wyoming that are opposed to this legislation: Sportsmen, law

          enforcement officers, and citizens who want to protect their

          rights.

            For example, let me read a little bit from a grassroots group,

          and I quote:

            We`ve got to get serious about crime.  But a weapons ban is like

          shooting in the dark.  History assures us the only people affected

          by the ban are honest folks - the potential victims - not the

          criminals.  In reality, we`re disarming the law-abiding, making

          them easy targets for violent criminals who roam our streets at

          will.

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            Mr. Speaker, I have been listening closely as this debate has

          gone on, and I just want to make a couple of points, kind of

          deviating from my previous thought.  First of all, this is not a

          specific bill.  I quote here and show my colleagues the

          correspondence from Senator Larry Craig and the Department of

          Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and they list - they list the

          following firearms up here that meet the general characteristics of

          this bill.  It is not specific.  Indeed there is a long list of

          weapons that could very well be.

            The other one is that, if anyone in this place thinks that the

          bad guys are not going to get a weapon to do what they want to do,

          that is the greatest fallacy I have ever heard.  If we thought for

          a minute that banning some arms was going to keep people who wanted

          to commit crimes with weapons from doing that, everyone would be

          for that.  We know that is not the case.  We know that is not going

          to happen.

            Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against the rule and

          the bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3071

                       STATEMENT OPPOSING BAN ON ASSAULT WEAPONS

             (BY JOEL CARLSTON, WYOMING PRESIDENT OF AMERICANS AGAINST GUN

                                    CONTROL (AAGC))

            Right now this body is considering a ban on certain

          semi-automatic weapons.  This begs the question, `Why a ban?`

            The answer, obviously a political one, is `We need to address

          crime in this Nation and protect the people of the United States.

          Banning semi-automatic weapons is a step in the right direction.`

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            The facts differ with this political answer.  Ninety-eight

          percent of serious crimes do not involve firearms.  Thus, a

          complete weapons ban could at best address only 2 percent of the

          problem.  In fact, more kids get killed playing little league

          baseball than from assault weapons.  Should we ban little league

          baseball?

            What about assault weapons and crime? Florida State University

          criminology professor Gary Kleck estimates that less than .5

          percent of all violent crimes involve so-called assault weapons.

            Chicago is a case in point.  In 1993, there were over 940

          homicides.  More than 30 percent were police shootings, another 30

          percent were suicides, and not one homicide involved the use of a

          semiautomatic rifle.  Further, over one hundred homicides were

          committed with the use of duct tape and hose, i.e. strangulation.

          Perhaps, we would be more effective in addressing crime if we were

          to ban hose or at least specify a five-day waiting period for the

          purchase thereof.

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            Consider this.  Of all weapons confiscated by law enforcement in

          this Nation, only 4 percent were assault weapons.  Of that 4

          percent, 87 percent were confiscated in searches, not used in the

          commission of any crime.

            We`ve got to get serious about crime.  But a weapons ban is like

          shooting in the dark.  History assures us the only people affected

          by the ban are honest folks - the potential victims - not the

          criminals.  In reality, we`re disarming the law-abiding, making

          them easy targets for violent criminals who roam our streets at

          will.

            Why do criminals roam the streets? Because we waste our valuable

          time on useless Brady bills, weapons bans and other gun

          confiscation measures instead of addressing crime as constituents

          demand.

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            Patrick Purdy is an example of the ineffectiveness of gun control

          laws and the need to address crime itself.  Purdy, you will recall,

          was the crazed madman who gunned down students in a California

          school playground.

            Mr. Purdy`s record speaks for itself.  He spent several months in

          a California psychiatric hospital.  He had seven prior felony

          arrests, four of which were firearms related.  On Purdy`s last

          arrest, a police psychiatrist stated that Purdy was a menace to

          himself and to society.  Yet, each of these felonies were

          plea-bargained down to misdemeanors and Purdy was released.

          Consequently, as a result of our revolving door justice system, Mr.

          Purdy was legally allowed to purchase weapons - having complied

          with California`s 15-day waiting period - even though his record

          clearly showed his instability and criminal intent.  The rest is

          history - a tragic but real example of the ineffectiveness of gun

          control laws.

            To further illustrate, let`s look at States which have

          implemented some form of gun control:

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            New Jersey: 1967-1989 - violent crime has increased 223 percent.

          The Attorney General`s office reports `There is not a really high

          percentage of crimes committed with assault weapons.` Only 1

          percent of any kind of rifle was used in homicides from 1987-1992,

          compared to knives (28 percent), and feet (11 percent).  This tells

          us that it is not the configuration of the weapon which makes it an

          assault weapon, but the intent of the assailant wielding it.

            Massachusetts: 1967-89 - violent crime has increased 429%.

          1986-91 - only 0.5% of homicides involved are `assault rifles.`

            Connecticut: 1967-89 - violent crime has increased 434 percent.

          Connecticut law enforcement reports no assault weapons homicides

          through 1991. And of the 11,000 weapons seized by police between

          1988 and 1992, only 1.8 percent were assault weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            `Has crime decreased anywhere in the United States?` you ask.

            Yes.

            In April 1982, Kennesaw, Georgia, enacted a law requiring every

          household to own a firearm, with the exception of criminals and

          those with religious objections.  In only 10 months, residential

          burglary dropped an astounding 89 percent.  In 1991, not one murder

          occurred in this suburb of Atlanta.

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            In contrast, our city here in the District of Columbia has one of

          the most restrictive gun laws making it virtually impossible for

          law-abiding citizens to own guns.  From 1975 to 1991, Washington,

          DC`s murder rate rose 134 percent while the rest of the Nation

          experienced a 2-percent decline.

            Why, then, if gun control laws are so ineffective at stopping

          crime, are we spending so much time on such bills? I don`t know.

            Perhaps it`s the politically correct thing to do.  Pass laws

          banning weapons, attempting to convince our constituents we`re

          tough on crime.  I`m afraid they won`t buy that argument,

          especially when they find out we took their most effective means of

          self-defense away.

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            Perhaps there are other agencies.  In a previous attempt to pass

          legislation similar to what we`re considering here, Sarah Brady

          told Howard Metzenbaum, `Our task of creating a socialist America

          can only succeed when those who would resist us have been totally

          disarmed.`

            Those are strong words.  Frightening words.  But Brady`s right.

          The protection of the American citizen`s rights, including yours

          and my rights, is directly linked to our Right to Keep and Bear

          Arms!

            Mind you, Brady is not the first to realize the importance of gun

          ownership.  Thomas Jefferson said, `No free man shall ever be

          debarred the use of arms.  The strongest reason for the people to

          retain their right to keep and bear arms is as a last resort to

          protect themselves against tyranny in government.` James Madison

          said, `Americans need never fear their government because of the

          advantage of being armed, which the Americans posses over the

          people of almost every other nation.`

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            Former President Reagan said, `there are only two things that

          make people do right - love of God and fear of punishment.`

          Criminals don`t regard God, so we must instill the fear of

          punishment in them.

            The reason crime is so rampant is because is pays and pays big.

          It`s our job to remove the profit, not the victim`s most effective

          means of defense.

            Our problem is we don`t punish the criminal.  According to a

          study by the National Center of Policy Analysis, a person who

          committed a serious crime in 1990 could expect to spend only eight

          days in prison on the average.

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            Here`s the breakdown: A person committing murder could expect to

          spend 1.8 years in prison; for rape - 60 days; robbery - 23 days;

          arson - 6.7 days; aggravated assault - 6.4 days and for auto theft

          - a measly day and a half!

            It`s a known fact that repeat offenders commit the majority of

          violent crimes.  It`s been reported that murder is mainly one

          criminal killing another. 85% of the murders have past arrest

          records and 61% of the victims have past arrest records, too.

            Why is this happening? Because our criminal justice system is

          turning 90% of the felons loose without them having to spend a

          single day in jail.  Each year, 60,000 felons, like Patrick Purdy,

          are plea-bargained, placed on probation and never incarcerated.

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            Additionally, Reader`s Digest reports that only 2.8 cents of

          every dollar we allocate for building prisons actually goes toward

          prison construction.  I suggest we find ways to put more actual

          dollars into prison buildings and get predators like Patrick Purdy

          off the streets permanently.

            No `assault` or any other type of firearms has ever, of it`s own

          volition, committed a crime.  Therefore to ban a tool will only

          result in the criminal finding another tool and using it.  And it`s

          doubtful any ban would stop criminals from getting the weapons they

          want.  As the saying goes. `When guns are outlawed, only outlaws

          will have guns.`

            If we foolishly persist in banning these weapons from law-abiding

          citizens (which is exactly what this bill will do), we are playing

          right into the hands of criminals by disarming millions of

          law-abiding Americans, making them extremely vulnerable to criminal

          attack.

                                                                     PAGE H3071

            Further, we are depriving these same law-abiding Americans a

          constitutional right - a right each of us here swore to protect

          when members took office.

            So if you vote for this gun prohibition bill, when you know this

          ban/prohibition will do nothing to stop crime, then be honest

          enough to tell your constituents you voted for gun prohibition for

          no good reason other than you wanted . . . you wanted . . . to take

          firearms away from the American public.

            Thank you.

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 1

          minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Klein).

            (Mr. KLEIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            Mr. KLEIN. Mr. Speaker, today we have an opportunity to save

          American lives.  The 19 specific weapons we seek to ban are all

          copies of military-style submachineguns; they were designed to kill

          people at close quarters with rapid fire lethal bursts and they

          have succeeded.

            These guns have been connected with more than 1,100 murders; they

          are the weapons of choice for drug dealers, and they have been

          linked to approximately 2,000 narcotics arrests.

            Ninety percent of these weapons are in the hands of criminals.

          Although they are only 1 percent of all guns, they account for

          nearly 10 percent of violent crimes.

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            Let us take a look at some typical examples of how these weapons

          have been used by violent criminals, drug dealers, and murderers:

            A suspect was arrested in St. Louis for dealing in cocaine.  He

          had 30 assault weapons in his possession, including an FN/FNC,

          banned under this bill.

            A self-styled survivalist was arrested in Dallas for possession

          of a large quantity of cocaine - they also found two Steyr AUG`s

          and Two AR-15`s with a grenade launcher attachment plus equipment

          to convert them to fully automatic guns.

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            In New Orleans, a known gang member and multiple conviction felon

          with a conviction for a drive-by shootings was found in possession

          of a street sweeper and a TEC-22.

            In Minneapolis, authorities confiscated a tax protester`s street

          sweeper shotgun decorated with swastikas and `White Power`

          insignias.

            A vanload of Hasidic Jews on the Brooklyn Bridge were fired upon

          with absolutely no provocation.  Five innocent pedestrians were

          brutally murdered on the Long Island Railroad. The list of assault

          gun atrocities goes on and on and on.

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            Today we do not seek gun control - simply gun sanity.

            We can save many American lives merely by passing this bill.  And

          if we fail to act, the criminal world will be laughing and the rest

          of the free world will think we don`t have the backbone to be tough

          on crime.

            Let us show both that they`re wrong.  Let`s get rid of these

          weapons of destruction and pass this bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            I have traveled all across my own State and I know that New

          Jerseyans are tough on crime and tough on guns.  My constituents

          are tired of seeing the streets controlled by heavily armed

          criminals.  In Essex County, a typical New Jersey county, more

          people died in gun-related deaths in 1 year than in Great Britain,

          Australia, and Sweden combined.  And that`s just one country.

            Americans are horrified at the skyrocketing, gun-related death

          tolls and it`s time for Congress to do something about it.  New

          Jersey has the toughest assault weapon ban in the country, but it

          does no good if criminals can buy assault weapons in neighboring

          States and sell them on the streets of Newark and Paterson.

            I say to my friends, it is high time for America to follow our

          lead and pass a national assault weapons ban.  It is the least we

          can do for our Nation`s next generation.  Support H.R. 4296.

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the very

          distinguished gentleman from Ocala, FL (Mr. Stearns).

                                       TIME: 1310

            Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule.

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            Mr. Speaker, today we consider a further erosion of every

          citizen`s right to keep and bear arms.  This bill is about honest

          Americans exercising a precious right but being forced into the

          same category of punishment as the criminal.

            The argument for this bill is that the banning of semiautomatic

          weapons will have a significant impact on the reduction of crime

          and won`t effect sportsmen.  I disagree.  Let`s get some facts

          straight about what the bill really does.

            It bans over 180 different types of firearms and leaves the door

          open for the banning of hundreds of others.

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            It does affect sporting guns such as the Springfield M1A rifle.

          The rifle is used by the highpower rifle target shooter in national

          matches, which incidentally were established by an act of Congress

          in 1903.

            The bill supposedly exempts 670 hunting and recreational rifles

          and shotguns, but 586 of these firearms are not even

          semiautomatics.

            The Bureau of Justice statistics reported in 1993 that violent

          criminals only carry or use a military-type gun in about 1 percent

          of the crimes nationwide.

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            However, according to the FBI, people have a much greater chance

          of being killed by a knife, 14.5 percent, or fists, 5 percent, or

          clubs, 5 percent, than by any kind of rifle, including an assault

          rifle.

            A recent FBI report from 1989-92 showed that police are almost

          two times more likely to be injured today by stabbing and beatings,

          than they are by an assault weapon.

            Banning firearms and concentrating on gun control should not be

          the business of this House. There are already over 20,000 gun

          control laws on the books:

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            It is a crime punishable with 10-years imprisonment for anyone to

          trade or sell such a converted semiautomatic firearm.

            It is a crime punishable with 10-years imprisonment for a

          convicted felon to possess any firearm.

            It is a crime punishable with a mandatory 15-year imprisonment

          for a criminal with three prior violent or drug-related felonies to

          possess any firearm.

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            It is a crime punishable with 10-years imprisonment to transfer a

          firearm knowing that it will be used to commit a violent or

          drug-trafficking crime.

            It is a crime punishable with 10-years imprisonment to travel

          from one State to another and acquire, or attempt to acquire, a

          firearm with the intent to use it in a violent felony.

            Obviously, the lack of determined enforcement of our country`s

          laws are what are, in part, at the bottom of our Nation`s crime

          problem.  Concentrating on enforcement, strict incarceration,

          absence of parole, and the death penalty where appropriate would do

          more to protect our citizens and clean up our streets than this

          feel-good yet ineffective measure that ignores the real problems.

                                                                     PAGE H3072

            For example, the people of Union County, FL, have been trying for

          over a year to build a prison in their county.  They have donated

          the land and offered to pay for the prison`s construction.  They

          will build it to Federal specifications and are willing to turn it

          over to Federal control, if only the Federal Government will say

          they will use the prison.  Yet, incredibly the Justice Department

          has repeatedly turned down the offer.  What a waste of innovation

          and community ingenuity to fight crime.

            The FBI Uniform Crime Reports show that from 1980-91, the 10

          States with the greatest increases in criminal incarceration rates

          experienced the greatest decreases in the rates of crime.  If we

          want to reduce crime, then the common sense approach is to put them

          behind bars and not back out on the street.

            The Congress must abandon the flawed and emotional reasoning

          behind H.R. 4296 and look at the facts and start making real

          choices on how to stop crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3073

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 1

          minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Schenk).

            Ms. SCHENK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time

          to me.

                                                                     PAGE H3073

            Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule on the assault weapons

          ban because it is smart, sensible legislation that will make our

          streets safer.  Our common sense tells us that.

            They say, `Guns don`t kill people, people kill people.` Tell that

          to the parents of my 24-year-old constituent who was gunned down

          Sunday night by a spray of bullets as he was coming out of a

          theater in a very popular park.  Lest you think it cannot happen to

          someone you know or it cannot happen to you, I was in that exact

          spot 1 1/2 hours before he was killed.  But for the fact of the

          time element of 1 1/2 hours, it could have been me.

            With innocent people being gunned down weekly by these weapons,

          this country cannot afford complacency.  Let me again paraphrase

          last year`s campaign phrase: `It is the guns, stupid.`

                                                                     PAGE H3073

            Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues, will their vote belong to the

          NRA or to the American people? I think the answer is clear.

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, we seem to be overwhelmed by

          Californians. Let me yield 1 minute to the gentleman from San

          Diego, CA (Mr. Cunningham).

            Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from California who

          comes from the district next to mine well knows that that weapon

          used in San Diego was not 1 of these 19 weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3073

            Second, I empathize with folks who are not aware of the problems

          we have or what the real issues are.  They are talking about

          weapons of war.  Not a single 1 of these 19 weapons was used by any

          military in any war.  They were not designed as weapons for

          criminals, yet consistently people say that over and over again.

            I have flown an F-14 over this Capitol with a 20-millimeter gun

          that could shoot 6,000 rounds a minute.  I could disintegrate this

          Hall in a half-a-second burst.  Yet the gentleman from New York

          (Mr. Schumer) would tell me that I cannot carry a 10-shot .22. So

          it does go beyond this.

            Let us take a look at the problem.  There are too many guns on

          the streets.  We need to get rid of them.  We need instant check

          systems; we need to limit the number of people who can sell these

          weapons, and we should find ways to put stiffer penalties on

          criminals.  A drive-by shooter should be charged with first-degree,

          not second-degree murder, and anyone in a car involved should

          automatically go to boot camp.

                                                                     PAGE H3073

            Mr. Speaker, let us look at meaningful legislation, not just

          rhetoric.

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 30

          seconds to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Fingerhut).

            Mr. FINGERHUT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding

          time to me.

                                                                     PAGE H3073

            This is a very important day in this House. I believe that every

          Member is diligently considering this issue and talking to their

          constituents and their supporters and their friends.  This is not a

          debate where we are likely to persuade each other, but I urge the

          Members to talk to their law enforcement officers in their

          communities, talk to the prosecutors, and talk to the police.  They

          are calling me.  They are beginning the House to pass this bill.

          They are asking us to take the weapons off the streets so they will

          stop being outgunned day after day by the criminals.

            Yes, criminals are the problem, but right now they have greater

          fire-power than our law enforcement officers.  Let us support our

          law enforcement officers.  Vote for the rule and for the bill.

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to

          the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer).

                                                                     PAGE H3073

            (Mr. BUYER asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4296, and

          urge my colleagues to defeat the rule which allows for

          consideration of this bill.

            Once again, this House, through this semi-automatic weapons ban,

          is advocating symbolism instead of substances.  This bill is an

          insult not only to the millions of law-abiding gun owners

          throughout our Nation, but also to the hundreds of millions of

          Americans who are demanding substantive action be taken to end our

          rampant crime problems.  This measure, along with other efforts

          which make it impossible for this body to pass truth-in-sentencing

          and address nearly 80 percent of all violent crimes, Congress is

          skirting the true assault weapon - the criminal.

                                                                     PAGE H3073

            Data from several States which already have banned these types of

          weapons show that this measures will do nothing to stop the

          proliferation of crime.  Criminals will always find a way to arm

          themselves.  The supporters of this measure are holding up these

          deadly-looking weapons and proclaiming they will stop a significant

          amount of our violent crimes.

            The semi-automatic firearms which would be banned by this measure

          are used in less than 1 percent of all violent crimes.  Knives

          account for 14.5 percent of all homicides in the United States, and

          fists and feet account for another 5 percent.  Unfortunately,

          Congress` debate on the crime issue is continuing to focus the

          majority of its efforts on the outer edges of this problem.

            Last weekend, I held two crime forums in my district where I

          discussed the issues involved with Federal, State, and local law

          enforcement officials.  The overwhelming consensus from them was

          that Congress does not need to address gun control, but needs to

          get tough on criminals.

                                                                     PAGE H3073

            We already have Federal laws which prohibit convicted criminals

          from possessing firearms, and, since 1934, have highly regulated

          and restricted the possession and manufacture of assault weapons,

          which are those that are fully automatic, have the ability to spray

          bullets, fire faster and fire more powerfully as well as

          destructive ammunition.  These weapons do not have these

          capabilities.  These weapons are no more destructive than many

          semi-automatic firearms which are widely accepted as having

          legitimate uses - for hunting, sporting, and self-defense.

            The criminal is the true assault weapon, with the deadliest being

          those repeat offenders which commit three-quarters of all rapes and

          robberies and almost all murders.  It has been difficult for

          Congress to focus its efforts instead on correcting the reality

          that these criminals serve only about one-third of their

          sentences.  It has also been difficult for this Congress to stop

          coddling the criminals and advocating ineffective measures.

            Supporters of this measure constantly argue that law-abiding

          citizens don`t need these weapons and that these weapons are

          primarily used by criminals.  Well, we`ve already proven criminals

          rarely use these weapons.  And, we should realize Congress` purpose

          is to uphold the Constitution and protect the rights and privileges

          of the American citizens, not to determine what they need and don`t

          need.

                                                                     PAGE H3073

            As this debate has surely argued, we are all well award that the

          second amendment to the Constitution, which is part of the Bill of

          Rights, reads: `A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the

          security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear

          Arms, shall not be infringed.` Congress` support for this amendment

          should be as unyielding as our efforts to end our Nation`s crime

          problems.

            I urge my colleagues to stop the symbolism, and to devote our

          time to those efforts which will substantively deter crime.  I urge

          my colleagues to fulfill their duty of upholding and preserving the

          Constitution of the United States by defeating this most definite

          infringement on law-abiding Americans.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to another

          Californian, the gentleman from Huntington Beach, CA (Mr.

          Rohrabacher).

            Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule

          and to the bill.  Mr. Speaker, preventing honest hard-working

          citizens from owning certain semi-automatic weapons will not bring

          down crime any more than the last liberal-left fantasy that passed

          this House: Namely, a so-called anti-crime bill that guts the death

          penalty.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            Three police chiefs came to lobby me for this bill.  I asked

          each: Has anyone in your city ever been murdered by an assault

          weapon? The answer was `no, no, no.`

            One did point out that his department had confiscated 253 such

          semi-automatic weapons from drug dealers and other criminals.

            That is the point.  It is already illegal for criminals to

          possess these weapons.  Today, liberals want us to mandate that the

          police spend their limited time and resources to ensure that

          innocent citizens who have never committed a crime can not possess

          these weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            It is a fraud, against victims who are crying out for safety

          against criminals who murder, rape and rob.  And after the liberals

          make our criminal justice system a joke, with procedural and

          evidentiary rules that prevent the conviction of the guilty, they

          now move to limit the right of honest citizens to own weapons to

          protect themselves.

            Let us not perpetuate this travesty.  Vote no on this abominable

          closed rule, and vote against this misdirected weapons ban.

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, I

          yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kleczka).

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, let me say to the Members that I want

          to respond to the previous speaker, who is one of those Members on

          the floor who is fortunate not to have had a police officer

          murdered in his district by an assault weapon.  I take the floor to

          say that I am sorry to say I am not that fortunate.

            Last Thursday Captain Lutz of the Waukeshau police department was

          in pursuit of two robbers in Waukeshau, WI.

                                       TIME: 1320

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            One of the robbers stole the van they were in, got out, sprayed

          the officer with his assault weapon, hitting him 20 times.  The

          officer did not have a chance to get out of his squad car, to

          unharness his seatbelt or get out his service revolver.

            Yes, it is happening across this country.  I am proud it has not

          happened in your district.  It is sad to say, gentlemen, it

          happened in mine this last Thursday.

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 30

          seconds to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Barrett).

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the

          rule and the bill.

            Mr. Speaker, we have a rare opportunity today.  We have a rare

          opportunity to pass legislation that will save lives in this

          country.  The 19 weapons we are discussing today were designed with

          one purpose and one purpose only - to kill people.  Unfortunately,

          they are far too efficient in reaching that goal.  They are

          extremely effective in killing people.

            We should pass this legislation today, for if we do so, we will

          save lives in Milwaukee, WI, in Waukesha, WI, throughout the

          Midwest and throughout this entire country.  We should not let this

          opportunity pass.  For the people of this country and for the

          police officers who are outgunned by drug dealers, we should pass

          this legislation.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 30

          seconds to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).

            Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, the Constitution does not permit

          Americans to own bazookas.  It does not permit Americans to own

          antitank weapons.  And it does not permit Americans to own assault

          weapons.

            Terrorized Americans in their neighborhoods across this country

          are right.  The National Rifle Association is wrong.  We should ban

          these weapons, to disarm the criminals and the teenagers in this

          country that are terrorizing citizens of this country right now on

          every neighborhood corner in this country.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker I yield one minute to the gentleman from

          Ramsey, MN (Mr. Grams).

            Mr. GRAMS. Mr. Speaker, as we debate this rule I must voice my

          strong opposition to H.R. 4296.

            With the recent passage of the Brady bill the camel`s nose

          finally made it inside the tent.  And the camel`s long neck, not

          too unlike the long arm of Government, will be in the tent too if

          we continue to assault the constitution by banning semiautomatic

          firearms.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            The people of this country have sent a strong message to

          Congress: Do something about crime.  Now.

            And our response? A wimpy crime bill that lets drug criminals out

          early and a proposal that could lead to the banning of 200

          semiautomatic firearms that will do nothing, let me repeat,

          nothing, to address the serious issue of crime in this country.

            The proponents of this bill have two objectives: Long term they

          want to ban guns altogether by taking chunks out of the second

          amendment; and short term they want to fool Americans into thinking

          Congress is addressing their concerns about crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            Mr. Speaker, the American people want and deserve real protection

          from crime, not political cover for politicians.  Instead of

          focussing on the cosmetics of firearms, let`s concentrate on

          meaningful crime legislation that punishes criminals and not

          law-abiding citizens.

            We must kick that camel completely out of the tent before we make

          a mockery of the second amendment to the Constitution and the

          citizens of this country.

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield our remaining time to a very

          distinguished Member, formerly from La Verne, CA, but not from

          Claremont, the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), a member of

          the Committee on Rules.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my very good friend from Glens

          Falls for his very generous introduction.

            Mr. Speaker, over the past hour, I have been listening to some

          extraordinarily emotional stories about crimes that have been

          perpetrated which concern every single one of us.  I believe we

          have shared goals with this.  But the question is, what route are

          we going to take?

            I believe very strongly, Mr. Speaker, that the American people

          want us to address the issue of violent crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            Now, clearly, if we defeat this rule, what will we do? We will

          bring out an amendment which gets at the root of this.  It is

          called the McCollum amendment.  The McCollum amendment does what we

          want.  It addresses the person who is using the gun, not the person

          who legally owns the gun.

            What we need to do is we need to tackle those criminals.  We do

          not need to tackle law abiding citizens.  Unfortunately, this

          measure opens the door for further movement against law abiding

          citizens.

            Vote against this rule.  And, if the rule by chance passes, vote

          against this measure.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 1/2 minutes.

            Mr. Speaker, we have a peculiar situation in the world today.

          The United States of America does not wish to send its Armed Forces

          to Bosnia, because they are scared they are going to get killed.

          The rest of the world does not want to send their citizens to the

          United States, because they are afraid they will get killed over

          here.

            Mr. Speaker, all of us know what the problem is.  There are large

          parts of our country today that government can no longer protect

          its citizens in.  You know, if we want to see the route that we are

          headed for out in the future, what we need to look at is the places

          of crisis in the world today, to look at Bosnia, to look at

          Somalia, to look at Haiti, to look at other places around the world

          where guns have gotten out of control and government can no longer

          protect its citizens.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            The longer we fail to deal with this problem, the more certain it

          is that one of these days, our country is going to be another

          Bosnia, another Somalia, another Haiti, where we cannot protect our

          citizens, government cannot protect our citizens.  And we all know

          what it is.

            I talk to Members. I talked to a Member this morning who has been

          up here on the floor and other places against this resolution.  I

          said, `Surely you do not believe that.` He said, `Well, you know, I

          really do not.  I am having a hard time with it.  But I am getting

          these telephone calls in my office.`

            Well, 80 percent of the people in this country want to ban

          assault weapons.  You have got another 10 or 15 percent that do

          not, and of that you have got another 5 or 6 percent that are very

          active.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            My colleagues, what they are doing is working that 5 or 6 percent

          by calling your offices.  They are intimidating this legislative

          body.  They are intimidating you into believing that the average

          citizen out there does not want to do away with assault weapons.

            The average citizen out there has a lot more sense than this body

          has.  The average citizen out there is not going to be intimidated,

          as many Members of this body are, by these calls.

            You know, there comes a time I would suspect in everyone`s

          political career - man, woman - that you have to pull up your

          britches, buckle your britches and say this is right.  And I do not

          care what the special interest groups want, I am going to vote for

          what is right.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            Mr. Speaker, now is the time for this country, now is the time

          for this House, now is the time to vote for this rule and to vote

          for this ban on assault weapons.

            Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the

          previous question on the resolution.

            The previous question was ordered.

                                                                     PAGE H3074

            The SPEAKER pro tempore.  The question is on the resolution.

            The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced

          that the ayes appeared to have it.

                                                                     PAGE H3075

            Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that

          a quorum is not present, and make the point of order that a quorum

          is not present.

            The SPEAKER pro tempore.  Evidently a quorum is not present.

                                                                     PAGE H3075

            The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members.

            The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were - yeas

          220, nays 209, not voting 3, as follows:

                                     (ROLL NO. 155)

                                       YEAS - 220

          Abercrombie           Ackerman                Andrews (ME)

          Andrews (NJ)          Andrews (TX)            Applegate

          Bacchus (FL)          Barcia                  Barrett (WI)

          Becerra               Beilenson               Berman

          Bevill                Bilbray                 Blackwell

          Bonior                Borski                  Boucher

          Brewster              Brooks                  Brown (CA)

          Brown (FL)            Brown (OH)              Bryant

          Byrne                 Cantwell                Cardin

          Carr                  Chapman                 Clay

          Clayton               Clement                 Clyburn

          Coleman               Collins (IL)            Collins (MI)

          Conyers               Cooper                  Coppersmith

          Coyne                 Cramer                  Danner

          Darden                de la Garza             DeFazio

          DeLauro               Dellums                 Derrick

          Deutsch               Dicks                   Dingell

          Dixon                 Dooley                  Durbin

          Edwards (CA)          Edwards (TX)            Engel

          English               Eshoo                   Evans

          Farr                  Fazio                   Fields (LA)

          Filner                Fingerhut               Flake

          Foglietta             Ford (MI)               Ford (TN)

          Frank (MA)            Frost                   Furse

          Gejdenson             Gephardt                Gibbons

          Glickman              Gonzalez                Gordon

          Gutierrez             Hall (OH)               Hamburg

          Harman                Hastings                Hefner

          Hilliard              Hinchey                 Hoagland

          Hochbrueckner         Hoyer                   Hughes

          Inslee                Jacobs                  Jefferson

          Johnson (SD)          Johnson, E.B.           Johnston

          Kaptur                Kennedy                 Kennelly

          Kildee                Kleczka                 Klein

          Kopetski              Kreidler                LaFalce

          Lantos                Laughlin                Lehman

          Levin                 Lewis (GA)              Lipinski

          Lloyd                 Lowey                   Maloney

          Mann                  Manton                  Margolies-Mezvinsky

          Markey                Martinez                Matsui

          Mazzoli               McCloskey               McCurdy

          McDermott             McHale                  McKinney

          McNulty               Meehan                  Meek

          Menendez              Mfume                   Miller (CA)

          Mineta                Mink                    Moakley

          Mollohan              Montgomery              Moran

          Morella               Murphy                  Murtha

          Nadler                Neal (MA)               Neal (NC)

          Oberstar              Obey                    Olver

          Ortiz                 Owens                   Pallone

          Pastor                Payne (NJ)              Payne (VA)

          Pelosi                Peterson (FL)           Pickett

          Pickle                Price (NC)              Quillen

          Rahall                Reed                    Reynolds

          Richardson            Ridge                   Roemer

          Rose                  Rostenkowski            Roukema

          Rowland               Roybal-Allard           Rush

          Sabo                  Sanders                 Sangmeister

          Sarpalius             Sawyer                  Schenk

          Schroeder             Schumer                 Scott

          Serrano               Sharp                   Shepherd

          Sisisky               Skaggs                  Slattery

          Slaughter             Smith (IA)              Spratt

          Stark                 Stokes                  Strickland

          Studds                Stupak                  Swift

          Synar                 Tejeda                  Thompson

          Thornton              Torres                  Torricelli

          Towns                 Traficant               Tucker

          Unsoeld               Valentine               Velazquez

          Vento                 Visclosky               Washington

          Waters                Watt                    Waxman

          Wheat                 Whitten                 Wise

          Woolsey               Wyden                   Wynn

          Yates

                                                                     PAGE H3075

                                       NAYS - 209

          Allard                Archer                  Armey

          Bachus (AL)           Baesler                 Baker (CA)

          Baker (LA)            Ballenger               Barca

          Barlow                Barrett (NE)            Bartlett

          Barton                Bateman                 Bentley

          Bereuter              Bilirakis               Bishop

          Bliley                Blute                   Boehlert

          Boehner               Bonilla                 Browder

          Bunning               Burton                  Buyer

          Callahan              Calvert                 Camp

          Canady                Castle                  Clinger

          Coble                 Collins (GA)            Combest

          Condit                Costello                Cox

          Crane                 Crapo                   Cunningham

          Deal                  DeLay                   Diaz-Balart

          Dickey                Doolittle               Dornan

          Dreier                Duncan                  Dunn

          Ehlers                Emerson                 Everett

          Ewing                 Fawell                  Fields (TX)

          Fish                  Fowler                  Franks (CT)

          Franks (NJ)           Gallegly                Gallo

          Gekas                 Geren                   Gilchrest

          Gillmor               Gilman                  Gingrich

          Goodlatte             Goodling                Goss

          Grams                 Grandy                  Green

          Greenwood             Gunderson               Hall (TX)

          Hamilton              Hancock                 Hansen

          Hastert               Hayes                   Hefley

          Herger                Hobson                  Hoekstra

          Hoke                  Holden                  Horn

          Houghton              Huffington              Hunter

          Hutchinson            Hutto                   Hyde

          Inglis                Inhofe                  Istook

          Johnson (CT)          Johnson (GA)            Johnson, Sam

          Kanjorski             Kasich                  Kim

          King                  Kingston                Klink

          Klug                  Knollenberg             Kolbe

          Kyl                   Lambert                 Lancaster

          LaRocco               Lazio                   Leach

          Levy                  Lewis (CA)              Lewis (FL)

          Lightfoot             Linder                  Livingston

          Machtley              Manzullo                McCandless

          McCollum              McCrery                 McDade

          McHugh                McInnis                 McKeon

          McMillan              Meyers                  Mica

          Michel                Miller (FL)             Minge

          Molinari              Moorhead                Myers

          Nussle                Orton                   Oxley

          Packard               Parker                  Paxon

          Penny                 Peterson (MN)           Petri

          Pombo                 Pomeroy                 Porter

          Portman               Poshard                 Pryce (OH)

          Quinn                 Ramstad                 Ravenel

          Regula                Roberts                 Rohrabacher

          Ros-Lehtinen          Roth                    Royce

          Santorum              Saxton                  Schaefer

          Schiff                Sensenbrenner           Shaw

          Shays                 Shuster                 Skeen

          Skelton               Smith (MI)              Smith (NJ)

          Smith (OR)            Smith (TX)              Snowe

          Solomon               Spence                  Stearns

          Stenholm              Stump                   Sundquist

          Swett                 Talent                  Tanner

          Tauzin                Taylor (MS)             Taylor (NC)

          Thomas (CA)           Thomas (WY)             Thurman

          Torkildsen            Upton                   Volkmer

          Vucanovich            Walker                  Walsh

          Weldon                Williams                Wilson

          Wolf                  Young (AK)              Young (FL)

          Zeliff                Zimmer

                                     NOT VOTING - 3

          Long                  Rangel                  Rogers

                                       TIME: 1349

                                                                     PAGE H3075

            The Clerk announced the following pair:

            On this vote:

            Mr. Rangel for, with Mr. Rogers against.

                                                                     PAGE H3075

            Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. PETE GEREN of Texas, Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut,

          Mr. LEACH, and Mr. LAZIO changed their vote from `yea` to `nay.`

            Mr. BARCIA of Michigan and Mr. LAUGHLIN changed their vote from

          `nay` to `yea.`

            So the resolution was agreed to.

                                                                     PAGE H3075

            The result of the vote was announced as above.

            A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                                       TIME: 1350

                                                                     PAGE H3075

            The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Mazzoli). Pursuant to House

          Resolution 416, and rule XXIII, the Chair declares the House in the

          Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the

          consideration of the bill, H.R. 4296.

            In this instance, the Chair appoints the gentleman from Missouri

          (Mr. Volkmer) to preside over the Committee of the Whole for the

          first hour of debate and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Mfume) to

          preside over the Committee of the Whole for the second hour of

          debate.

                                       TIME: 1351

                             IN THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

                                                                     PAGE H3075

            Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the

          Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the

          bill (H.R. 4296) to make unlawful the transfer or possession of

          assault weapons, with Mr. Volkmer in the chair.

            The Clerk read the title of the bill.

            The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as

          having been read the first time.

                                                                     PAGE H3075

            Under the rule, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brooks) will be

          recognized for 1 hour and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr.

          Sensenbrenner) will be recognized for 1 hour.

            The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brooks).

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 minutes to the gentleman

          from New York (Mr. Schumer) and I ask unanimous consent that he may

          control that period of time and yield such blocks of time within

          that as he desires.

            The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman

          from Texas?

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            There was no objection.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that I

          may yield 30 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) and

          that he be allowed to yield such time as he desires to other

          Members.

            The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman

          from Wisconsin?

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            There was no objection.

            Mr. HYDE. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that I may yield

          the 30 minutes that has just been assigned to me to the gentleman

          from Connecticut, Mr. Chris Shays, and that he may be authorized to

          yield such time as he may control under the rule.

            The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman

          from Illinois?

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            There was no objection.

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may

          require.

            (Mr. BROOKS asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4296, the

          so-called Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection

          Act. It is time we set the record straight and after doing so, vote

          down this misguided effort.  If ever the name of a bill was

          misleading, this one is classic.

            Mr. Chairman, H.R. 4296 does nothing to ensure public safety or

          recreational use of firearms.  Rather, it places unnecessary,

          unjustified restrictions on the legitimate use of certain weapons.

          The sole purpose of this legislation is to ban certain

          semiautomatic weapons.

            Mr. Chairman, why is it we are doing this thing? Well, during

          last week`s subcommittee hearing, supporters of H.R. 4296, such as

          Mr. Magaw, the new director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and

          Firearms, said that specified guns should be banned because - and

          listen carefully - because they are intimidating.

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            Mr. Chairman, under that line of reasoning, I am surprised that

          they are not just proposing to do away with the second amendment of

          the U.S. Constitution, for as a hunter and sportsman myself, I can

          assure each Member that any gun, even a dart gun or BB gun or 22

          rifle is very intimidating when the barrel of that gun is pointed

          directly at you.  Accessories found on some semiautomatic weapons,

          such as folding stocks, flash suppressors, pistol grabs, bayonet

          mounts, detachable magazines, may look menacing to persons

          unfamiliar with firearms, but there is no evidence that any one of

          them provides any advantage to the criminal.  Semiautomatic weapons

          function in the same manner as any other firearm.  They fire once

          when the trigger is pulled.  They use the same ammunition.  They

          are useful for target shooting, for self-defense, for hunting, for

          other legitimate purposes.

            Mr. Chairman, let us remember that H.R. 4296 bans not only

          certain types of weapons, it also bans any automatic feeding device

          that holds more than 10 rounds of ammunition.  If one has a Smith

          and Wesson 9-millimeter pistol that holds more than 10 rounds in it

          because they stagger the rounds, then that is illegal, as well as a

          combination of parts that can make up such a device, such as a

          spring or a roll pin or a piece of sheet metal.  All of these are

          defined as firearms under this bill.  The penalty for having such

          device, or any combination of these parts, is to up 5 years in

          prison as well as a fine.

            Mr. Chairman, the drafters of the legislation find the pieces of

          sheet metal just as intimidating as they do the actual guns

          themselves, which carry the same penalty.

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            Mr. Chairman, H.R. 4296 misidentifies the causes of violent

          crime.  It diverts national priorities away from meaningful

          solutions to the problem of violent crime and punishes honest

          American gunowners who buy and use firearms for legitimate, lawful

          purposes.

            Mr. Chairman, the criminals do not mind.  This will not bother

          them, not one lick.  They can steal them or buy them on the black

          market, and everybody knows that is the fact.  Go outside and put

          up about $200 or $300, and you can get a weapon without a problem.

          If my colleagues do not believe it, go do it.

            Mr. Chairman, there is no need to belabor the flaws in this

          proposal.  The entire premise is fatally flawed.  Most

          fundamentally, 4296 unduly infringes on the constitutionally

          protected rights of honest, law-abiding Americans on the basis of

          myth and misinformation.

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            Mr. Chairman, let us put an end to this mockery of our Bill of

          Rights. Let us stand up for the millions of law-abiding citizens

          who are not criminals.

            Mr. Chairman, I will say this: The criminals will not worry a bit

          about this bill.  It is only honest, hard-working American people

          that will be bothered and harassed by this legislation.  Let us

          vote no today once and for all.

            Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

                                                                     PAGE H3076

                                       TIME: 1400

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may

          consume.

            (Mr. SENSENBRENNER asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3076

                              ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN

            The CHAIRMAN. Before the gentleman begins, the Chair would like

          to remind all persons in the gallery that they are here as guests

          of the House, that any manifestation of approval or disapproval of

          proceedings is in violation of the rules of the House. The Chair

          would rather that the people in the gallery respect the House and

          the decorum of the House.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this

          bill.  It is before us today as pretend crime control.

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            The other side has shown us scary guns, used the emotion of fear

          and the tragedy of others for political purposes.

            On our side, all we have are the facts and common sense.  The

          fact is that this will not fight crime.

            Assault weapons are not the weapon of choice by killers.  These

          guns are used in less than 1 percent of all murders, according to

          the FBI. The public knows that the real causes of crime are the

          breakdown of the family, drugs, and lenient sentencing.

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            Two of my colleagues from Wisconsin earlier today have attempted

          to use the tragic killing of a police officer to whip up support

          for this bill.  I extend my condolences to the officer`s family,

          but the fact is that the weapon that was used in this tragedy would

          not have been banned if this bill were law a month ago.  It was

          grandfathered in under the grandfather clause.

            Chief Donald Steingraber of Menomonee Falls, WI, my hometown, who

          stood beside the President on Monday seeking passage of this bill,

          has admitted to me that if this bill were law a month ago it would

          have no effect on the tragic killing of Captain Lutz of Waukesha

          last Thursday.

            Two-thirds of all violent crime is committed by 3 percent of the

          people.  That same 3 percent commit three-quarters of all rapes and

          robberies and virtually every murder.

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            Let us arrest those people, not law-abiding gun owners who may

          own one of these weapons for self-defense or any other legitimate

          reason.

            Mr. Chairman, this bill does not distinguish between criminals

          and honest citizens.  You may recall that I supported the Brady

          bill because I thought it would help keep handguns away from

          criminals.  The NRA attacked me for that.

            But this is a different debate.  I support laws that keep guns

          away from criminals, but, on the other hand, this bill will take

          away everyone`s right.

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            Ironically, while the bill does not distinguish between

          law-abiding gunowners and criminals, it does distinguish between

          good guns and bad guns, and unfortunately it fails even at that.

          Look at the text of the bill.  Many of the bad guns, although they

          look different, perform exactly the same as the good guns.  They

          shoot the same, they use the same bullets, and the only difference

          is how they look.

            A man in his home or a woman on her farm should be able to defend

          themselves and their family even with scary-looking guns.

            Let us look at the facts; let us use common sense.  If a criminal

          has a gun, arrest him.  If law-abiding citizens want to use guns to

          defend their families and homes, let them decide what kind of gun

          they want to use.

                                                                     PAGE H3076

            The millions of honest gunowners know they are not criminals, and

          they should not be treated as such by the Congress of the United

          States.

            Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman

          from Illinois (Mr. Rostenkowski), the distinguished chairman of the

          Committee on Ways and Means.

            (Mr. ROSTENKOWSKI asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            Mr. ROSTENKOWSKI. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this

          legislation.

            Automatic weapons are nothing more than an efficient way of

          killing people, a task that is already being done too efficiently

          by too many people in too many American cities.

            Automatic weapons greatly increase the odds that what begins as

          an uncomfortable incident will result in a fatality.

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            Mr. Chairman, I have seen the carnage they cause in my

          neighborhood.  Just a few weeks ago, on Easter, within a stone`s

          throw of my own home in Chicago, a young man was murdered on the

          steps of a church while a thousand parishioners were inside

          praying.  In the parking lot, two more young men were shot, and in

          the other parking lot, two children were shot and injured.

            These automatic weapons must be abandoned.  We must come to our

          senses.  We must stop adding to the weapons already on our

          streets.  Crime is out of control.  The killing has got to end.  It

          must stop.

            It is time to take a step to reverse the tide of violence that

          threatens to destroy our cities.  It is time to get these guns off

          our streets.  We must stop them before they kill again.

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            My colleagues, I urge you to vote in favor of this important

          measure.

            Mrs. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished

          gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Porter).

            (Mr. PORTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            Mr. PORTER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me

          this time.

            Mr. Chairman, the final version of this bill, when it goes to

          conference, will ban the manufacture and sale of specific assault

          weapons that are only used to kill people.  These are weapons with

          no hunting, sporting, or other legitimate purposes and for which

          there is no reason for anyone to own except to aid in the

          commission of crime.

            Is a constitutional right being impinged by this legislation? No.

          The Supreme Court throughout our entire history has held repeatedly

          that the right to keep and bear arms is subject to reasonable

          police power to regulate the type of weapon that is being owned.

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            Seventy-five to eighty percent of the American people favor a ban

          on assault weapons, while 20 to 25 percent, perhaps, oppose it and

          say that they have a right to own and use any weapon they choose.

          And they stress over and over their right.

            Mr. Chairman, we are balkanizing America in so many ways, with so

          many special interests insisting that their rights, their needs,

          and their desires must be addressed.  We heard so often in the

          debate on the deficit, we want to bring down the deficit, yes, but

          we do not want to give anything of ourselves to accomplish that

          end.  We want to address the crime problem, yes, but do not ask us

          to give anything of ourselves to actually do so.

            Mr. Chairman, I am chairman of the Congressional Human Rights

          Caucus, but believe me, it is time that we talked in America not

          just about rights but also about responsibilities, what we

          individually owe to make this country work.

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            Our police say to us, please, please, put controls on these kinds

          of weapons.  We are the people that have to face them.  Please, do

          something and rein them in.

            And are we to say, no, no, we insist upon our rights even though

          you face the firepower?

            Yes, we need tough and effective law enforcement and, yes, we

          need a criminal justice system that works to deter criminals.  That

          certainly is a part of it.

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            But we also need reasonable controls on the ready access to

          weapons, especially weapons of this type that have no other purpose

          except to kill people.  We need both.

            Mr. Chairman, yes, we need the courage to pass a tough crime

          bill, and we have shown that courage, but we also need the courage

          to tell the 20 percent who want any gun at any price to society

          that they have responsibilities, too, and it is time they lived up

          to them.  Vote aye.

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to

          the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to revise

          and extend his remarks.)

            Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I must regretfully rise in

          opposition to H.R. 4296. The supporters of this legislation argue

          that this bill will ban 19 specific types of assault weapons,

          however, they fail to mention that aside from these 19 specifically

          named weapons this bill also contains a far reaching ban of other

          guns and allows the Treasury Department to determine which of these

          guns would be banned.  I agree that we should restrict access to

          guns such as the Uzi, the Tec 9 and the AK-47 assault rifle.  These

          guns have become the gun of choice for gangs and drug dealers and

          they have no other legitimate use other than to kill people.

            There are two sides to this debate and both sides have legitimate

          fears.  One side sees its right to keep and bear arms slipping away

          and the other sees its right to a safe and secure neighborhood

          slipping away.  There has to be a middle ground that addresses the

          concerns of both sides and for that reason I offered an amendment

          to this bill that would have only banned the 19 assault weapons

          listed in the bill.  However, due to the restrictive rule that was

          issued on this bill I am not allowed to offer this compromise

          amendment.  Had this amendment passed I could have voted for this

          bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            The issue of gun control is not an easy issue since it involves

          weighing the concern for public safety against the rights of

          individuals.  These individual rights are guaranteed in the

          Constitution and we should be extremely careful when the

          legislation we consider might affect these rights.  A broad based

          gun ban infringes on these rights and while the need for public

          safety justifies the restriction of specific weapons it does not

          justify this broad based ban.

            Both sides of this issue have shown an unwillingness to

          compromise and it is apparent that they both are taking an `all or

          nothing` approach.  This is an unfortunate commentary on what our

          political system has become and it represents a significant loss

          for the American people no matter which side of this issue they are

          on.

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished

          gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Thurman).

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            (Mrs. THURMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          her remarks.)

            Mrs. THURMAN. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 4296 is a public relations

          approach to crime prevention, election year valium to calm

          constituents` fear of crime.  But nothing in this bill will take a

          single gun out of the hands of criminals.

            I have heard people smugly declare that true hunters don`t need

          these weapons, so therefore they should be banned.

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            This is not about hunting, or target practice.  This is about

          protection.  This is about giving people the chance to protect

          their families from criminals with a proven disregard for human

          life or property.  Just like police, who are exempt from this bill,

          private citizens protecting their families deserve a fighting

          chance.

            The proponents of this bill claim support from law enforcement.

          The sheriffs I know do not support this legislation.  People are

          crying out to us to do something about crime and punish those who

          misuse firearms.

            In Florida, in 1975, we impose a 3-year minimum mandatory

          sentence on anyone committing a crime with a handgun.

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            Large billboards with an orange background and a black silhouette

          of a handgun were placed along our highways and posters were placed

          in convenience store windows and retail establishment in high-crime

          areas.

            The message was simple: Do the Crime - Do the Time. Florida

          imposes a mandatory 3-year prison term for using a gun in a crime.

            The results were dramatic.  During the first year following

          passage of the 3-year mandatory, gun crimes were down and the armed

          robbery rate alone was down 40 percent.

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            We were clearly on the right track to reducing crime.  The word

          was out:

          Stay out of Florida if you use a gun because Florida will throw you

          in prison for 3 years.  The impact was dramatic - until word got

          out that Florida was only joking.  Criminals quickly learned they

          could plea bargain out and it was back to business as usual.

            The Florida House Criminal Justice Committee recently researched

          the incidence of plea bargaining on the 3-year mandatory sentence

          for using a gun in a crime and reported that in 80 to 90 percent of

          the cases, the 3-year mandatory is plea-bargained away.

            In 1989, the Florida Legislature passed an 8-year minimum

          mandatory penalty for possession of any semiautomatic firearm with

          a high capacity magazine during the commission or attempted

          commission of a crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            However, if you check with the State Court Administrators

          Statistical section, you will find that practically no one has been

          sentenced under that provision.  That says one of two things -

          either semiautomatics are not the problem that some would have you

          believe, or they`re simply refusing to send the really bad guys to

          prison for a minimum of 8 years.

            In 1989, faced with the emotional fire storm of assault weapon

          rhetoric, the Florida Legislature formed the Florida Assault

          Weapons Commission to study the issue.  The commission surveyed 415

          Florida law enforcement departments on the use of assault weapons

          in crime in their jurisdiction over the past 4 years.  Responding

          jurisdictions experienced a total of less than 50 assault weapons

          used in crimes, while other weapons - guns, knives, hands, etc. -

          were used in 108,600 crimes, .0004 percent.  Even the Metro Dade

          Police survey shows no assault weapons experience in 1986-87-88 and

          only 5 assault weapons in over 36,000 weapons crimes, .0001

          percent, during 1989.

            The 8-year minimum mandatory sentence for using a so-called

          assault weapon in the commission of a crime was the obvious answer

          in 1989 and it is the obvious answer today.  Banning guns never

          works.  Look at Washington, DC, New York City, California, and New

          Jersey. Criminals will always get guns regardless of the law.

                                                                     PAGE H3077

            What will work is less plea bargaining, stiffer penalties, more

          judges, prosecutors, police officers, and prisons.  Get criminals

          off the street - then and only then will our streets be safe.

            It`s time to bite the bullet and spend the money to build the

          prison beds necessary to incarcerate violent criminals.

            Everyone in this Chamber loves the Constitution. So do the people

          who are opposed to this bill.  They feel just as strongly about the

          right to bear arms as others do about free speech.  Let`s not

          foolishly compromise a constitutionally protected right of free

          people when aiming at criminals.

                                                                     PAGE H3078

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the

          distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum).

            (Mr. McCOLLUM asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3078

            Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I think that a police officer in

          Michigan stated the problem to me very well a couple of months ago

          when he said the real issue in crime this year is not repeating

          rifles, it is repeating offenders.  The truth of the matter is that

          there are less than 1 percent of violent crime committed in this

          country by assault weapons described in this bill.  The truth of

          the matter is that if we ban all these weapons that are listed in

          this bill, still hundreds more than function exactly the same way

          with the same killing power that these guns have will still be on

          the streets, still available to the criminals and nothing will have

          been solved by passing this except to absolve some people in the

          political world we live in today from this next year`s election.

            The fact of the matter is 6 percent of the criminals in this

          country commit 70 percent of the violent crimes and are serving

          less than a third of their sentences.  The answer to the violent

          crime problem in this country is not banning the few assault

          weapons in this bill, it is taking the repeat violent offenders off

          the streets, locking then up, and throwing away the keys.  It is

          forming the Federal-State partnership with the States to build

          sufficient prison space and then doing what this House did not do

          in its crime bill, and we need to have come out of the conference,

          requiring for the States to get these monies that they guarantee

          that they abolish parole for the violent repeat offenders and serve

          85 percent of their sentences, at least.  And it is doing things we

          were not allowed to do in offering the amendment I wanted to offer

          here on the floor today that would say to those who commit crimes

          with guns of any sort that if you do so, then you are going to have

          a separate Federal crime in addition to the underlying crime that

          carries with it minimum mandatory sentences for the first offense,

          10 years, for the second offense 20 years, and for the third

          offense 30 years.  That would put certainty and swiftness of

          punishment back in our criminal justice system and to put some kind

          of effort in the deterrence again to send the message out there to

          the violent criminal.  That is what the real answer is to the

          violent crime crisis in our country.  The bill before us should be

          voted down, it does not do the job, and it affects only law-abiding

          people who would like to continue to be able to possess guns for

          legitimate purposes.  We have no business today passing this sham,

          and that is exactly what it is.  Let us get tough with the

          criminals, lock them up, throw away the key, and let us make sure

          that we do something significant to stop the wave of violent crime;

          not this bill.

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to

          the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Coppersmith).

                                                                     PAGE H3078

            (Mr. COPPERSMITH asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend his remarks.)

            Mr. COPPERSMITH. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the bill.

            Mr. Chairman, I support law-abiding citizens` rights to keep and

          to bear arms for personal protection and for recreation.  But I

          also believe we need to keep Uzis and AK-47s off our streets and

          out of the hands of cop-killers and driveby shooters.  These

          weapons are not designed for hunting or to protect people`s homes.

          They are military weapons that can carry dozens of bullets, guns

          designed to do one thing and one thing only - kill a lot of people

          fast.

                                                                     PAGE H3078

            Yesterday, my office in Arizona was targeted by citizens opposed

          to taking assault weapons off the street and out of the hands of

          gangs and violent criminals.  They wanted to pressure me.  But I

          have already been affected by the pressure of grieving families and

          police officers mourning their fallen colleagues.  I have been

          persuaded by too many killings and too many children cut down by

          these weapons of war.

            It`s time for mainstream Americans to draw the line and say

          enough.  This vote is not about rights, it`s about

          responsibilities.  Talk is cheap when it comes to fighting crime.

          We need to support our local police.  We must stand up to the NRA

          and others who oppose this overdue and reasonable step to prevent

          crime.  We need to fight crime, a step at a time.  Vote `yes`.

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 1/4 minutes to the gentleman

          from New Hampshire (Mr. Swett).

                                                                     PAGE H3078

            (Mr. SWETT asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. SWETT. I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me.

            Mr. Chairman, after months of serious deliberation and discussion

          with Members on both sides of the aisle, conservatives and

          liberals, I have decided that this ban on a limited and specific

          group of violent assault weapons adequately protects Second

          Amendment rights while recognizing that there is absolutely no

          justification or need for anyone to have ready access to Uzi`s and

          street sweepers nor any other semiautomatic weapons designed

          exclusively for mass murder.

                                                                     PAGE H3078

            Times are changing in our country.  I fear not all for the best.

          The growing violence, murders of our law enforcement officers and

          innocent children cannot be ignored.  That is why I voted against

          the rule, because I felt we needed to have stricter punishments for

          those who use guns in crimes.  But the fact is that true sportsmen

          and sportswomen do not use sophisticated war machines to mow down

          animals.  Average citizens, protecting their property and family,

          do not use Uzis and street sweepers to defend their homes.  These

          weapons are used by criminals to overcome the innocent and to

          overcome our police officers in the line of their duty.  I am

          committed to defending the second amendment rights, and that is why

          I struggled with this ban. 3 years ago I voted against the

          semiautomatic weapons ban because it did not address the important

          second amendment rights.  However, after discussion with staunch

          defenders of the second amendment, such as President Reagan and

          President Ford, Members of Congress, such as Henry Hyde, I have

          been convinced that these rights are adequately protected.

            I ask the Members to support this ban on semiautomatic weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3079

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished

          gentleman from New York, Mr. Lazio.

            Mr. LAZIO. Mr. Chairman, if I appear nervous, it might be because

          I am a first-term Congressman, it might be because this may be a

          close vote, but probably because people are relying on me to make

          the right choice.

                                                                     PAGE H3079

            I rise today in support of H.R. 4296. Several factors affected my

          recent decision to support this legislation which would ban the

          continued manufacturing of semiautomatic assault weapons.  The most

          significant of these factors was the overwhelming support of this

          ban by both national and local law enforcement organizations and

          officials.  In New York, this includes the Suffolk County

          Policeman`s Benevolent Association, the Deputy Sheriff`s Benevolent

          Association, the Superior Officers Association of Suffolk, the

          Police Conference of New York, as well as New York City`s police

          commissioner and the president of New York City`s Patrolman`s

          Benevolent Association. National groups include the Fraternal Order

          of Police, with over 230,000 members, the National Association of

          Police Organizations, the International Association of Chiefs of

          Police, and the Federal Law Enforcement Officer`s Association. All

          are experts on crime, and as a former criminal prosecutor, I

          respect their collective judgment that H.R. 4296 is necessary for

          the public safety.

            According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, while

          semiautomatic weapons comprise only 1 percent of privately owned

          guns in America, they account for more than 9 percent of guns used

          during a crime and traced.  Between 1986 through 1992, ATF

          statistics show that these particular weapons were used in 1,578

          homicides, 940 assaults, 224 robberies, and over 4,500 narcotics

          offenses.  Since only about 10 percent of all firearms used in

          crimes are traced, the number of crimes involving these weapons

          could be more than 10 times as high.  These statistics are

          unacceptable and demonstrate the number of these weapons that are

          making it onto our streets and into the hands of criminals.  Our

          police cannot, and should not, have to face these weapons in the

          line of duty.

            Also supporting the ban on assault-style weapons are former

          Presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter. In 1989,

          President Bush was instrumental in banning the import of 43 types

          of foreign-made assault weapons.  Closer to home, New York City

          Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has also stated his support of this

          legislation.

                                                                     PAGE H3079

            H.R. 4296, unlike some proposals in the past, designates 19

          specific weapons to be banned by name, while explicitly exempting

          over 670 hunting and recreational weapons.  At the same time, this

          bill includes provisions to control the spread of so-called copycat

          weapons as well as a grandfather clause, permitting owners of

          banned weapons, or large capacity magazines, acquired before

          enactment of this legislation to keep their firearm(s).

            Although opponents of this bill claim these weapons have a

          sporting purpose, I disagree with that argument.  I have seen

          firsthand the carnage and mayhem these weapons can cause.  A

          chilling example is illustrated by last December`s massacre aboard

          the Long Island Railroad commuter train.  I was recently contacted

          by the widow of one of those victims.  Her husband was killed and

          her son seriously wounded.  I also spoke with one of the actual

          victims.  Their message was how anyone could vote against this ban

          if they`d seen what took place when the killer went down the aisle

          methodically executing person after person.  Had this legislation

          been in effect at that time, the ammunition feeding device used by

          Colin Ferguson would have been banned, and fewer lives may have

          been lost.

            Opponents also claim that this bill will ban all hunting and

          recreational semiautomatic weapons.  This is untrue.  While all

          assault weapons are semiautomatics, all semiautomatics are not all

          assault weapons, an example being the popular Winchester Model 1400

          semiautomatic shotgun.

                                                                     PAGE H3079

            I have been, and I remain, a staunch supporter of the second

          amendment.  But as a lawyer, I simply do not believe that these

          weapons - whose functions are so adaptable to the destruction of

          human life - are protected under second amendment rights.  If they

          were, I would oppose this bill.

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from

          Ohio (Mr. Strickland).

            (Mr. STRICKLAND asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3079

                                       TIME: 1420

            Mr. STRICKLAND. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the bill.

            Last week a very offensive event took place in my hometown; the

          Ku Klux Klan held a rally.  While I was offended by their presence

          and despise their brand of hate mongering, I will defend their

          right to exercise their first amendment freedoms.

                                                                     PAGE H3079

            I oppose this bill because, however inconvenient it may be, we

          must adhere to the principles contained within our Constitution and

          our Bill of Rights.

            The first amendment leads the list of our constitutional freedoms

          by guaranteeing rights that we all embrace: The freedom of

          religion; freedom of speech; freedom of the press; and the freedom

          to peaceably assemble.

            We revere and value these rights and at times die for the

          preservation of them.  They embody the right of the minority to be

          protected against the tyranny of the majority.

                                                                     PAGE H3079

            Following the first amendment in the Bill of Rights is the

          often-forgotten and much-maligned second amendment, that guarantees

          the right to keep and bear arms.  In fact, the phrase used by the

          drafters is, `shall not be infringed.`

            So, regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum -

          conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat - if you are one

          who values the Constitution and the Bill of Rights you should not

          pick and choose from among these constitutional rights under the

          temptation to vote for this hollow promise of false security.

            Do not vote for this misdirected effort aimed at law-abiding

          gunowners, rather than dealing with the real causes of violence in

          our society.

                                                                     PAGE H3079

            I urge my colleagues to defeat the bill.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the

          distinguished gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young).

            (Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3079

            Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, my fellow colleagues, I rise

          in opposition to this legislation.

            With freedom comes responsibility; with responsibility comes

          freedom.  What we are doing today in asking us to vote for this

          legislation is to take the responsibility from those who would like

          to take the freedom away from us, the law-abiding citizens.

            We heard much about the NRA, and yes, I am an NRA member.  But I

          am also a proud gunowner in order to defend myself and the lives of

          my children.  I ask my colleagues, `If you really want to think

          about changing things - and I heard other speakers saying this is a

          chance to do something that is correct - I ask you was it correct

          about Waco when the Government overstepped its bounds and killed

          innocent people?`

                                                                     PAGE H3079

            And I cannot understand someone like the gentleman from New York

          that could support this legislation.  Maybe he has not gone to the

          Holocaust museum in Israel. I have done that three times, and I

          asked the question, `How could 6 million people have been herded

          and walked to their deaths?` I asked, `Why didn`t they protest?`

            Mr. Chairman, my guide said, `With what? They had nothing to

          protest with.  The citizenry was disarmed.  The government was the

          one that did the great carnage.`

            I heard the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Derrick) today

          say, `The Government must protect its people.  It is not a criminal

          I fear; it is, in fact, the Government.` The Government should not

          have the right to protect me; I should have the right to protect

          myself, and yes, to own, and operate, and have those firearms as

          long as I am a law-abiding citizen.

                                                                     PAGE H3079

            And many speakers before me talked about the criminal, and that

          is what we are not addressing.  The person that commits the crime,

          the 7 percent that commits 90 percent of the violent crimes, we are

          not addressing, nor are we given the opportunity to do so.

            But I will tell my colleagues and everybody that will listen to

          me: It is my right, my constitutional right, to pick that weapon

          which I think I can defend my family with, and I should do so.  It

          will be a hot day in Fort Yukon in January before this Government

          takes my firearms.

                                                                     PAGE H3080

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 1/2 minutes to the

          distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Andrews).

            (Mr. ANDREWS of Texas asked and was given permission to revise

          and extend his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3080

            Mr. ANDREWS of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I have always believed in the

          old Texas saying that gun control means steady aim.  As such, I

          have always opposed gun control.  Today, however, the House of

          Representatives is expected to vote on legislation that would make

          it illegal to manufacture or sell specified military-style

          semiautomatic assault weapons in the United States, and I intend to

          vote for the assault weapons ban.

            I did not reach this decision easily.  In the last Congress I

          opposed a similar assault weapons ban bill because it was too vague

          and undefined.  That bill could have included my shotgun and the

          weapons of other legitimate sportsmen.  It simply left too much to

          the discretion of the Federal Government. This bill, however,

          protects hunters` rights.

            The bill has drawn tremendous attention because it specifically

          targets high-velocity, rapid-fire weapons - like Uzi`s, AK-47`s,

          TEC-9`s, MAC-10`s, and AR-15`s - that have become the weapons of

          choice for drug dealers, street gangs, and hate groups.  The

          telephone lines and fax machines in my office are working overtime

          to respond to concerned citizens on both sides of this emotional

          and important issue.

                                                                     PAGE H3080

            I am a lifelong hunter; gun ownership is a way of life for my

          family, as it is for most Texans. During my tenure in Congress, I

          have resisted attempts to restrict the rights of law-abiding Texans

          to own firearms for sport or to defend their families and homes.  I

          believe that gun control laws hamper legitimate sportsmen far more

          than criminals, and my votes have consistently supported this

          position.

            At the same time, as a former Harris County prosecutor and a

          father of two teenage daughters, I cannot help but be appalled at

          the rising number of random violent crimes that are occurring on

          our streets.  In our own city of Houston, a teenage boy was slain

          by a rival gang member with an AK-47 at a Halloween party.  The

          problems we have experienced in Houston mirror those in other

          cities and towns across this country.

            Federal statistics show that, although semiautomatic assault

          weapons account for only 0.5 percent of privately owned firearms in

          this country, they are involved in 8.4 percent of crimes involving

          firearms.  In other words, assault weapons are 17 times more likely

          to be traced to crimes than conventional firearms.  Between 1986 to

          1990, 1,088 assault weapons were traced to murders in the United

          States. Another 3,505 were linked to drug traffickers.  For every

          assault weapon confiscated by law enforcement officers, many more

          are manufactured and sold on our streets.

                                                                     PAGE H3080

            Police say that just one of the weapons that would be banned, the

          TEC-9, has been involved in 319 murder cases, 234 instances of

          assault, and over 600 narcotics investigations.  The TEC-9 can fire

          32 rounds in 30 seconds.  At a time when there is a very real and

          palpable fear of violent crime in this country, when law

          enforcement officials are outgunned by the offenders they hope to

          apprehend, and when driveby shootings and murder of innocent

          bystanders have become a weekly occurrence, we must do something

          significant to protect our families and children.

            The assault weapons ban we are debating today is different from

          previous proposals.  Legitimate sportsmen can be assured that 650

          hunting rifles and shotguns are specifically exempted from the

          ban.  In addition, the bill specifically defines hunting and

          sporting weapons as those operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide

          action; or a semiautomatic rifle that cannot accept a detachable

          magazine that holds more than five rounds of ammunition.  That

          assures that my shotgun, your deer rifle, or your son`s or

          daughter`s .22-caliber rifle are not considered under the ban.

            The bill is equally specific on what weapons are to be

          prohibited.  For example, semiautomatic rifles with detachable

          magazines would be included under the ban if they possess at least

          two of the following features: a folding telescoping stock, a

          pistol grip that sticks out conspicuously beneath the rifle`s

          action, a bayonet mount, a flash suppressor, or a grenade

          launcher.  Who can in good conscience defend such weapons as

          appropriate for hunters or sportsmen? Anyone that needs a 20-round

          clip of high-velocity ammunition to fell a duck or kill a deer

          needs to take up golf.

                                                                     PAGE H3080

            The bill`s `grandfather` provision will allow existing weapons

          owners to keep their weapons without any recordkeeping

          requirements, unless the weapon is sold or transferred after the

          bill is enacted.  The bill also contains a `sunset` provision: The

          ban will automatically expire 10 years after its enactment.

            Supporters of the ban make a convincing argument on its ability

          to reduce violent crimes.  Previous experience in cutting off

          access of these deadly weapons to criminals - as in California, New

          Jersey, and Connecticut, for example - has shown that it does

          reduce their use in violent crimes.  Likewise, the use of assault

          rifles in crimes dropped by 40 percent the first year after

          President Bush banned their importation in 1989. States and

          municipalities that have banned assault weapons have experienced

          similar results.

            That is why support for an assault weapons ban in this country is

          strong, particularly among law enforcement organizations, such as

          the International Association of Police Chiefs, the National

          Sheriff`s Association, the National Association of Police

          Organizations, and the Fraternal Order of Police. And despite the

          denial of its organizational leadership, a significant number of

          NRA members recognize that the weapons targeted under the bill are

          dangerous and unnecessary.  This bill will not stop all crime on

          Houston`s streets, but it will help our local police fight crime

          and it will save lives.

                                                                     PAGE H3080

            Gun ownership has a long and proud tradition in Texas - but so

          does public safety and respect for law and order.  Our individual

          right to keep and bear firearms is based on responsibility and

          common sense.  We have laws that seek to guarantee the safety of

          our citizens: people cannot fish with dynamite, scream fire in a

          crowded theater, or purchase many kinds of military weapons.  I am

          convinced that if we limit the availability of military-style

          assault weapons, we will be taking a meaningful and prudent step

          toward improving the safety of our streets without trampling on our

          constitutional rights.

            Mr. Chairman, I strongly urge my colleagues to support the

          Assault Weapons Ban Act of 1994.

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished

          gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), a former Governor.

                                                                     PAGE H3080

            Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Connecticut

          (Mr. Shays) for yielding this time to me.  I would just like to

          share my thoughts on this legislation.

            Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the legislation, the ban on

          assault weapons in the United States of America, and I know this is

          a very difficult issue for a lot of Members here today and who are

          watching back in their offices, and it probably should be, but it

          is one I wrestled with quite a while ago as Governor of a State and

          with the Governors of New Jersey and Virginia among others.  I have

          called for a ban on assault weapons.  I have introduced legislation

          in Delaware. We have not achieved where I would like to go with

          that, but it was a relatively simple issue, working with our police

          officers, and others, who believe so strongly in this, and I have

          looked at this legislation, and a lot of people will look at this

          legislation, and they will say: `Well, we can go beyond this

          because it`s going to give the ability to Federal officials to ban

          other kinds of weapons.`

            And all variety of arguments come up with respect to that, but I

          think this whole thing is relatively simple, and there are just a

          few points, perhaps, we should look at as we try to reach our

          decisions as to whether we are going to vote for this or not.

                                                                     PAGE H3080

            First of all, and I do not necessarily agree with this, but this

          is a future bill.  This does not include weapons which people

          presently own and under which they have control.  That is a

          significant point, I think, in determining whether we should vote

          for it or not.

            The question then becomes: is this an appropriate piece of

          legislation? What are these assault weapons or semiautomatic

          weapons? How are they used?

            Well, we hear they are used in target practice.  I do not know of

          a lot of target practice, frankly, in which these are used, and,

          quite frankly, I do not know of a lot of hunting in which these

          kinds of weapons are used.  It just is not something which is very

          prevalent in the United States of America, and I suggest we look

          very carefully at what these weapons are and exactly what their

          uses are in the United States of America.

                                                                     PAGE H3080

            Some people have gotten up today and said they have not had any

          incidents in their districts.  I hope we do not have to have an

          incident in a majority of our districts involving an assault weapon

          before we can pass this legislation.  The bottom line is that there

          have been incidents across the United States of America. More than

          incidents of the use of assault weapons there have been a lot of

          crimes committed with assault weapons in which they have not

          actually been used.  Let us keep that in mind as well.  These are

          expanding in the United States of America.

            Mr. Chairman, our law enforcement officers are strongly for this

          piece of legislation, and I think that is also very, very

          significant.  They are the ones who are on the firing line, and

          they are the ones who are saying, `Do something to help protect

          us.`

            And then there is the whole issue of, I say to my colleagues,

          Well, if you are for this ban on assault weapons, you are not tough

          on crime.  I would like to think I am as tough on crime as anyone

          else here.  As a matter of fact, when I was Governor, we in

          Delaware did a lot of things that include mandatory minimums for

          using weapons in crimes.  We have truth in sentencing in the State

          of Delaware. We have looked at all these issues, and my belief is

          that we can still have those very strong measures.

                                                                     PAGE H3081

                                       TIME: 1430

            I wish we perhaps could have amended this bill to put in some

          stronger measures with respect to what the penalties would be if

          one had assault weapons. but the bottom line is that we can be very

          tough on crime but we can also be against assault weapons because

          they expand the crime that we see in the United States of America.

                                                                     PAGE H3081

            There was a young man who was caned today by our time in

          Singapore. That individual was caned in a city or a state which

          basically does not allow any weapons at all.  I tried to find out,

          but I do not know what the penalties there may be.  But the bottom

          line is that they have stronger penalties but they also ban the use

          of these weapons.

            Mr. Chairman, I think we should start by supporting this

          legislation.

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from

          Texas (Mr. Pete Geren).

                                                                     PAGE H3081

            Mr. PETE GEREN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for

          yielding this time to me.

            Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this bill to ban ugly guns.

            This debate is perhaps a perfect metaphor for politics today.  It

          is all about form and appearance, little about substance.  This

          bill is the proverbial blow-dried, golden-maned, straight-teeth,

          red tie, blue shirt, game show host, good-looking politician.  How

          could anyone be against it? Who could be against a bill that bans

          ugly guns?

                                                                     PAGE H3081

            To confirm that this bill is all and only about appearance, let

          us look at the criteria that the bill`s authors use as a basis for

          banning these guns.  But first let us note what they do not use.

          They do not consider how fast a gun can shoot, the size or speed of

          its projectile, how hard it hits the target, or how accurate a

          weapon is.  They do not use that type of criteria because there is

          no difference in the fire power of the guns they ban and those they

          do not.

            Let us look at the criteria they do use.  The bill bans a gun if

          it has two of the following five criteria: A folding stock, a

          pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously - yes, conspicuously, a

          bayonet mount, a flash suppressor attachment, or a grenade launcher

          attachment.

            Not one deals with fire power.  We talk of stopping the shooting,

          and we ban bayonet mounts.  A gun with all five criteria may be

          mud-fence ugly, but it is not more deadly.

                                                                     PAGE H3081

            And these criteria have nothing at all to do with crime.

          Eighty-eight percent of our police chiefs agree.

            When was the last time we heard of a crime that involved a fixed

          bayonet or a launched grenade? If the criminals of America for some

          reason agreed to abide by this bill and removed their flash

          suppressors and bayonet mounts, would we save a single life?

            If our Government is going to take anything away, anything even

          ugly things, from anyone, it has the burden to prove that it is

          more than ugly.  It has the heavy burden of proving the furtherance

          of a public purpose.

                                                                     PAGE H3081

            For many and probably most Americans, this debate is

          bewildering.  Why would anyone oppose a ban on these ugly weapons?

          Because ugly is not enough.

            In a democracy that cherishes liberty, yes, even eccentric

          expressions of liberty, the burden is on the bill`s proponents to

          prove, not that this bill will not hurt, but that it will advance a

          legitimate and overriding social purpose, a purpose that overrides

          the liberty that it takes away, however trivial some may consider

          that liberty to be.

            The proponents have not done this, and they cannot, because ugly

          is not enough.

                                                                     PAGE H3081

            Mr. Chairman, this proposal is a golden-maned, talk show host,

          good-looking measure, and in spite of those boasting of their

          courage in supporting it, it is popular, very popular.  The

          politically unpopular vote is no.  It is the right vote.  Ugly is

          not enough.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the

          gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gekas).

            (Mr. GEKAS asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3081

            Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Chairman, this proposed ban aids the criminal and

          hits the law-abiding citizen squarely in the face, and the criminal

          sprints away laughing at the whole scene, because it is the

          law-abiding citizen whose rights have been hurt.

            To what avail is this ban to that criminal who has just escaped

          the thrust of this bill? That criminal can look at the 650 other

          weapons that are exempted by this very same piece of legislation

          and commit any crime that criminally intended mind sets out to

          commit.

            On the other hand, let us ask ourselves this question.  Can the

          law-abiding citizen utilize one of the 19 banned weapons for lawful

          purposes? The answer is, yes, for self-defense, collection,

          hunting, and sports activities.  But conversely, is it not true

          that the criminal mind, the criminal who is intent on committing a

          crime, can use any of the 650 items that are exempted here to

          commit a crime?

                                                                     PAGE H3081

            The priorities are completely reversed, and the effort to ban

          guns makes the criminal laugh at us.

            The criminal will find ways and means, if he intends to do so, to

          rob a convenience store.  We should aim at that criminal, aim at

          the one who intends to commit a crime and does.  Our aim is way off

          here.  In the meantime the criminal is cackling, chortling,

          laughing all the way to the next spot where he can pick up a

          semiautomatic, if he wants to, and use it for unlawful purposes.

                                                                     PAGE H3082

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from

          California (Mr. Lehman).

            Mr. LEHMAN. Mr. Chairman, the other night a constituent called my

          office and asked me to vote against this bill.  I could tell that

          he was knowledgeable about guns.  So he read me the list of weapons

          that would be banned.  He said, `Those are not legitimate weapons.`

                                                                     PAGE H3082

            Mr. Chairman, 5 years ago, on a school playground in my district,

          5 children were murdered and dozens injured because they could not

          get out of the way fast enough.  The weapon that was involved was

          purchased legally.

            Mr. Chairman, people do have the right to keep and bear arms.  We

          should resist any attempt to deny law-abiding citizens weapons for

          personal protection, sport, and pleasure.  Banning the continued

          manufacture of these tools of mass destruction does not ban that

          right.  Let us sum up the courage today to end the policy that give

          street gangs, criminals, and deranged killers access to more fire

          power than our police, and let us give our children on our school

          playgrounds a fighting chance to get out of the way.

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished

          gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella).

                                                                     PAGE H3082

            Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding

          time to me.

            Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this initiative to ban certain

          types of semiautomatic assault weapons that fire rapidly with ease.

            These weapons have no sporting use.  They are suitable for

          combat.

                                                                     PAGE H3082

            Recently we received support for the banning of assault weapons

          by former Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan, and this support

          reflects their experience in leading the American people.  It is

          also indicative of the bipartisan support which exists for getting

          these murderous weapons off the streets.

            We just recently passed the crime bill.  The assault weapons ban,

          together with the crime bill, represents the kind of comprehensive

          approach needed to address the problems of crime and violence in

          our society.

            I would also like to stress again the fact that our colleagues

          should bear in mind that this is not a partisan issue.  We remember

          that with the support of former President Reagan, President Bush

          imposed a ban on the importing of assault weapons.  Well, following

          that ban, imported assault weapons traced to crime declined by 45

          percent, whereas the domestic assault weapons traced to crime

          remained the same.

                                                                     PAGE H3082

            Barry Goldwater has affirmed that assault weapons `have no place

          in anybody`s arsenal.` Jack Kemp endorsed the ban last year, and

          Gov. William Weld has endorsed legislation to ban assault weapons

          and high-capacity magazines.

            In my State of Maryland, the State Police have endorsed this

          ban.  I am pleased that the Governor of Maryland has supported the

          ban, and the State Legislature just recently passed very similar

          legislation.

            Yes, each side of this debate has its statistics bolstering its

          point of view, but how could anyone honestly think that the banning

          of assault weapons will not save lives and reduce violence? After

          all, although semiautomatic assault weapons are less than 1 percent

          of this Nation`s privately owned guns, they accounted for 8.4

          percent of all violence traced to crime from 1988 to 1991. And also

          I do believe that this legislation makes fair, reasonable

          accommodations to the interests of hunters and sportsmen.  It

          specifically exempts 670 hunting and recreational rifles and

          shotguns.  It bans only 19 assault weapons which are the weapons of

          choice for gangs, drug dealers, and organized crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3082

            It is time to act to get these rifles off the streets and protect

          our families, our children, and our communities.  Ask the parents

          of a child killed in a drive-by shooting, the children of a police

          officer gunned down with an AK-47, or a young man permanently

          paralyzed because he went to the grocery store when gang members

          swept through his neighborhood, how they would vote on assault

          weapons.  We know the answer.  They would vote, yes.

            Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to do the same.

                                       TIME: 1440

                                                                     PAGE H3082

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman

          from Washington, (Mrs. Unsoeld).

            (Mrs. UNSOELD asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          her remarks.)

            Mrs. UNSOELD. Mr. Chairman, the violence that is ripping apart

          our families, classrooms, and communities is nothing short of a

          crisis.  No one can feel good about society`s collective impotence

          in lessening the impact violence has on our everyday lives - and

          the siren call for stricter gun control measures may on the surface

          sound `oh so appealing.` But we must ask ourselves if a ban on

          so-called `assault weapons` will actually be effective or fair.

          The proponents of this ban would eliminate in one fell swoop an

          entire class of legitimate firearms based solely on its looks: from

          military look-alikes to sporting guns like the Springfield M1A, the

          firearm used by the majority of this country`s most successful

          competitive shooters.  Banning this gun or that gun based solely on

          cosmetic appearance and subtle mechanics is a tragic misplacement

          of legislative priorities sure to lead to greater disillusionment

          for those who yearn for a greater sense of security.

                                                                     PAGE H3082

            The proponents also claim that passage of this bill will go a

          long way toward ending violent crime yet auto-loading arms are

          involved in less than 1 percent of all serious crimes in this

          country.  Responsible use of firearms by responsible owners would

          be prohibited because of the false premise that gun bans are the

          cure-alls of the crime problem - all the while this body looks away

          from the roots of the antisocial behavior that truly cause crime.

          Guns are not at the root of criminal behavior.  Rather, their use

          in criminal acts is a derivative of criminal behavior - and banning

          them doesn`t solve the problem.  Stemming the rise in crime takes a

          Congress dedicated to preventing crime at its roots - not taking

          rights away from law-abiding citizens.

            There is nothing more important to our Nation than how we rear

          our children.  We must break this cycle of unloved, neglected, and

          abandoned children who mindlessly lash out in their own form of

          self-hatred and destruction.

            Last month I held forums in my district on early childhood

          education and violence prevention.  The overwhelming testimony

          expressed by expert panelists and attendees alike was that crime

          begins from failed human relations at a very early age - when

          conscience and compassion have not been taught.  We must help

          families with young children and more must be done to help children

          and families avoid the problems that lead our youth to gangs,

          drugs, and senseless violence.  In April I introduced a bill to

          help do just that.  If we assist struggling families with young

          children, we help all families and all children.  Parents will be

          given the opportunity to interact with other parents and to learn

          more about basic child development, positive discipline techniques,

          and parent-child communication skills.  The foundation of

          anti-social behavior is laid in those very early years of childhood

          so it is not only wise to invest in children and families, it is

          incumbent on elected officials to do so.

                                                                     PAGE H3082

            That does not mean we should ignore gun controls that are already

          law, we should throw the book at anyone who uses a firearm in the

          commission of a crime.  We should demand maximum punishment under

          the law for anyone who traffics in stolen weapons and demand

          unequivocally at least 30 years for any supplier of firearms to

          juveniles.  These are heinous crimes that deserve every ounce of

          determined enforcement.

            I want to end with this thought: the emotions we have expressed

          today over this issue are as strong as any I have witnessed in this

          great body.  Fear. Anger. Frustration. Despair. And at the pit of

          it all, in the gut, the need to do something about it!! I

          understand - I feel that, too.  So I reach out to all of you, I

          urge you, not settle on ineffective and unconstitutional firearm

          restrictions, but rather to fight with me to get the real roots of

          violence, the anti-social behavior that leads to tragedies in our

          families and on our streets.

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may

          consume to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr.

          Bartlett).

            (Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland asked and was given permission to

          revise and extend his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong

          opposition to this bill, which will do nothing to fight crime and

          infringe on our second amendment rights.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the

          gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Schiff).

            (Mr. SCHIFF asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, this is an attempt to legislate through

          label.  By mistakenly placing the title `assault weapons`

          arbitrarily on this group of firearms, and having the term `assault

          weapons` repeated over and over and over again in much of the

          media, it has served to totally confuse the issue about what

          weapons we are talking about here.

            It has even confused matters on the House floor.  I heard a

          senior Member of the House just a moment ago say we need to ban

          automatic weapons.  There is not a single automatic weapon in this

          bill.  That is because automatic weapons - these are the true

          military combat weapons which can be set for constant fire with one

          pull of the trigger - are banned today.

            The weapons we are actually talking about do not fire any

          differently than the weapons that are not banned.  If there were a

          difference between them, the proponents of this bill would have

          demonstrated that on the range by placing one against the other in

          a test that the media and the public could see.

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            But I think that the real crux of this bill, the real way to know

          if this is legitimate law enforcement, in which I consider certain

          gun control proposals apart, or just grandstanding is the fact that

          this bill, if it becomes law today, will not ban a single weapon

          today.  The law exempts all of the weapons that are called assault

          weapons today.  Every one who owns one legally can keep one

          legally.

            If the proponents believed all the rhetoric they have been

          stating, if they believed these weapons have no useful purpose in

          society, then they would ban them today.  The reason they do not do

          that is that they know that over one million Americans, law-abiding

          Americans, have chosen to own these weapons, and the Government

          does not relish the thought of confiscating these weapons from so

          many law-abiding Americans and all the bad publicity that would

          bring to the proponents` argument that these weapons are supposedly

          owned by criminals and drug dealers.

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as she may consume

          to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            (Mrs. MALONEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          her remarks.)

            Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, the NRA apparently has never seen a

          gun it didn`t like.

            The `R` in NRA clearly no longer stands for rifle; I say it

          stands for reprehensible.

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            It managed to hold Congress hostage for years over the Brady

          bill.  Now the NRA is really insulting our intelligence.  It`s

          suggesting that it would be a blow to democracy for Congress to

          regulate guns whose sole purpose is to kill as many people as

          possible as quickly as possible.

            Violent crime in our country has reached atrocity proportions

          when in a few seconds of gunfire, a violent and deranged person can

          slaughter dozens of innocent people.

            Doctors from all over the world come to America`s major cities

          for intensive training in emergency medicine.  It is a sad

          commentary on our American way of life - and death - that in our

          emergency rooms, they will receive more experience in treating

          penetration wounds in one night than they would in a whole year

          back home.

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            It boggles the mind to imagine how we can fail to limit the

          availability of weapons and ammunition which have no legitimate

          sporting purpose.

            The American people and the people of New York City that I

          represent want safe streets and neighborhoods for themselves and

          their children.  They don`t buy the NRA argument that the second

          amendment should allow some screwball with a street sweeper to blow

          away whole playgrounds full of their children.

            This Congress had the courage to break the stranglehold of the

          NRA over the Brady bill, and its more than high time for us to do

          the obvious today.

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            Mr. Chairman, the assault weapons included in this bill are not

          instruments of sport or self-defense; they`re instruments of murder

          - and I don`t want to be an accomplice.  Vote for the assault

          weapons ban.

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 1/2 minutes to the

          distinguished gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. McCurdy).

            (Mr. McCURDY asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            Mr. McCURDY. Mr. Chairman, this is an issue of common sense.  My

          colleagues, what kind of country do we want?

            The first time I went to a foreign country and saw uniformed

          police in the airports and street corners with military assault

          weapons, I shuddered.  And yet today, we are now manufacturing and

          selling these very weapons not for our military, but for public

          use.

            In 1991, Mr. Chairman, I voted against a ban that I considered

          was worded too broadly.  But this bill is narrower and specifically

          protects sporting guns.  I own two shotguns that are even on the

          list of the 670. This ban does not affect a single weapon legally

          owned.

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            Mr. Chairman, every one in this Chamber also knows that this ban

          is not going to solve crime and is not going to eliminate all the

          violence.  But I voted for the toughest prevention, punishment, and

          police provisions in the recent crime bill.  I successfully offered

          the police corps amendment that will add 100,000 police officers to

          our cities and towns.

            But we should not let them be outgunned.  The police chief in my

          hometown said, `It is just to easy to purchase these high capacity

          assault weapons.  They have become an officer`s worst nightmare.`

            There is much talk about individual rights.  But we as citizens

          also have a responsibility to our community and our Nation. We do

          not need these military-style assault weapons on our streets.  I

          urge passage of the bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 1/2 minutes to the

          distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Horn).

            Mr. HORN. Mr. Chairman, I grew up on a ranch near San Juan

          Bautista, CA. I was taught to shoot at a very young age.  If the

          guns we are banning in this particular piece of legislation had

          been in existence, any hunter that used them to shoot a deer or to

          shoot at rabbits, would have been laughed out of San Benito County.

            I now live in urban America. My policy consistently has been if

          you want a gun in your home, have one in your home.  If you want a

          gun at your business, have one at your business.  However, if you

          have a gun in a car and you are driving around urban America, as

          far as I am concerned, you better have a permit or off to jail you

          go.  You should live in urban America, where we have people shot by

          the thousands, by teenagers, by young hoods, from all walks of life

          and all ethnic groups.

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            I happen to have taken a stand against assault weapons several

          years ago.  It was in the Republican primary.  My seven opponents

          got up and parroted the NRA. I won.

            I remember an issues survey we did of Republicans during the 1992

          primary.  That survey cost $10,000. One of the questions was on

          banning guns, on banning assault weapons.

                                       TIME: 1450

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            Sixty-five percent of the Republicans in my district favored that

          ban.  I suggest that a few of my colleagues ought to get in touch

          with what the grassroots in urban and suburban America really

          thinks.

            On February 22, a Los Angeles police officer and mother of two,

          Christy Lynne Hamilton, was gunned down in the line of duty.  The

          weapon used was an AR-15, the civilian version of the M-16 assault

          rifle.  The shooter was not a hardened criminal.  The implication

          by some in this debate has been `If only those hardened criminals

          were put away, then we would solve the problem.` Sure, those

          criminals ought to be put away.  I support the proposals of the

          gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum); I voted against the rule

          which precluded him from having a vote on his amendment.  The

          Committee on Rules should have permitted his amendment.  It did

          not.  That decision was shameful.

            But the hardened criminal, the drug dealer, or the gang member

          was not the individual shooting at Christy Lynn Hamilton. It was a

          17-year-old former honor student.  The assault rifle used in this

          crime was not stolen.  It was not transferred illegally.  It was a

          gift from his father, who also was killed in the incident.

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            Now, if this legislation has no effect, as many of

          those in opposition have said, why do they not humor us? Why do

          they not pass it? Maybe we can save a few lives.

            Just yesterday I was visited in my office by Stephen Sposato,

          whose beloved wife, mother of his 10-month-old daughter, Meghan

          Marie was tragically killed by a spray of automatic fire in an

          office in San Francisco. She was not killed in the cross fire of

          two gang members.  That happened in Long Beach.

            One of our staff at California State University Long Beach, lost

          his daughter who was innocently sitting in the back of a pickup

          truck going down the street.  One gang member was driving east.

          The member of a rival gang was driving west.  When one of them shot

          at the other, they killed the daughter of the university employee.

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            Now, the tragedy occurred while Mrs. Sposato mother of Meghan

          Marie, was at work in a San Francisco law firm.

            What we are talking about here are banning weapons that have

          absolutely no valid purpose, but to kill others very rapidly.

            I can recall Tom Likus` call-in radio show in Los Angeles. The

          issue was the second amendment.  Two very articulate individuals

          phoned in and claimed that they had a constitutional right under

          the second amendment to have nuclear weapons in their home.

                                                                     PAGE H3083

            Now, think about it, folks.  How silly can some of this get?

            What we are prohibiting in terms of new purchases are weapons

          that no legitimate hunter and no citizen who wants to defend his or

          her home needs or would use.  Since May 1st, 369 constituents have

          telephoned supporting this measure, 286 constituents have

          telephoned their opposition.  It is clear that those in the 38th

          Congressional District in 1992 and 1994, by a majority, want

          reasonable, limited restrictions on these weapons designed to kill

          many people very rapidly.  Those weapons need to be taken off of

          our streets.  So for those who think this bill will be ineffective

          in reducing crimes where guns are used, humor us.  Pass this

          much-needed, long overdue legislation.  Maybe, as I have said, just

          maybe we can save a few lives.

                                                                     PAGE H3084

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 1/2 minutes to the

          distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Valentine).

            Mr. VALENTINE. Mr. Chairman, I have many fond memories of hunting

          ducks and geese with my sons in eastern North Carolina.

                                                                     PAGE H3084

            My father taught me the joys of hunting.  He also gave me a

          healthy respect for the sanctity of life.  I hope that I have done

          the same for my children, and that they will be able to do the same

          for their children.

            No one on this floor today, and no one who has ever served in

          this august body, has ever believed more strongly in preserving a

          citizen`s constitutional rights than do I.

            But, no one in this body is more aware than I am of the daily

          escalation of weaponry facing our law enforcement officials and

          other citizens.  No one is more concerned about the children of

          this country who, instead of playing dodge ball, are having to

          learn to dodge bullets fired from semi-automatic weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3084

            We, in Congress, have the sworn responsibility to preserve and

          defend the Constitution and the rights it bestows on our citizens.

          We also have a responsibility to promote the safety and well-being

          of our citizens.

            Mr. Chairman, there is no place in this country where it is legal

          to carry a sawed-off shotgun.  The right to bear arm does not give

          an American the right to park a Howitzer in the garage.

            It is time to put a stop to the proliferation of dangerous

          weapons such as the AK-47, the Street Sweeper, and the Striker 12.

          These weapons serve no reasonable, lawful purpose except to kill

          people.

                                                                     PAGE H3084

            God help us all if we do not seek to bring sanity back to our

          cities and towns, to get these weapons of war off of our streets.

            Recently, I received a letter from a Federal judge in North

          Carolina. In his letter, Judge Earl Britt writes,

            However, something must be done about the proliferation of

          assault weapons and handguns.  The carnage in our society from

          these type weapons has reached crisis proportions.  For the sake of

          our children and grandchildren, please cast your vote for this

          sensible legislation.

                                                                     PAGE H3084

            I urge my colleagues, especially those concerned about the rights

          of gunowners and innocent citizens, to listen to the wisdom of

          Judge Britt and join me in support of this legislation.

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for his

          courageous stand.

            Mr. Chairman, I yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from

          Georgia (Mr. Johnson), whose district constitutes southern rural

          Georgia.

                                                                     PAGE H3084

            (Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia asked and was given permission to revise

          and extend his remarks.)

            Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I support the assault

          weapon ban because very simply, I believe that it will save lives.

          Let me be clear, I do not think it will reduce crime in America.

          Hopefully the measures in the crime bill will do that.

            What this bill does is to reduce the number of victims of violent

          crime.  This measure simply saves lives.

                                                                     PAGE H3084

            The most important thing this bill does is to ban large capacity

          clips like those used in the recent California schoolyard and New

          York commuter train killings in which dozens of people died.  In

          fact, the madman in New York was subdued only when he stopped to

          reload.

            We cannot stop sick individuals from getting guns, but what we

          can do is make it harder for them to get weapons equipped to fire

          dozens of shots without reloading.  This is the real effect of this

          legislation.

            I support the second amendment.  I grew up in a culture that

          values and respects guns.  I enjoy hunting and have guns in my own

          home for protection.  Hunting and home protection are not the issue

          in this case.  Killing people is the issue.

                                                                     PAGE H3084

            I firmly believe that if these guns are banned, the effect will

          be to reduce the potential for mass killings in America.

            I will leave Members with this question: If a madman walks into a

          fast food restaurant where your wife and children are eating, would

          you rather he have a six-shooter or a weapon that can wipe out

          every person in the building? That is what this bill is about.  I

          urge its adoption.

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 1/2 minutes to the gentleman

          from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the distinguished chairman of the

          Committee on Energy and Commerce.

                                                                     PAGE H3084

            (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4296.

            This bill bans a class of commonly owned firearms based on

          technology that has been in use for more than a century.  We know

          about the 19 weapons banned by the bill.  We also know about the

          670 hunting and recreational rifles and shotguns specifically

          exempted by the bill.  But let us look at all the facts:

                                                                     PAGE H3084

            First, 585 of the 670 firearms `protected` by the bill are not

          semiautomatics.  They are bolt and slide action weapons that have

          noting to do with the substance of this bill.  For what purposes

          are those 585 guns listed, and why are only currently manufactured

          makes and models listed?

            Second, the vast majority of semiautomatic handguns certainly do

          not have the assault features listed in the bill - but not one

          handgun is protected under the bill.

            Third, the gentleman from New York says his bill would not affect

          sporting guns.  That is contradicted by ATF Director John Magaw who

          told our colleagues in the other body that the Springfield M1A

          would be affected.  That rifle is the most popular rifle used by

          high power target shooters in matches, including the National

          Matches, which were established by Congress in 1903.

                                                                     PAGE H3084

            Fourth, ammunition magazines holding over 10 bullets would be

          treated as banned and treated as `firearm` in the bill, but we are

          told magazines manufactured prior to enactment of this bill would

          be grandfathered.  How does someone in possession of one of these

          magazines prove it was manufactured prior to the date of enactment

          so as to avoid criminal prosecution?

                                                                     PAGE H3085

                                       TIME: 1500

            Fifth, the bill says that anyone owning a weapon banned by this

          bill prior its enactment is not affected if a form 4473 is filled

          out and kept and that the form is transferred with the weapon.

          Yet, under the bill, the Secretary has the authority to require

          additional forms and additional information to be filled out and

          maintained.  There is no guidance whether this form, or forms, are

          to be filed with anyone, or how these forms are to be maintained.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            Completing a Federal form 4473 to prove compliance is not

          required under H.R. 4296 until the firearm is transferred.  Under

          the legislation, if a father gives his son a gun that is classified

          as an assault weapon under this legislation, in order to comply

          with regulations to be written by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,

          and Firearms (ATF), the son must complete a form 4473 and both

          parties must keep a copy.  The legislation leaves the details of

          the availability of these forms as well as any filing requirements

          with Federal or local authorities to the discretion of the ATF.

          This is the first incursion of the Federal Government into private

          firearms transfers, because all swaps, sales, gifts, and

          inheritances would require the completion of a form 4473, thereby

          leading to the registration of all firearms.

            However, the provisions dealing with previously owned, lawful

          firearms covered by this legislation are even more alarming.

          According to the legislation, previously owned guns are

          grandfathered and not subject to registration.  But proving a

          firearm was owned prior to enactment without a form 4473 is

          virtually impossible without registration.  Additionally, although

          high capacity magazines are grandfathered under the bill, it will

          be equally difficult to prove that the magazine was owned prior to

          enactment.  This would lead to de facto gun registration of both

          firearms and magazines.

            Without a completed form 4473, an owner of a banned gun or

          restricted magazine could not prove that he or she owned the

          firearm prior to enactment.  And without proving compliance - by

          forcing law-abiding citizens to fill out and maintain Federal

          Government forms - a gun owner could face a 6 month prison sentence

          and a $1,000 fine.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            Sixth, it is said by proponents that the legislation provides no

          additional authority to ATF to ban more guns.  Yet, the Bureau of

          Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has said that virtually any

          semiautomatic could be included on the list of banned guns by

          making cosmetic changes, or removed from the list for the same

          reason.

            And additional firearms may be added by the Secretary of the

          Treasury if the semiautomatic firearm in question meets the

          criteria in the bill - an act which can instantly convert hundreds

          of thousands of innocent law abiding Americans into criminals.

            How this bill would affect crime in this country.  No reputable

          research done to date, including statistics gathered by the FBI,

          the Department of Justice, in the States, or by ATF, suggests that

          even the broadest definition of that class of firearms loosely

          defined as assault weapons occupy other than a statistically

          insignificant portion of the crimes committed with all firearms.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            I have in hand a study conducted by ATF and other law enforcement

          offices in the Detroit area completed in 1992 which focused on

          narcotic related firearms seizures and shows that:

            Thirteen of the 19 firearms listed in H.R. 4296 were not even

          represented among the 2359 firearms examined.

            Of the firearms in the `top 24` by volume, only one of the

          firearms named on this bill is present.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            The `firearm of choice` of narcotics violators is not an assault

          weapon at all, nor is the second or the third.

            In fact, there were more Winchester model 1894 30-30`s recovered,

          a 100 year old gun everyone would immediately recognize as the gun

          cowboys used to fight off rustlers in the movies, than the two more

          popular frequently mentioned firearm in this debate the Colt AR-15

          or the TEC-9.

            This same conclusion is reflected around the country and I urge

          you to contact your local law enforcement office to ask them to

          show you the data related to the use of any of the firearms in this

          bill in crime.  In at least several instances such as with the

          Steyr Aug, the Beretta AR-70, or any Galil, your local law

          enforcement will never even see these firearms.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            The majority of the other guns on this list will figure only

          marginally at worst.  The lipservice paid to those who currently

          own these firearms by the sponsor of this bill that will be

          grandfathered is little more that a fig leaf hiding a much broader

          agenda.  It has been suggested that because this bill does not

          immediately seize these firearms, or criminalize possession by

          current owners that those who now own them will be protected.  I

          think that proves that there is a wider agenda here.  That is the

          registration and licensing of all firearms owners, the primary

          purpose of which has historically been to locate and identify

          firearms for confiscation.

            It is not difficult to surmise what the next step will be.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the

          distinguished gentlewoman from Nevada (Mrs. Vucanovich).

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            (Mrs. VUCANOVICH asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend her remarks.)

            Mrs. VUCANOVICH. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding

          time to me.

            Mr. Chairman, I rise today to speak in ardent opposition to the

          adoption of the so-called assault weapons ban legislation.  I rise

          today not to speak eloquently like so many of my colleagues have on

          whether this bill will reduce crime, because it will not.  I do not

          seek the House`s attention on whether this bill will keep guns out

          of the hands of criminals, because it will not.  I need not comment

          on whether there are any meaningful distinctions between these

          semiautomatic firearms and all the other semiautomatic firearms,

          because there are none.  I am not obligated to explain if these

          rifles are truly weapons of war, because we all know they are not.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            There are many good reasons why this legislation should be

          soundly defeated.  But perhaps the most important one of all has

          been kept from plain view.  Yesterday, Charlton Heston, one of the

          most beloved performing artists in the Nation, and a long time

          civil rights leader and spokesperson, summed up quite well what

          this ban is all about.  He pointed out that movie studios often use

          back lots, such as in Westerns, that certainly look real on camera,

          but are simply facades.  That, Mr. Chairman, is what this is all

          about.  It`s simply a facade with no substance behind it.  But I

          will tell you what is behind it, and I hope that every Member

          listening at this moment reflects with care upon what their vote

          means.

            When the Brady bill, now the Brady law, was passed, what you

          heard most frequently on the part of those who had long campaigned

          for it was the comment, `Yes we know it will not really reduce

          crime at all, but it`s a good first step.` I can assure you that

          what you will hear from the supporters of this legislation, many of

          whom have testified before representative Schumer, like Jim and

          Sarah Brady, is the statement: `Yes, we know that it may not be a

          terribly effective crime reduction measure, but it is another good

          step.` Mr. Chairman, how many steps will it take? As every Member

          in this body is aware, the Brady`s Handgun Control Inc., and some

          Members are now supporting in part or in whole legislative efforts

          to:

            First, reduce the number of guns in this country as much as is

          feasible; second, require the licensing and registration of

          firearms owners and firearms; third, impose stiff and confiscatory

          taxation rates on law abiding purchasers of firearms and

          ammunitions; fourth, eliminate certain types of firearms from

          civilian possession, such as that proposed in this bill, as well as

          severely limiting how many cartridges a firearm can hold and use;

          and

          fifth, imposing an ever expanding zone of tort and product

          liability on the part of firearm owners, manufacturers, dealers,

          and others for engaging in lawful ownership and sales activities.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            So, Mr. Chairman, what is behind the facade of this legislation?

          What is the real point of this bill? I submit to you and every

          Member of this Chamber that since there is no substance behind this

          bill, there must be a very good political reason.  Oh yes, to be

          sure, the President, the attorney general, and some Members of the

          Congress would like to be seen as tough on crime.  There will be

          Americans, and I`m sure there are some watching now, that genuinely

          and sincerely believe that this political reason is both valid and

          sufficient one for the legislation.

            But there is also another reason that the President and others

          want this bill, and it too is a political one.  It is a part of a

          political agenda which the President does not want to share fully

          with the American people.  The truth in this case is that we have a

          President, an administration, and some Member of this Congress who

          believe that this country would be much better off if the

          law-abiding citizens of this Nation were essentially disarmed.

            An unreleased section of the report to the President and the

          Domestic Policy Council from the interdepartmental working group on

          violence ought to disturb most law abiding citizens in this

          country.  The report recommends, among other items that:

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            The Federal Government should study the effectiveness of strict

          licensing on reducing firearm deaths.

            We should consider further limiting production of certain new

          firearms and ammunition.

            In addition to bans on assault weapons, consideration should be

          given to placing much higher taxes on handguns.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            Excise taxes on handguns and particularly dangerous ammunition

          could help offset the cost of providing medical care to gunshot

          victims.

            Impose requirements on firearm purchasers to be licensed and/or

          mandated to register their firearms.

            Increase firearms dealer liability for negligent sales.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            Require firearm purchasers to pass a gun safety test and

          background check to receive a permit to purchase any firearms or

          ammunition.

            Create a class of restricted firearms.  This list would include

          all handguns and semi-automatic long guns that are not otherwise

          outlawed and could be purchased or carried only by persons holding

          valid registration certificates.  These restricted weapons

          certificates could be issued by the local police or local licensing

          authorities only after applicants have passed a background check

          for felonies, violent misdemeanors, or mental illness; demonstrated

          the satisfactory knowledge of the safe and responsible use of

          firearms; accepted liability for injury for negligent use or

          storage of these weapons; and show that the firearms would only be

          used for specified legitimate purposes.

            If you had a restricted firearm, you could only have it in your

          home, your place of business, or a target range, and the unlawful

          public carrying of a restricted firearm would be punishable as a

          Federal offense.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            Set up three classes of firearms: banned, restricted and

          unrestricted.

            The Federal Government would regulate secondary transfers of all

          firearms to prevent their delivery to those prohibited by law to

          have weapons.  To transfer or sell a firearm to another resident,

          an unlicensed person, meaning a typical gun owner, would have to go

          through a licensed gun dealer and document the transfer in the

          dealers` records or mail a transfer application to the local

          police.

            Impose new requirements on gun owners before they could acquire

          firearms regarding safe carriage, storage and use.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            Regulate firearms under design and safety standards as dangerous

          consumer products.

            Perhaps the most insidious part of the firearms section concerns

          recommendation No. 5, which recommends reframing the public debate

          of firearms.  That, Mr. Chairman, is precisely what this assault

          weapons ban is all about.  And perhaps the damning statement in the

          section of this report reads as follows; `We have learned a lot of

          lessons about how to change behaviors as well as focusing on the

          firearms themselves.  You can`t take guns away from men who are

          frightened, from women who are scared or from communities which are

          scared without giving them reassurance and a sense of security.`

            Every American should mark those words well, because there are

          really only two elements to that statement.  The first is that

          there are many men and women across this country that are

          frightened.  Frightened by what they confront on a daily basis.

          They lead good lives.  They attempt to raise their children in a

          healthy and loving manner, they pay taxes, and yet they must suffer

          the indignity and the pain of being crime victims.  But this

          administration wants them to suffer a further indignity.  And that

          is to take away a civil liberty.  They will be a victim twice -

          once from crime and the second time from their own government.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            Ask yourself one simple question: Do you really think that the

          real purpose of this legislation is to reduce crime and to help our

          citizens? On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal ran an editorial that

          deserves a response from this President. Why is the President

          concentrating his efforts on assault weapons, firearms that are

          involved in less than one-half of 1 percent of all violent crime,

          when the largest cause of our truly violent era of crime is drugs?

          He has cut his drug control staff by 80 percent; he has endorsed a

          strategy of cutting 600 or more Federal drug enforcement positions;

          he has proposed cutting more than 100 Federal drug prosecution

          positions.  His attorney general wants to moderate mandatory

          minimum sentences for drug trafficking, and his Surgeon General

          wants to study drug legalization.  That`s no anti-drug or anticrime

          strategy.

            So for those of you who are receiving phone calls from the

          President, and are having your arms twisted by the White House

          staff, or by other Members of Congress, why don`t you ask them some

          simple questions: First, does it end here, Mr. President, or will

          you ask for confiscatory gun and ammunition taxes? Will you propose

          and support licensing and registration for all firearms owners?

          Will you ask for more banned guns? Will you have more restricted

          firearms? And in the end, also ask the President this question: If

          the police cannot provide a full measure of protection to myself

          and my family, will you?

            I say to my colleagues - mark this question well - because these

          are the words that all citizens will ask us when we return home.

          It will be a simple question for them.  Did you help us or did you

          hurt us? If you want to know why the public is fed up with

          legislation that masquerades as crime control, you need to really

          understand that the rest of the story behind the tragedy President

          Clinton cited this week to support adopting this bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3085

            Capt. James Lutz, a veteran Wisconsin police officer was killed

          last week.  Among the suspects is James Oswald. What is remarkable

          about this terrible death is not that Captain Lutz was killed by a

          semiautomatic firearm, but that Mr. Oswald was never prosecuted by

          Federal authorities months before last week`s shooting for Federal

          firearms violations.  And while reasonable men and women can

          disagree over much of what passes through these Chambers, I think

          the case here is very clear; this bill will not protect anyone, and

          the true agenda it supports will hurt the American people and all

          our freedoms.

                                                                     PAGE H3086

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 1/2 minutes to the

          distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Reynolds), one of the

          lead cosponsors of this bill.

            (Mr. REYNOLDS asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3086

            Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Chairman, today I come before this body and say

          we must pass 4296. First, we must pass this bill because of what is

          happening in our streets, neighborhoods, and towns in this country.

            Second, we must pass this bill because the way in which our

          society has changed demands that all of us reexamine our

          consciences on these tough issues.

            For myself, when I came here as a freshman this term, I never

          thought that I would be voting for the death penalty, but I voted

          for a crime bill that added over 60 crimes to the list of those

          that are death-eligible.  I did so because the nature of violence

          in our society demands that our response to this be assertive,

          tough, and absolute.

                                                                     PAGE H3086

            Third, we must pass this bill if we are to be at all consistent

          in our approach on crime.  I strongly contend that one cannot be

          tough on crime, yet exempt assault weapons from that approach.

          Such an approach tells the American public that we are not truly

          serious about being tough on crime.  We punish the crime, but we

          hold the weapons of destruction sacred.

            Recently, we were so tough on crime in this body that we took

          away the weights that prisoners use to exercise with.  We were so

          tough on crime that we wanted to ban Pell grants for prisoners to

          get education.  I voted for that.

            We voted to make drive-by shooters eligible for the death

          penalty, because we wanted to be tough on crime.  Yet, many of the

          people who went back home and told their constituents how tough

          they were on crime would allow that same gun that was used in the

          drive-by shooting to continue to exist in our society.

                                                                     PAGE H3086

            In other words, we will take a 17-year-old, we will try them as

          an adult if they drive by and shoot and kill someone.  We will

          possibly send them to their death, but we will not do anything

          about the MAC-10 or the Uzi or the TEC-9 that they use.  That is

          hypocrisy, and we ought to be ashamed of it.  Let us have some

          courage and stand up and pass this bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3087

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I will take this opportunity to yield 1

          minute to the gentlewoman from the State of Connecticut, Mrs.

          Barbara Kennelly, the sister of the chief State`s attorney.

            (Mrs. KENNELLY asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend her remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3087

            Mrs. KENNELLY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding

          time to me.

            Mr. Chairman, this is a difficult debate, for so many a tough

          vote.  And as so often happens, with difficult situations, things

          get exaggerated or diminished.

            There are those who say `pass this bill and we will have dealt

          with our serious crime problem in America.` Of course that is not

          true.  There are those who say these weapons are being given an

          unduly bad reputation, and taking them away from sportsmen is like

          taking away my new golf high-tech driver.  Of course that is not

          true.

                                                                     PAGE H3087

            What is happening here today is what happened with the Brady

          bill.  We are beginning to face the truth - that guns in the wrong

          hands are devastating the cities of our country.

            I vote for this bill because we have to begin to end the insanity

          of innocent bystanders being caught in the crossfire of criminals.

            I vote for this bill in memory of Marcellina Delgado, shot dead

          on the way to visit her grandmother in Hartford, CT.

                                                                     PAGE H3087

            I vote for this bill in memory of Samuel Arroyo, shot dead while

          picking up his pregnant wife at her mother`s.

            I vote for this bill in memory of Jacqueline Booth, shot dead

          pushing her 1-year-old daughter`s stroller in Hartford.

            These deaths all occurred in the last few months.  These people

          were not drug dealers, they did not belong to gangs.  They were

          just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a gun was there too.

                                                                     PAGE H3087

            This country cannot sustain itself with this type of insanity

          going on in the streets.

            (At this point Mr. MFUME assumed the chair as Chairman of the

          Committee of the Whole.)

            The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brooks) has 13

          minutes remaining, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner)

          has 17 minutes remaining, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Schumer)

          has 18 1/2 minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Connecticut

          (Mr. Shays) has 13 1/4 minutes remaining.

                                                                     PAGE H3087

            The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brooks).

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished

          gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Clement).

            Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Chairman, this debate has sure aroused the

          attention of this country, and it needs to.  Recently we debated

          and voted on a tough crime bill, but I rise today to encourage my

          colleagues to oppose this bill.  I am one of those that were in the

          undecided category.

                                                                     PAGE H3087

            During the long debate over the Brady bill, which I supported,

          along with other colleagues, I received assurances that our States

          would be exempted from the Brady bill.  Tennessee already had an

          even stricter 15-day waiting period which had successfully been in

          place for over 10 years.

            To our surprise, on March 1 of this year, the long arm of the

          law, in the case the ATF, enforced the Brady law in Tennessee and

          other States, regardless of the fact that our current laws were

          even stricter.  Now Tennesseans have to fill out both a Federal

          form and a State form that only causes bureaucratic delay and

          confusion.

            I wonder why we did not get a cooling-off period? The ATF now has

          asked us to trust that this is only a ban on 19 weapons, only a ban

          on military-style weapons, only a ban on guns that are not used for

          sporting purposes, only a ban on magazines with a capacity greater

          than 10 rounds.  Why, they even go as far as specifically

          protecting 650 guns by name, but only as long as they do not look

          like assault weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3087

            Mr. Chairman, I am here today to say that I am of the opinion

          that this will only be the beginning of a long list of

          semiautomatic weapons that will be banned.  As a matter of fact,

          the bill clearly allows the ATF to stop copycat models, but allows

          open-ended definitions of copycatting.

                                       TIME: 1510

            What assurances do we have that the 19 weapons banned in this

          bill will not eventually be 119 or 1,900 after the ATF has had a

          chance to interpret, define and even change the classification.

                                                                     PAGE H3087

            Mr. Chairman, I am continuously sickened by the number of violent

          and heinous crimes that are committed in this country.  I know

          everyone else is as well.  We live in a country with rights

          guaranteed by our Constitution, and let us work to preserve those

          rights.  People need peace of mind, not a fear of losing their

          rights.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the

          gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter).

            (Mr. HUNTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3087

            Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, it is a tragedy that we are not

          debating a real bill to ban real assault weapons today.

            Let me show you an assault weapon.  This is Russell Obremski. He

          is an assault weapon who was allowed out on our streets.  After

          having served 1 year of a 20-year term for statutory rape, he was

          allowed to go back on our streets, back in our neighborhoods; after

          the brutal slaying of two women, he was sentenced to two life terms

          but he was paroled, and Mr. Obremski completed his criminal career

          sodomizing a 4-year-old girl.

            Mr. Chairman, the point is our streets are not safe today because

          real assault weapons are on the streets and these real assault

          weapons are criminals and the one thing that this House of

          Representatives cannot do, and pardon me if I disagree with my

          colleague who said we are tough on crime because we have deprived

          criminals of their weight-lifting apparatus in prisons, the one

          thing we cannot do is warehouse criminals, and this is a contest

          between those who want to confiscate weapons because they want to

          defer the warehousing of criminals and people who want to

          confiscate criminals.

                                                                     PAGE H3087

            Mr. Chairman, I have to say to my friend, the gentleman from New

          York (Mr. Schumer) and his compadres in this debate, they are not

          going to get a phone call from Russell Obremski and his colleagues,

          serious felons, saying, `You know, we saw that legislation pass and

          we are ready to turn our guns in.` What you are going to do is

          initiate a string of citations and arrests of plumbers, of service

          station owners, of businesswomen, of people who unknowingly now

          have violated this list which we are told now can be extended to

          some 160 weapons.  That is what we are doing.

            Mr. Chairman, there is no common sense in this bill.  In San

          Diego County, the M-1 rifle, the match rifle that our guys brought

          back some 50 years ago from World War II will be included on this

          list according to the authorities.

            Mr. Chairman, we have had tens of thousands of these guns, but

          San Diego is not unsafe because those guns are there, it is unsafe

          because people like this, murderers and criminals, are turned right

          back on the street, and the average time a convicted murderer

          spends in jail in this country is 5 years.

                                                                     PAGE H3087

            Mr. Chairman, the man pictured on this chart is an assault

          weapon.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 15 seconds.

            Mr. Chairman, the whole idea of our bill, if the gentleman would

          leave that chart there, is very simple: To prevent people like Mr.

          Obremski from getting assault weapons.  He should be locked up, but

          if he is not and people like him are not, they should not have

          assault weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            Mr. Chairman, we need both.  We need tough punishment and we do

          not want the criminals to have assault weapons.

            Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan

          (Mr. Conyers), the distinguished senior member of our committee.

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from

          Michigan (Mr. Conyers), chairman of the Committee on Government

          Operations.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            (Mr. CONYERS asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Chairman, I support this assault weapons ban

          because the time has come to halt the arms race in the United

          States and a ban be placed on these weapons of war.  Semiautomatic

          assault weapons are lethal killing machines, designed to tear the

          life out of another human being as quickly and efficiently as

          possible.  Street gang members, drug traffickers, and other

          criminal elements prefer these weapons because they intimidate as

          well as they perform.

            That we are even having to debate whether people should have

          access to these machines of death is a sign of how irrational this

          issue has become.  These weapons do not belong on the streets,

          because if people have assault weapons, they are going to use

          assault weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            Yesterday, Mrs. Gloria Ghee, a mother in my district told me of

          the death of her son Yrral who was shot over 30 times with an AK-47

          in broad daylight on a lovely morning in September. His body was so

          mutilated that she could barely recognize the person in the coffin

          as her son.  Who is willing to tell her that the life of her child

          is not worth our taking action to prevent the manufacture and

          importation of these kinds of weapons?

            Who will tell Mrs. Geneva Reiley, yet another mother in Detroit

          that the gun that killed her child is a sporting weapon? Her son

          was shot 18 times with a semiautomatic assault pistol.  A model

          student set to graduate from high school will never realize his

          dream of going to college.

            When I spoke with Mrs. Reiley, she urged me to help get guns off

          the streets so that other families would not have to suffer as hers

          has.  For her, every day and night serves as a reminder of what was

          lost.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            This debate is not about target shooting or hunting, it is about

          the safety of our children.  This legislation will in no way

          encroach upon the legitimate gun ownership of game hunters or those

          citizens who believe they need personal firearm protection.

            An assault weapon is 20 times more likely to be used in crime

          than a conventional firearm.  We will only ban 19 specific weapons,

          and the few others with specific military characteristics that have

          been found to disproportionately affect crime.

            The senseless slaughter and madness must stop for life is too

          precious to be snuffed out.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            For 30 years I have stood in this Chamber and participated in

          this debate about the increasing proliferation of guns in our

          society.  This is an important moment as we continue the regulation

          of weapons that are too numerous and too available in our Nation.

          We must send a message that lethal, destructive, assault weapons

          that are used to kill or maim people will not be tolerated.

            I urge all my colleagues to support the ban on semiautomatic

          assault weapons.  Future generations depend on it.

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from

          Rhode Island (Mr. Reed), the only West Point graduate in our

          Chamber.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            (Mr. REED asked and was given permission to revise and extend his

          remarks.)

            Mr. REED. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this

          legislation.  I spent 12 years in the U.S. Army, I commanded

          infantry, paratroopers, qualified as Army Ranger, and I was issued

          an assault weapon.

            Mr. Chairman, I was not under any illusions as to why the Army

          gave me that weapon.  It was not for target shooting, it was not

          for hunting.  It was in defense of my country to kill people.  That

          is why this weapon was designed, that is why this whole class of

          weapons were designed.  The characteristics of high rates of fire,

          portability, being able to affix bayonets, all these things are

          designed for one purpose, a military purpose, and we should ban

          these weapons as we have banned other military weapons, like the

          machinegun, like Claymore mines, like a whole range of military

          weapons because in an ordered society where the rule of law should

          prevail and not who have the fastest draw or the most firepower,

          these weapons are not appropriate.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            Mr. Chairman, I urge passage of this legislation.

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 1/2 minutes to the most

          distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Wayne Gilchrest).

            Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding

          time to me.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            Mr. Chairman, I want to make a comment about the M-1 target rifle

          that was mentioned earlier to be considered illegal.  It is my

          understanding after looking at the list that the M-1 rifle is still

          and remains legal.

            Mr. Chairman, when I served in Vietnam, my fellow Marines and I

          carried some of the most sophisticated assault weapons in the

          world.  They were M-14 and M-16 rifles and could fire 20 rounds at

          lightning speeds.  We generally fired them on semiautomatic.  Some

          could also fire like machineguns.

            The enemy carried AK-47`s, which was the Soviet-made

          gun-of-choice in all of the Communist countries at the time.  They

          functioned in essentially the same manner, and were capable of

          rapid fire.  I took a bullet from an AK-47; I can attest to their

          deadliness.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            Today, just about anyone can go to a gun store and buy guns which

          are just as sophisticated as the ones we carried in Vietnam, if not

          more so, with the only difference being the automatic fire

          function.  I remember the 18- and 19-year-old soldiers in Vietnam

          and how they seemed too young to carry such powerful weapons.

          Today, 14- and 15-year-old kids are getting assault weapons through

          gangs and they are killing each other.

            Police generally carry service revolvers - six-shot pistols which

          fire much less rapidly than semiautomatics.  In too many cases,

          police are going up against criminals who are armed like infantry

          soldiers, leaving police out-gunned.  A few years ago, in Stockton,

          CA, a gunman armed with an AK-47 killed or wounded dozens of

          children, some of whom might be alive were it not for the AK`s

          rapid fire and long-range capabilities.

            The House of Representatives has been considering H.R. 4296, a

          bill to ban the manufacture and sale and 19 specific types of

          assault weapons.  Anyone who owns one of these guns now is

          grandfathered, and no one would be required to turn in their guns

          or register them.  The bill simply requires that the manufacturers

          of these guns can no longer make them available for civilian use.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            What are these guns? The AK-47, used on the school children in

          Stockton, is the military weapon used by most former Communist

          countries.  The AR-15 is the civilian version of the M-16, the

          standard rifle of the U.S. Armed Forces. The TEC-9, MAC-10, and Uzi

          are all semiautomatic versions of submachine guns.  The Street

          Sweeper/Striker 12 is a rapid fire, semiautomatic shotgun designed

          for riot control for the South African police.  These are not

          hunting rifles - they are designed to kill people and nothing

          else.  I doubt you`ll find any of these in a duck blind.

            Some opponents of this measure have argued the bill will ban

          hundreds of guns - not just the 19 specific types.  What the

          legislation attempts to do is prevent the manufacturers from simply

          changing the name and selling the same gun.  It sets up assault

          weapon characteristics that will not be allowed on any future gun.

          These include grenade launcher, bayonet mounts, and flash

          suppressors designed to prevent detection in night firing.

            The bill also bans the future manufacture of ammunition magazines

          which hold more than 10 rounds.  Many of these guns can accommodate

          magazines that can hold up to 50 rounds of ammunition before having

          to reload.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            The bill does not affect firearms which are used primarily for

          hunting.  I own hunting rifles, and I hunt from time to time.

          Instead, the bill specifically protects 650 sporting rifles and

          specifies that none of these weapons may be banned while the

          assault weapon ban is in effect.  Contrary to a popular rumor, the

          bill does not involve registration of any firearm.  People will

          still be able to buy guns to protect themselves and their families,

          but not guns that were designed to mow down enemy platoons.

            I don`t believe that crime control should focus solely on gun

          control.  We will only control crime when we are willing to put

          criminals away, and I have supported tough anticrime measures.

            I voted for truth-in-sentencing measures to ensure that convicts

          serve at least 85 percent of their sentences before becoming

          eligible for parole.  I voted for efforts to streamline the appeals

          process for death row inmates.  And I voted for the `3 Strikes and

          You`re Out` bill that calls for criminals convicted of three

          violent felonies to serve life in prison without the possibility of

          parole.

                                                                     PAGE H3088

            Many of my constituents have suggested that this proposal is

          inconsistent with the conservative agenda that I usually support.

          I might mention that Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan - the

          fathers of modern conservatism - have both formally endorsed a ban

          on assault weapons.  But both of these men, as hunters, recognize

          the difference between weapons of war and sporting rifles.

            It is true that crime control should focus on criminals and not

          guns.  But when a 15-year-old gang member is armed like a commando,

          or when a police officer is the most poorly armed person on the

          street, it`s time to exercise a little common sense.

            I urge support for the bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3089

                                       TIME: 1520

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to

          the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Yates).

                                                                     PAGE H3089

            (Mr. YATES asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. YATES. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this very important

          bill.

            Mr. Chairman, I can remember well standing in this Chamber

          talking about gun control.  That was back in 1968. My how time

          flies.  It`s 26 years later and we are still talking about gun

          control.  Although the issues have changed over the years, now our

          topic is assault weapons, the arguments have remained the same.

          Mr. Chairman, have we really progressed so little in all these

          years?

                                                                     PAGE H3089

            Today we are here discussing man`s cruelty to man.  Our ability

          and apparent willingness to design, manufacture and use weapons of

          destruction on one another.  We have failed to live up to our sworn

          duty and obligation to protect the American people and insure

          domestic tranquility.  It is ironic: As our trees grow and the

          rivers flow our children die in the streets from the gunfire of

          semiautomatic assault weapons.

            Now we must make the hard choices.  Now we must take the

          necessary steps and protect the American people from this wave of

          violence washing over our Nation. The time to take decisive action

          is at hand.  Society demands it.

            It is not my intention, at this time, to relate the grim details

          of the dreadful casualty lists resulting from a lack of such

          control, except to say they are there for all to see.  I hope it

          will not be necessary for me to recite the long list of public

          opinion polls, conducted among gunowners alike, that show

          overwhelming support for a ban on assault weapons.  Nor should it

          be necessary for me to remind us all of the flood of mail now

          passing through our offices demanding strong and effective gun

          control.

                                                                     PAGE H3089

            I have read and heard the NRA`s arguments and I find them very

          difficult to take seriously.  Nowhere in the basic document of the

          United States is there a constitutional right, written or implied,

          giving an individual a separate right to bear arms.  Many have made

          arguments to the contrary, stating that the second amendment gives

          an individual the right to bear arms.  This is untrue.  The entire

          provision reads as follows: `A well regulated militia, being

          necessary to the security of a free state, the right of people to

          keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.` This legislation will

          not infringe on the rights of any law-abiding American. The right

          to bear arms is not absolute.  The second amendment relates to the

          organization of a militia; not the organization of thugs and

          gangsters.

            The rhetoric that resounds throughout this Chamber, deploring the

          violence in our streets, is made hollow and meaningless by the

          reluctance of this body to take substantive action in restricting

          the use of assault weapons.  How can we justify the easy

          availability of these `gangster` weapons to those families that

          have lost a father, or a mother, a son or a daughter.  Our refusal

          to enact this legislation will have the effect of sanctioning

          further violence.

            In no other civilized nation does the assault weapon enjoy such

          freedom as it does in the United States. It is our shame that we

          have done nothing to stop the proliferation of these deadly weapons

          over the years.

                                                                     PAGE H3089

            I will be voting for H.R. 4296 and I ask all my distinguished

          colleagues to do the same.  This legislation will be the greatest

          inconvenience to the

          criminals, who have thus far virtually unlimited access to assault

          weapons, which, in their hands, become instruments of death and

          destruction.  This bill, over the long run, will have the effect of

          steadily eroding the supply of assault weapons that find their way

          into criminal hands.  Assault weapons are not necessary for hunters

          or sportsmen.  They were designed for warfare with the specific

          intent to maim and kill an enemy.  They should be banned for use by

          the general public.

            Although I can understand the reluctance on the part of this

          Congress to limit in any way the freedom of responsible sportsmen

          to purchase weapons for hunting and target shooting.  The fact

          remains that those same weapons can be used to perpetrate crimes of

          all descriptions.

            It would, indeed, be fortunate for sportsmen and legislators

          alike if those weapons, generally recognized as suitable for

          sporting purposes, could be relegated to a specific category

          entirely exclusive of weapons used in violent crimes.  This is

          difficult to achieve, but I believe this is exactly what this bill

          sets out to do.

                                                                     PAGE H3089

            Unfortunately, weapons that kill game or obliterate bulls-eyes

          are just as efficient as instruments of human destruction, as those

          weapons designed especially for that purpose.  But that is an

          argument for another day.

            In closing, I would like to quote an old Kenyan proverb, `treat

          the Earth well.  It was not given to you by your parents * * *. It

          is loaned to you by your children.` Is it not time for us to start

          repaying the loan.  Let us vote today to give our children a safer

          world in which to grow.  Vote yes on the assault weapons ban.  It

          is long overdue.

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I will yield 1 minute to the gentleman

          from Texas (Mr. Brewster).

                                                                     PAGE H3089

            (Mr. BREWSTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. BREWSTER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this gun

          ban.  This legislation is misguided; it is not about crime

          control.  This is not about taking guns out the hands of

          criminals.  This is about limiting the freedom and choices for law

          abiding Americans.

            This argument over banning guns cheats the American people out of

          the real issue: that our criminal justice system is broken.

                                                                     PAGE H3089

            We must take a hard look at the conditions that breed disrespect

          for the law and disrespect for the rights of others.  This false

          debate over gun control gives Congress an easy out and lets us

          abdicate our responsibility.  As a society we must find

          alternatives to crime for young people.  When we waste our energy

          and resources fighting over a simple, but wrong, solution to a

          complex problem, we cheat our constituents out of an honest debate

          over real solutions to our crime problem.

            Sheriff Don Hass, the president of the Oklahoma Sheriffs`

          Association, faxed me a letter that clearly defines the crime

          problem in our country and the real solution.  From his vantage

          point on the front line against crime, Sheriff Hass tells me that

          `a ban on weapons will not solve the crime problem.` If we can put

          criminals away and keep them away we will reduce crime.  We must

          provide our law enforcement officers with the tools to ensure that

          criminals will be brought to justice.  That is the only effective

          deterrent to crime.

            According to Federal crime statistics, less than one-half of 1

          percent of all violent crimes committed last year involved these

          so-called assault weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3089

            The bottom line is that this gun ban is part of a political

          agenda to reduce lawful ownership of guns in America.

            This vote is not about protecting people or taking guns out of

          the hands of criminals.  It is the political marker in a wholesale

          effort to reduce the lawful ownership of guns.

            There are 94 bills pending in Congress to take guns out of the

          hands of law-abiding citizens.  These 61 House bills and 33 Senate

          bills would take guns away from working Americans by outright bans,

          registration, or taxes.

                                                                     PAGE H3089

            Sixty-five million law-abiding American gunowners are not the

          cause of crime, denying their rights is not the solution.

            Each year, 60,000 felons are placed on probation rather than

          incarcerated.  Ninety percent of felons never spend a day in jail.

          That is the problem.

            To deter crime we must make hard choices and spend tax dollars to

          punish criminals for criminal acts.  Let us stop this useless

          debate over guns and let us work together to solve our real

          problem.

                                                                     PAGE H3090

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman

          from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), who has worked so hard on this

          bill.

            Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the

          assault weapons ban, and urge my colleagues to join me in

          supporting this crucial measure.

                                                                     PAGE H3090

            This ban is not the same bill that the House defeated in 1991. It

          is stronger and more narrowly drafted.  It strictly defines

          semi-automatic assault weapons by an objective features-based

          test.  It exempts 670 hunting and sporting rifles and shotguns,

          while explicitly banning 19 weapons that are clearly patterned

          after machine guns used by military forces for combat use.  These

          weapons are not hunting and sporting firearms.  They are weapons of

          war that are falling into the hands of dangerous criminals and

          being used everyday to kill and maim innocent people.

            Let the statistics speak for themselves: Assault weapons comprise

          less than 1 percent of the guns in circulation in the United

          States, yet they account for 8 percent of the guns traced in the

          investigation of criminal activity.  Assault weapons are 18 times

          more likely to kill police than conventional firearms.  Since

          October 1993, there have been 59 shootings in 37 States involving

          semi-automatic assault weapons.  The result: 34 people were killed

          and more than half were children or teenagers.

            These weapons are designed for killing people.  They do their job

          well.  And for that reason alone they should be taken off the

          streets now.  If not, it is on our conscience when they show up in

          our streets, school yards, and neighborhoods.  I urge my colleagues

          to take a stand and support the bill we have before us today.

                                                                     PAGE H3090

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to

          the gentleman from California (Mr. Edwards).

            (Mr. EDWARDS of California asked and was given permission to

          revise and extend his remarks.)

            Mr. EDWARDS of California. Mr. Chairman, the bill offered by the

          gentleman from New York (Mr. Schumer) should be supported.  I rise

          in enthusiastic support for it and thank the gentleman from New

          York (Mr. Schumer) and the members of the subcommittee, the

          President, and the Attorney General.

                                                                     PAGE H3090

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the

          distinguished gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. McKinney).

            (Ms. McKINNEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          her remarks.)

            Ms. McKINNEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 4296, the

          ban of 19 specific guns made explicitly for the taking of human

          life.  It seems reasonable, that weapons made for the battlefield

          stay on the battlefield.  Today, however, the battlefield has

          shifted to the urban and rural warfare on street corners, school

          yards, and in organized crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3090

            Guns have been part of American folklore and culture from John

          Wayne to Nat Turner. I would not have supported this bill if it

          also had not protected over 600 weapons that are commonly used for

          sport.  There are many responsible people for whom hunting and

          sports shooting are not only recreation, but a way of life.

            Congress has a great debate ahead over what role guns should play

          in the future of our society.  But today, we face a test of courage

          greater than any John Wayne shootout.  Are we going to act

          responsibly and in the public`s interest or are we going to bow to

          the king of special interest groups.  I urge my colleagues to vote

          for H.R. 4296.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may

          consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Zimmer).

                                                                     PAGE H3090

            (Mr. ZIMMER asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. ZIMMER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the bill.

            Mr. Chairman, I oppose this bill because it is essentially a

          sham, addressing the appearances rather than the realities of

          crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3090

            It would ban certain firearms on the basis of their fearsome

          appearance while protecting others that are functionally identical,

          but which just look different.

            As a result, the bill is an exercise in political appearances as

          well.  Semiautomatic firearms are used in a tiny fraction of U.S.

          homicides; criminals who currently use the designs that would be

          banned will simply use one of the many equivalent models that will

          remain legal or will use a banned gun in violation of the law.

            Supporters of this bill usually begin their justification of it

          by asking why anyone should be permitted to own one of the ugly

          firearms that would be banned.  As a conservative who believes in

          the protection of personal liberties, I begin my analysis by asking

          what compelling public interest would be advanced by limiting the

          freedom of Americans.

                                                                     PAGE H3090

            If the purpose of this legislation is to reduce the incidence of

          crime committed with firearms, that objective would be far more

          effectively addressed by the legislation I introduced last year

          that would increase the criminal penalties for those who use

          firearms in the commission of a crime, as well as those who

          possess, transport, or sell guns in violation of the law.

            Unfortunately, that legislation, along with many other sensible

          proposals to reduce the illegal use of firearms, were not allowed

          to be voted on during consideration of the crime bill passed by the

          house in April.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the

          gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton).

                                                                     PAGE H3090

            Mr. UPTON. Mr. Chairman, I do not have a problem with banning

          weapons that are not used for legitimate hunting or sporting.  In

          fact, I voted for the Brady bill before it was popular, and I

          supported the President`s crime bill as well.

            I was appalled, in fact, by those who opposed the President`s

          crime bill because it had too much in it for prevention.

            I happened to speak to the President twice this week, and I

          reminded him of his work during this year`s State of the Union

          Address when he said this: `What we have to do is build upon the

          Brady bill, the Brady law, to take further steps to keep guns out

          of the hands of criminals.  I want to say something about this

          issue.  Hunters must always be free to hunt.  Law-abiding adults

          should always be free to own guns and to protect their homes.` That

          night, in fact, I was on my feet applauding those words, but

          despite those words, this bill, in fact, bans some legitimate

          hunting and sporting weapons as they are on the list.

                                                                     PAGE H3090

            The Colt AR-15 Sporter, I am told, in fact, is the most popular

          target rifle in the country and is even officially sanctioned by

          our Government in competition.

            I do not have a problem banning the Uzi, the grenade launcher,

          the AK-47, or the Street Sweeper, and I have talked to law

          enforcement officers, probation officers, prosecutors, and the cops

          on the beat, the rank and the file.  This is not politics for me.

          I have not accepted a dime from the NRA or the Handgun Control,

          either.

            But I have tried to offer an amendment today that would remove

          the AR-15 Sporter from the list, and was denied regrettably.  Not

          being a member of the Committee on the Judiciary, I am opposed to

          the process of bringing a fairly controversial bill to this House

          floor in a take-it-or-leave-it fashion.  I do not know whether this

          bill is going to pass this afternoon or not, but I do know that if

          my amendment had been allowed to have been offered and it would

          have passed, this bill would have passed in double digits.

                                                                     PAGE H3090

            I ask my colleagues to vote against this bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 30 seconds.

            I would simply say to the gentleman from Michigan two things:

          First, he seems to agree with 80 percent of the bill, 90 percent of

          the bill, he says, and to vote `no` because he does not agree with

          10 percent seems to me not to be the way to legislate.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            Second, I would remind the gentleman that the closed rule was not

          suggested by the side that wants to pass this.  So I would urge him

          not to take out his anger at that closed rule on us.

            Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman

          from California (Mr. Farr).

            Mr. FARR. Mr. Chairman, I rise to encourage my colleagues to

          support the ban on selling assault rifles.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            This is not an issue of gun control.

            Legitimate hunters do not use them; assault rifles are not a

          target rifle; they have no place in a home or business, other than

          to kill people - a lot of people.

            This is not an issue of second amendment rights.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            In fact, when the California legislature banned these rifles

          after a long debate, just like today, the NRA testified that they

          would not appeal a court ruling upholding the California law.

            This is not a political re-election issue.

            The California election results show that every member of the

          California legislature who voted in favor of the assault ban was

          re-elected.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            The U.S. Senate has placed this issue in conference.  I urge my

          colleagues in this house to do the same.  Support H.R. 4296!

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 1/2 minutes to the very

          distinguished gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Roukema).

            (Mrs. ROUKEMA asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          her remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding

          this time to me.

            Mr. Chairman, I say to my colleagues that I rise in strong

          support of this legislation.  We must take action to end the

          proliferation of assault weapons, and the epidemic of gun violence

          in our streets and cities.  We know it, our law enforcement

          officers know it, and the American people know it.

            Make no mistake: This debate is not about hunters, or sportsmen,

          or gun collectors.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            This debate is no more about the second amendment, or subverting

          the Constitution, than anti-pornography laws violate our first

          amendment rights.

            This legislation is about crime control and controlling the

          national epidemic of gun violence.  We cannot begin to total the

          cost that the ready and easy access to high-power firearms has had

          on our society.  Today, our cities are war zones, and our hospital

          emergency rooms are MASH units.  Our health care system is ready to

          collapse under the burden of providing medical care for the victims

          of this war in the streets.

            Moreover, the cost of the loss of security and safety for every

          American cannot be imagined.  Citizens are not safe in their homes,

          and children cannot walk to school or play in the yard without fear

          of mounting crime and gun violence.  We must take back our

          streets.  We must take action today.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            We do not pretend that an assault weapon ban will end all crime,

          or even all gun violence.  But taken in step with a strong crime

          bill, this can start to end the national epidemic of violence.

            It is important to note for the record exactly what this bill

          would do.  Take note, my colleagues: This measure would ban the

          future manufacture and possession of specifically named weapons of

          war - semiautomatic assault rifles, and large-size magazines and

          clips.  It exempts hundreds of legitimate hunting and sporting

          weapons, safeguards the rights of hunters and sportsmen, and does

          not take one gun out of the hands of a law-abiding owner.

            Do not be fooled: As the distinguished gentlemen from Illinois,

          and countless others, have taken note, these guns are not designed

          for hunting or sporting, but to kill a lot of people very quickly.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            Just listen to that, and realize what we are saying: In our

          country, extensive State laws presently regulate the weapons

          hunters and sportsmen use for shooting deer, but we are afraid to

          give the same protection to human beings.  That`s lunacy.

            Let me note also that this is not a partisan issue - Republicans

          and Democrats alike

          support this bill.  Former Republican Presidents Gerald Ford and

          Ronald Reagan earlier this week endorsed a ban on military style

          assault weapons.  So has former Senator (and NRA member) Barry

          Goldwater, who noted,

            I don`t see why they ever made semi-automatics.  I`ve been a

          member of the NRA, I collect, make, and shoot guns.  I`ve never

          used an automatic or a semiautomatic for hunting.  There`s no need

          to.  They have no place in anybody`s arsenal.  If any SOB can`t hit

          a deer with one shot, then he ought to quit shooting.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            Finally, I support this bill in memory of Amy Locicero Federici,

          daughter of Jacob and Arlene Locicero of Hawthorne, NJ. Amy was

          killed in the Long Island commuter train massacre.

            I pledged to her bereaving parents that Amy would not be just

          another statistic.  We do this in her name and to benefit all of

          mainstream America - our neighbors, our towns, our districts, the

          man in the street and the cop on the beat.

            Vote `yes` on H.R. 4296.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the

          distinguished gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey).

            (Mrs. LOWEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          her remarks.)

            Mrs. LOWEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4296 and urge each

          and every one of my colleagues to support our Nation`s police

          officers by voting for this bill.

            Not long ago, I stood here in support of the Brady bill.  At that

          time, the National Rifle Association was telling us that the Brady

          bill would not stop a single criminal.  Well, the NRA was wrong.

          In the 10 weeks since the Brady law has been in effect, it has

          stopped over 1,000 convicted felons from purchasing firearms.  If

          the NRA had gotten their way on that vote, these criminals would be

          walking our streets with firearms today.

            So as we consider this bill we have to ask ourselves again, whose

          advice are we going to take; the NRA`s or our Nation`s police

          officers?

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            Again today, my vote will be with the people we rely on to fight

          crime on our streets every day.  They have suffered the

          consequences of these assault weapons, and they are pleading with

          us to give them a fighting chance.

            And my vote will also be with the firearms experts at the Bureau

          of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The ATF has compiled tracing

          data that shows that these 19 specific weapons are used

          disproportionately in violent crimes.  If only one percent of all

          guns held by the public are assault weapons, why are they used in

          seven percent of all crimes? While the NRA peddles the myth that

          these guns are used by hunters, we know the truth - these assault

          weapons are killing machines that are only used to hunt people.

            Finally my vote will be with the victims of assault weapon

          attacks and their families.  How can we look the survivors of the

          Long Island train massacre in the eye and say, `sorry, hunters need

          these assault weapons to shoot deer`?

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            I urge my colleagues to use common sense as you cast your votes

          and remember the voices of police, firearms experts, and victims of

          crime.  Do not be misled by the gun lobby.  It`s time to call the

          NRA`s bluff.  Let us stand up to the NRA, stand up for our

          constituents, and pass this bill.

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished

          gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters).

            (Ms. WATERS asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          her remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            Ms. WATERS. I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me.

            Mr. Chairman, honorable esteemed leaders of this Nation, I rise

          not to engage in a dispassionate intellectual debate about weapons

          of death but rather to unashamedly make an emotional plea to my

          colleagues to vote to save human lives.  I rise as a mother, a

          grandmother, a woman, a Member of the highest public policymaking

          body of this Nation. Please vote to stop the gun violence, the

          violence, the murders, the killing of human beings on the streets

          of the most advanced Nation in the world.

            Mr. Chairman, there is no place in a civilized society for

          AK-47`s, Uzis, street sweepers, and TEC-10`s. They are not needed

          for hunting purposes, their only purpose is to kill human beings.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            The killing of children in America is breaking my heart and the

          hearts of our citizens.  The drive-by shootings in my own district

          and in many of your districts are draining my optimism and hope for

          our Nation.

            The grieving mothers and traumatized families are relegating us

          all to shame and sorrow.

            We cannot, as a Nation, survive, we cannot survive in a society

          that does not protect its children and its families.

                                                                     PAGE H3091

            Please vote to ban these dangerous and unnecessary weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may

          consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump).

            (Mr. STUMP asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            Mr. STUMP. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to H.R.

          4296, legislation to ban so-called assault weapons.

            George Washington referred to firearms as the `American People`s

          liberty teeth and keystone under independence.` Yet, today we are

          faced with modifying the rights of lawful people to keep and bear

          arms.  We are asked to divide guns into groups of `good` and `bad,`

          based upon Hollywood`s portrayal of certain semiautomatic weapons

          as the `weapon of choice` among criminals.

            Mr. Chairman, we would better serve the cause of crime fighting

          by dividing people into groups.  To truly fight crime and end

          violence, we must concentrate not on guns or types of guns, but

          upon who is using, or misusing them.

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            Those in this body who promote the nonsense that guns cause crime

          and that the poor criminals just somehow can`t help themselves are

          aiding and abetting our crime problem by misdirecting our time and

          resources away from real solutions.

            I urge my colleagues to oppose the ban.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the

          gentleman from Texas (Mr. Fields).

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            (Mr. FIELDS of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend his remarks.)

            Mr. FIELDS of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to

          this piece of legislation, and I can speak with authority on this

          particular issue.  I own a mini-14 Ruger with a collapsible stock.

          I even have a 30-shot clip.

            Do I own this weapon, this firearm, for home protection? The

          answer is `no.` Do I hunt with this weapon? The answer is `no.` But

          I do like to shoot this particular firearm.

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            I feel I have a protected second amendment constitutional right.

          Now, to show you how poorly defined this particular piece of

          legislation is, the firearm I just described is banned under this

          legislation, and the mini-14 with a fixed stock is not banned.

          There is no functional difference between the two firearms.

            Unfortunately, the majority of the people in this Chamber do not

          want to get tough on criminals.  They view criminals as victims of

          society.

            So, to look tough, they have to make multishot firearms the

          perceived problem.  These are firearms that actually cause less

          than 1 percent of the homicides in this country.  Firearms that are

          metal, they are wood, they are inanimate objects.  Our focus should

          be on punishing and depriving those people who break the laws of

          America. The compelling question today is: Should we erode a

          constitutional right, my constitutional right along with my fellow

          Americans`, because of an inanimate object? I say to my colleagues,

          do not provide cover for those people in this Chamber who view

          criminals as victims of society.

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            But I also give a warning and a reminder to my colleagues, this

          is one more incremental staff in eroding the second amendment.

          Brady-I was passed last year.  Today we are dealing with multishot

          firearms.  Brady-II is now pending.  Our next gun issue, Brady-II,

          says if you own more than 20 guns, you have to be licensed because

          you have an arsenal and you are going to be subject to unannounced

          checks by the Federal Government.

            This legislation is absolutely wrong.  It is morally wrong.  This

          is constitutionally wrong.

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 1/2 minutes to the gentleman

          from Texas (Mr. Sarpalius).

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            Mr. SARPALIUS. I thank the chairman for yielding this time to me.

            I want to commend him on his opening remarks because I think he

          was right on target when he stated this was one of the most

          misleading pieces of legislation that this body has ever

          undertaken.  We are being led to believe that by passing this bill

          you are going to reduce crime and you are going to stop people from

          killing people.

                                       TIME: 1540

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            Mr. Chairman, there is nothing further from the truth.  Right

          here in this city of Washington, DC, there was an outrage.  People

          were furious about murders that were going on in the 1970s. So in

          1977 they passed the toughest gun control laws in the Nation. In

          this city one could not even own a hand gun.  But yet from 1980 to

          1993 there were 4,200 homicides.  Murders tripled in this city.

          Out of that 4,200 homicides I ask, `Do you know how many of those

          deaths were caused by semiautomatic weapons?` Four.

            Mr. Chairman, I say to my colleagues, `You are not going to stop

          people from killing people by passing this law.  The answer is

          tougher punishment.  Today in this country for a person that

          commits murder their average stay in prison is 5 years and 5

          months, one-third of their sentence.  We ought to increase the

          punishment for those people that commit crimes while using a gun.

            Another misleading factor about this bill is, as we have been

          told by some of my colleagues, that this will only affect 19 guns.

          Well, I want to show my colleagues a list that has already been

          approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms of guns

          that will be outlawed if this bill passes.  There it is, almost 200

          guns that will be outlawed.

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            Mr. Chairman, outlawing these guns is not going to stop people

          from killing people, so I challenge my colleagues and say, `If you

          want to get tough on crime, vote this bill down.  Increase the

          punishment for those people who kill somebody while using a gun.`

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 15 seconds.

            Mr. Chairman, the ATF letter did not refer to this bill.  It is a

          letter of February 17. It is another bill.  And that list should

          not have been used in reference to this bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California

          (Mr. Fazio).

            Mr. FAZIO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 4296, the

          Assault Weapons Ban Act.

            California, along with three other States and more than thirty

          cities and counties, already has its own assault weapons ban in

          place.  The Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act, which is

          currently in effect in California, is the Nation`s oldest assault

          weapons ban.  It was enacted in 1989 in response to the shooting

          spree at a Stockton schoolyard, where a gunman armed with an AK-47

          and several semiautomatic pistols fired over one hundred rounds,

          killing five children and wounding 30 other people before killing

          himself.  Because it bans weapon names, instead of weapon features,

          however, the California ban has not been as effective as necessary

          in preventing the sale and use of new weapons.  We are finding that

          some domestic manufacturers get around the ban by producing

          copy-cat weapons under different names.

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            On a national level, we are faced with a similar challenge.  As a

          result of the current ban on the import of 43 foreign-made assault

          weapons, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)

          estimates that 750,000 assault weapons have been kept out of the

          country - that the number of imported assault weapons traced to

          crime declined by 40 percent.  Unfortunately, domestic

          manufacturers are also producing copies of these banned weapons, so

          the number of domestic assault weapons traced to crime remains the

          same.

            The Assault Weapons Ban Act that is now before us closes this

          loophole because it bans assault weapons by feature, rather than

          name.  It imposes a ten year ban on the manufacture and possession

          of certain assault weapons and copies of assault weapons.  Also

          prohibited are firearms that have certain features - like grenade

          launchers and bayonet mounts - as well as large-capacity ammunition

          feeding devices.

            Law enforcement and the military are not included in the ban, and

          weapons that are currently legally owned are exempted, as are 650

          specified sporting guns, none of which can be banned while the bill

          is in effect.  Last, the bill requires that the Justice Department

          conduct a study of the impact that the ban has had on violent and

          drug trafficking crime 1 year after it is enacted, and that the

          Department submit the results of this study to Congress.

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            This legislation will have very little affect on the right of the

          average American to bear arms.  They include weapons used almost

          exclusively by organized crime, gangs and drug cartels.  They do

          not include any weapons, semiautomatic or otherwise, used for

          hunting.

            In spite of claims that assault weapons bans do not work, the

          fact indicate otherwise.  Although we do not have detailed,

          nationwide statistics on the misuses of these weapons, the Oakland

          Police Department weapons unit reports that criminal misuses of

          assault weapons in Oakland fell by virtually half since the

          enactment of the California ban.  Additionally, the Atlanta

          Constitution found in a 1989 study that, although assault weapons

          make up only 2 to 3 percent of all guns owned by Americans, they

          show up in 30 percent of all firearms traced to organized crime,

          gun trafficking and terrorism.  And the ATF reports in 1989,

          assault weapons made up 10 percent of guns traced in crimes.

          Police in virtually every city in this country will tell you that

          they are outgunned and that an assault weapons ban would help them

          fight gun violence.

            The further restrictions on the sales and ownership of assault

          weapons that are in this bill will not cause a major reduction in

          crime.  However, they will make it much more difficult for drug

          dealers, violent criminals and psychopaths to get their hands on

          military-style semiautomatic rifles and certain shotguns and

          pistols.

                                                                     PAGE H3092

            Perhaps, with provisions like these in effect, disasters like the

          1993 tragedy when a gunman with an assault pistol walked into a San

          Francisco law office, murdered eight innocent, unarmed people and

          wounded another six can be prevented.  Just prior to testifying

          before the House Judiciary Committee in support of a ban on assault

          weapons, the widower of one of the victims of this massacre wrote:

                                                                     PAGE H3093

            It`s been almost one year since my beloved wife was brutally

          murdered . . . by a psychotic possessing an assault weapon with

          fifty round clips.  These weapons of war have absolutely no place

          in our society and the all too common tragedies in which they are

          used must be stopped.  Too many citizens dead; too many friends and

          family gone. . . . This is not a partisan issue.  Violence and

          assault weapons affect all citizens . . . . As a Republican, I am

          calling on members of . . . my party and Democrats to see that this

          bill becomes law.  Hopefully no other ten month old girls will

          place dirt on their mommy`s grave as my daughter Meghan did.

          Hopefully no other single parent will be left the task of telling

          their infant how their mother was brutally murdered with an assault

          weapon.

            I like to recall the words and wisdom of my esteemed colleague

          from Illinois, Mr. Hyde, in his address to newly-elected Members of

          the 102nd Congress back in 1990. I feel that Mr. Hyde`s advice to

          that freshman class is appropriate for all of us now, as we face a

          vote that is controversial, political, and hits close to home for

          many of us who have constituents on both sides of this issue -

          constituents who are passionate in their feelings about what we are

          going to decide.

                                                                     PAGE H3093

            Mr. Hyde told his audience that our responsibility as Members of

          this House is often greater than just representing our constituents

          - that we also have a responsibility to all Americans. This broader

          obligation and accountability demand that we take a national view

          on certain issues - even if it means risking the disfavor of the

          folks back home.  We must look beyond the politics of career and be

          willing to take a principled stand for what we believe to be right

          and in the best interests of our Nation, as a whole, even if it

          means we risk losing an election.  Mr. Hyde reminds us of why we

          are here in the first place - to serve not just our immediate

          constituents, but our country, as well.

            This vote on the assault weapons ban is such a stand, and it is a

          small price to pay to help curb the unnecessary and senseless

          violence that plagues communities throughout our country.  If one

          life or one thousand lives are saved because we are able to keep an

          assault weapon out of the wrong hands, it is worth the effort.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may

          consume to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Emerson).

                                                                     PAGE H3093

            (Mr. EMERSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my objections

          and opposition to this ill-advised piece of legislation, and I

          challenge the administration`s intellectually honest about its real

          purposes with this legislation.  This bill is just the beginning of

          a more expensive and more intrusive dictate on our second amendment

          rights.  That`s right, this administration has no intention of

          stopping at the current list of banned semi-automatic weapons.  I

          refer to them as semi-automatic weapons because that is what they

          are.  They are not assault weapons, they are not machine guns, they

          are not military-style fire power, and they don`t spray bullets.

          The name assault rifle is merely hype by the anti-gun lobby and the

          liberal media to make them seem more deadly.  They may look more

          powerful, but the fact is they`re not.  In fact, there is no

          functional difference between what proponents of this bill call

          assault weapons and those they claim to protect through the

          exemptions.

            So essentially, Mr. Speaker, we are beginning a process here for

          banning certain firearms because of how they look.  They might have

          a folding stock or they might be mounted with a tripod, but these

          items affect the appearance, not the performance of the gun.  I

          challenge anyone here to tell me how a tripod or a folding stock

          makes the gun more lethal.

                                                                     PAGE H3093

            Frankly, I just don`t believe proponents of this bill who claim

          and profess that this bill is only intended to go after the most

          lethal weapons and that they have no designs to further restrict

          the rights of law-abiding citizens.  Let`s be truthful here, this

          bill is designed for one reason and one reason only - and that is

          to eventually take take away the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

          And that is exactly what will happen if this bill is enacted.  The

          definition of what constitutes a so-called assault rifle will

          continue to get more narrow.  Soon, like many things that aren`t

          politically correct around here, it will be so burdensome, so

          expensive, and so out of fashion, to be a legitimate gun owner and

          shooter that the anti-gun lobby will finally claim victory.  That

          Mr. Speaker, is where we are heading if this legislation is passed.

            There is a gun problem in this country.  It is not perpetrated by

          the law abiding folks who hunt, shoot and collect.  It is

          perpetrated by people who commit crimes with firearms, who won`t

          give a hoot about what laws we pass about making certain guns

          illegal.  They`ll steal what guns they want and commit their crimes

          and it will be the law abiding citizen who will be at a

          disadvantage.  The answer to the gun problem is to have mandatory

          sentencing of people who commit crimes with guns.  Why were we

          denied the opportunity to offer an amendment to this bill to deal

          with the gun problem in that way, rather than to lay the onus on

          law abiding folks?

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 90 seconds to the

          distinguished gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Crapo).

                                                                     PAGE H3093

            Mr. CRAPO. Mr. Chairman, let us get it clear what this debate is

          about.  The question is whether we should try to stop crime or

          whether we should stop the ownership of firearms, and the first

          point that needs to be made is, if this legislation is far

          overbroad, as was mentioned by one of the previous speakers, it is

          not just 19 assault, battlefield-type weapons we are talking

          about.  It is legitimate weapons being used for sporting, and

          hunting, and target purposes.

            I recently visited with the police in my hometown in Idaho, and I

          asked them directly whether they thought that a gun control measure

          like this would impact their ability to control crime, would cause

          criminals not to have guns, and they indicated to me, no, they did

          not feel that that would be the case.  And then recently the

          National Association of Police Chiefs surveyed their membership.

          Resoundingly they answered that this kind of legislation will not

          keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

            What will it do? It will keep guns out of the hand of law-abiding

          citizens.  It is those who obey the law who would not have the

          guns, and it is those who break the law who will have the guns.

                                                                     PAGE H3093

            Another thing that this piece of legislation does is help divert

          attention from America to the real kinds of solutions that we ought

          to be addressing, the kinds of solutions that we are not allowed to

          discuss on the floor today because of the closed rules, and that is

          getting tough in terms of putting stiff sentences on those who do

          commit crimes with firearms.

            I say, let`s address the real issues.  Let`s get tough on

          criminals, and let`s not make law-abiding citizens face a

          restriction of their constitutionally protected rights.

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield a minute and a half to the

          gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Hughes) a distinguished former

          chairman of this subcommittee who initially introduced this

          legislation a while ago.

            (Mr. HUGHES asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            Mr. HUGHES. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from New York

          (Mr. Schumer) for yielding this time to me.

            Mr. Chairman, this issue is about common sense.  It is not about

          eliminating crime because there is nothing we can do to eliminate

          crime.

            I own weapons.  I am a sportsman, a lifetime member of the

          sporting community in my district, and I do not need an assault,

          military-type assault weapon, and I say, `Neither do you, or

          neither does any other citizen of this country.`

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            One can argue that we should allow tactical nuclear devices under

          the second amendment.  That is just ludicrous.  We have to draw the

          line somewhere.

            I say to my colleagues, `It`s a very easy decision for us today.

          It`s whether you are going to stand with the police in this country

          or whether you`re going to stand with the NRA.`

            Mr. Chairman, it is an easy choice for me.

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            It has been suggested that eliminating military-type assault

          weapons will do nothing.  Why do we have so many police around this

          Capitol today here talking about banning assault weapons? It is

          because they view the assault weapon as their enemy.  After all,

          Mr. Chairman, they are the ones that are facing the assault weapons

          out there in the communities day in and day out.

            I say to my colleagues, `Let`s get real around this place.  We

          have seen our communities turned into shooting galleries.  They are

          nightmares.  The reason assault weapons are so vicious is because

          they can kill as many people as can pull a trigger.  And, if you

          have 50 rounds, you can, in many instances in about 50 seconds,

          kill that many people.  And you can survive a shot from a

          thirty-eight, but, if you`re hit with five rounds from a

          military-type assault weapon, the chances of your survival are

          minimal.`

            Mr. Chairman, that is why we need to pass this particular

          legislation.  It is a well-crafted bill.  It will eliminate 19

          weapons, not as many as have been suggested.  We already ban their

          importation, and I say, `Come on, let`s get real, and let`s ban

          their domestic manufacture.  It doesn`t make any difference whether

          you`re looking at the end of a weapon that`s been imported or made

          here.`

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the

          gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay).

            Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Chairman, in a recent Washington Post article

          entitled, `The Triumph of Psycho-fact,` Mr. Robert Samuelson points

          out a phenomenon that is blatantly evident in our country today;

          that is, if people feel something is true, then it is, even if it

          is not.

            Mr. Chairman, this administration has done an excellent job of

          scaring the American people into supporting their every proposal,

          whether it be government controlled health care or the ban on

          assault weapons.  And, more to the point, the bill before the House

          today is one of the bills that depends on this concept called

          `psycho-fact.` As Mr. Samuelson points out, good judgment requires

          good information, and consciousness-raising can be truth-lowering.

                                                                     PAGE H3094

                                       TIME: 1550

            We have heard all the arguments, the hunting arguments, and the

          second amendment arguments.  Let me tell you why it is important to

          me and why you do need these kinds of semiautomatic weapons, I tell

          the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Hughes).

            A constituent of mine, Donald Lee, called me, who happens to be

          Korean, and has relatives and friends that own stores and live

          above their stores in Los Angeles. During the L.A. riots, when the

          government and the L.A. police abandoned those store owners, the

          only way they could defend themselves, their families, and their

          stores, was to stand out in front of them with semiautomatic

          weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            So let me tell you, ladies and gentlemen and my colleagues, that

          you do sometimes need these kinds of weapons for instance, to hold

          off the mobs of rioters exemplified in the L.A. riots.  You do need

          them, to protect yourselves.

            So I tell my colleagues, when you can guarantee me that the

          Government will not abandon me, or that the Government will protect

          me and my family, then I will discuss with you the idea of taking

          away my guns and my right to protect that same family.

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 1/2 minutes to the

          distinguished gentleman from New York, (Mr. Boehlert).

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Chairman, I am sympathetic to concerns that

          have been expressed about second amendment rights, but I must point

          out that our rights are not absolute.  Courts have long ruled that

          there are limits to the freedoms of speech and press - our first

          amendment rights, the ones the Framers saw as most precious.  I

          fail to see how there can be limitations on the rights of free

          speech, but none on the right to keep, and bear arms.

            In perhaps the most famous discussions of the limitations on free

          speech, Justice Holmes allowed that speech could be limited when it

          posed a clear and present danger.  The right to free speech, he

          noted, did not give someone the right to shout fire in a crowded

          theater.

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            There is a clear and present danger on our streets.  Sadly we

          live in a time when someone could fire into a crowded theater.

            I don`t think that limiting such clear and present dangers

          violates the second amendment.

            One of the enduring strengths of this institution, the strength

          which enhances the truly representational characteristics of this

          peoples` house, is that we all come here with different

          perspectives.

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            I represent a district in which a good percentage of the

          residents think that the first day of hunting season should qualify

          as a national holiday.

            I represent a district where 1,200 of my neighbors earn their

          daily bread by making firearms for one of the world`s premier

          manufacturers of sporting weapons, the Remington Arms Co.

            And I also represent a district where the majority clearly favors

          less rather than more government intrusion into our daily lives.

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            The people I am privileged to represent send me to Washington to

          do my homework on the issues, to listen to all sides of an

          argument, carefully weigh the pros and cons and then do what is

          best, not just for them, but for all America.

            I have faithfully followed their instructions and now is the hour

          for a decision.

            Like all of you, my offices, both here and at home, have been

          deluged with calls from concerned citizens doing exactly what we

          ask of them in a representative democracy - passing along their

          views on the issue before us.  Many of them have been quite

          spirited - the kind that conclude `I`ll never vote for you if you

          don`t agree with me.` They have come both from opponents and

          proponents, neither side has an exclusive on this approach.

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            I couldn`t live with myself, let alone all those callers, on both

          sides of the issue, if I didn`t respond to the dictates of my

          conscience.

            This measure deserves our support.  It deserves our support for a

          variety of reasons, but most of all because we must give to our

          Nation`s law enforcement officials all the support we can as they

          wage war on the crime that is so devastating to our society.  But

          we can`t be cavalier in our action, we must be considerate of the

          concerns and interests of the overwhelming majority of Americans

          who are fine, decent, law-abiding citizens.

            The measure is tightly crafted and very precise, dealing with

          military assault weapons and not the traditional sporting weapons

          of choice.

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            This is a balancing act between the legitimate rights of American

          sports people and a very widely held desire on the part of the

          American people to find ways to keep weapons of the types covered

          out of the hands of criminals.

            It is a logical and necessary follow-on to the tough crime bill

          passed earlier in the year.

            Everyone should understand that the crime bill is the toughest,

          most comprehensive effort the Congress has ever made to help

          communities fight crime.  But more police, more jails, and tougher

          sentences - as critical as they are - are not enough.  We need this

          measure.  We need it now.

                                                                     PAGE H3094

            We are reliably informed that these assault weapons represent

          nearly 30 percent of the guns traced to organized crime, drug

          trafficking and crimes involving terrorists.  It makes no sense to

          me to fail to get these weapons off the street.  Being tough on

          criminals and being tough on their weapons of choice go hand in

          hand.

                                                                     PAGE H3095

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the distinguished

          gentleman from Nebraska, Mr. Hoagland.

            Mr. SCHUMER. I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from Nebraska,

          Mr. Hoagland.

                                                                     PAGE H3095

            The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Hoagland) is

          recognized for three quarters of a minute.

            (Mr. HOAGLAND asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. HOAGLAND. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I have long felt, as

          has the vast majority of my constituents, that these sorts of

          reasonable measures ought to pass.  This is an easy issue on the

          merits, and I urge my colleagues to support this weapons ban.  Let

          me just make three points.

                                                                     PAGE H3095

            First, there is plenty of evidence that this kind of ban will

          work.  Back in 1989, the Bush administration banned the importation

          of foreign-made assault weapons, resulting in a 40 percent drop of

          such weapons used in crime.

            Second, this is a weapon of choice by criminals.  As our Omaha

          World Herald newspaper pointed out in an editorial, they make up

          less than 1 percent of guns in circulation, but a

          disproportionately larger number of guns used in crimes.

            Third, I have a letter here, Mr. Speaker, from 11 eighth graders

          at Westside Elementary School in Omaha. Let me read one sentence:

          `Guns of this nature are of no use to hunters and only endanger

          innocent bystanders and others who unfortunately feel power by

          possessing and possibly using such weapons.  Let`s ban them.`

                                                    Omaha, NE, April 29, 1994.

                                                                     PAGE H3095

          Hon. Peter Hoagland,

          U.S. House of Representatives,

          Washington, DC.

                                                                     PAGE H3095

            Dear Congressman Hoagland; Through recent media reports, we have

          heard of the upcoming vote on the bill which seeks to ban several

          types of hand-guns and semi-automatic weapons.  We would like to

          urge you to vote in favor of this ban.  Guns of this nature are of

          no use to hunters and only endanger innocent bystanders and others

          who unfortunately feel power by possessing or possibly using such

          weapons.  Please remove these from the market-place!! We are aware

          that most legislation can be inadequate to eliminate problems from

          our society, but we hope you will support such an effort to begin

          the process.  We are also aware of the tremendous pressure often

          applied by the lobbyists, who would try to downplay the

          significance of such a ban; we urge you to listen to the people of

          Nebraska, who want these weapons to disappear.  We feel there

          should be stiff penalties for those possessing such weapons, when

          discovered in police proceedings.  The future of our lives depends

          on courageous action by you, our representative in Washington.

            Thank you for your attention to this matter.

                Sincerely,

                                                                     PAGE H3095

              Homeroom Students and their teacher, Mrs. Karen Mullen,

                Westside Middle School.

              Andrew S. Weston,

              Amanda L. Richman,

                                                                     PAGE H3095

              Sara Davis,

              Paul Brown,

              Nicole K. Rossi,

                                                                     PAGE H3095

              Lindsey Hubert,

              Cherish M.R. Briest,

              Pat Kelly.

                                                                     PAGE H3095

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished

          gentleman from Minnesota, (Mr. Penny.)

            Mr. PENNY. Mr. Chairman, I would ask the gentleman from New York

          (Mr. Schumer), if he would engage in a colloquy.  The House will

          not have an opportunity to vote on an amendment by the gentleman

          from New York (Mr. Synar) and myself, to strike section 3 of this

          bill.  I understand the gentleman is willing to work in conference

          to enact what our amendment intended, which is to remove the

          inconvenient record keeping and paperwork aspects of the bill.  Is

          that correct?

            Mr. SCHUMER. That is correct.  I guarantee the gentleman from

          Minnesota that before this legislation comes back from the

          conference, we will have removed section 3, thereby having

          eliminated all record keeping of the grandfathered weapons.  All

          record keeping that is in this bill will go if we pass it.

                                                                     PAGE H3095

            Mr. PENNY. I thank the gentleman for that response.

            Mr. Chairman, I must admit I lack enthusiasm for this bill.

          Frankly, I think the rhetoric on both sides has been overblown.

          Based on the assurance just given by my colleague from New York, I

          intend to vote for the bill on final passage.

            I represent a rural district where guns are prevalent and gun

          crimes are rare.  Consequently, I have always been skeptical of gun

          control legislation, feeling that the focus should be on the

          criminal, not the legitimate gun owner.

                                                                     PAGE H3095

            I voted against an assault weapon ban a few years ago because of

          the open-ended definitions in that bill.  Today`s measure is much

          tighter and more defensible, listing 19 specific weapons and

          prohibiting certain features which are not essential to hunting and

          competition shooting.

            Will this bill make an appreciable difference in the incidence of

          gun crimes in America? Probably not.  On the other hand, do the

          provisions of this bill represent a hardship for legitimate gun

          owners? Most certainly not.  This bill protects all currently owned

          guns.  This bill restricts only a handful of weapons possessed of

          certain features.  This bill does focus on the criminal by imposing

          a mandatory prison sentence on those who commit crimes with

          semiautomatic weapons.  This bill is not a solution to the bloody

          crime culture that stains the streets of so many communities in our

          Nation, and it may be true that this vote today is largely

          symbolic.

            But symbols can carry a message.  I think the message is that any

          right carried to an extreme can create problems.  No one today

          suggests again legalizing automatic machine guns.  Certainly we

          should be able to agree on a reasonable definition to restrict

          semiautomatic guns.  This is the commonsense goal of the bill

          before us today.

                                                                     PAGE H3095

            The CHAIRMAN. The Chair wishes to advise Members that the

          gentleman from Texas, (Mr. Brooks) has 7 minutes remaining; the

          gentleman from Wisconsin, (Mr. Sensenbrenner) has 7 1/2 minutes

          remaining, the gentleman from New York, (Mr. Schumer) has 6 3/4

          minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Connecticut, (Mr. Shays)

          has 5 1/2 minutes remaining.

            The chair will remind Members controlling the debate that the

          distinguished gentleman from Texas, (Mr. Brooks) the chairman of

          the committee, retains the right to close debate.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the

          gentleman from California, (Mr. Rohrabacher).

                                                                     PAGE H3095

            (Mr. ROHRABACHER asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend his remarks.)

                                       TIME: 1600

            Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Chairman, well, we have heard time and time

          again that there is no legitimate purpose for these weapons, these

          semi-automatic rifles.  Well, how about protecting our homes and

          families? I do not care if it is an ugly weapon, which seems to be

          the only designation of what makes it an illegal weapon.  If

          somebody is protecting their home and their family, it is their

          business what kind of weapon they have.  And we should not be aimed

          at trying to disarm them.

                                                                     PAGE H3095

            If a criminal breaks into your home and you shoot him in defense

          of your home and family, your Government should be on your side.

            We have heard a lot of talk about, are Members going to be on the

          police` side or the NRA side.  Government should be on the side of

          honest citizens.  And if they use any kind of gun in defense of

          their homes and families and they have never committed another

          crime, why are we trying to disarm them?

            The public wants criminals off the street.  It is a travesty to

          use criminals as an excuse to disarm honest citizens.

                                                                     PAGE H3095

            This bill is a crime against victims.  It is based on the liberal

          pretense that the way to limit crime is to control the behavior of

          honest citizens rather than punish criminals and execute murderers.

            Those Members who think that we can just outlaw behavior of

          honest citizens and it will not have an impact on the police and

          their ability to do their job, just remember, there is limited

          resources by the police, limited time.  We should not be focusing

          them on people who simply want to defend their homes and have never

          committed another crime.  That is what happens.

            I tell Members what happens with laws like this, we end up with

          Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the FBI and Justice Department

          burning out a religious order down in Waco, rather than coming into

          our urban areas where criminal gangs of terrorists are terrorizing

          our population.

                                                                     PAGE H3095

            The whole priority is off.  We should be focusing on the criminal

          element, on punishing people rather than focusing the time and

          limited resources of our Government on honest citizens.

            Defeat this ban.

                                                                     PAGE H3096

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished

          gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards).

            Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I come from rural central

          Texas. It is a land where guns and hunting are a way of life.  I

          believe in the 2d amendment.  But my colleagues, the constitutions

          was never intended to make efficient killing machines out of drug

          dealers, criminals and crazed individuals.

                                                                     PAGE H3096

            To my rural and conservative colleagues, I urge them to consider

          this bill.  Less than 3 years ago, like many of my colleagues, I

          thought mass killings were a big city problem, not a rural one.

          Yet since then in my rural district, George Hennard gunned down 23

          innocent victims in a neighborhood cafeteria and David Koresh built

          a brutal arsenal that became part of a terrible tragedy.

            I have said very little about these tragedies in public, but

          today, in good conscience, I must plead with my colleagues to learn

          the lesson I have painfully learned.  Mass murders can occur

          anywhere, anytime, in good, decent cities, urban, rural or

          suburban.

            I know we cannot stop all crazed individuals, such as Hennard and

          Koresh, from killing, any more than speed limits can stop all

          traffic deaths.  But common sense dictates we can and we should

          make it more difficult for killers to get their hands on weapons

          that can kill so many, so fast.

                                                                     PAGE H3096

            Surely in a civilized society, the right to bear arms does not

          mean that Al Capone, David Koresh, George Hennard or anyone like

          them should be able to legally buy any weapon of mass destruction.

            Unless Members genuinely believe that hunters absolutely must use

          AK-47`s, Street Sweepers, and Uzis, I plead with my colleagues to

          draw the line today in favor of protecting school children and

          innocent citizens who could some day themselves be the victims of

          mass murder.

            I know this is a difficult vote for many Members. Two years ago I

          voted for this ban on assault weapons.  After being reelected by 66

          percent in a rural conservation district, I am back today to

          proudly vote for this ban on assault weapons.  This is not about

          losing votes back home.  It is about saving lives all across

          America.

                                                                     PAGE H3096

            Mr. KLINK. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding 30

          seconds to me.

            There are a lot of things I would like to say.  I want to bring

          out just one point that has not been brought out.  This was

          delivered to me by Preston Covey, a Ph.D. and Associate Professor

          of Philosophy of the Carnegie Mellon University. He wrote a letter

          to me today.

            He said,

                                                                     PAGE H3096

            I am a civilian member of the Training Criteria Committee of the

          International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors.

          I specialize in law and ethics of deadly force and one-handed

          weaponcraft for officer survival over the full spectrum of police

          firearms.

            This ban would put pro bono services to law enforcement flat out

          of business.

            Mr. Convey continues to say,

                                                                     PAGE H3096

            I am a handicapped person for whom semi-automatic firearms are as

          crucial as an automatic transmission of a car.  Semi-automatic

          weapons are my best option in self-defense.  In addition, every

          long gun I own has been modified with a pistol-grip stock as an

          accessory which is banned by this bill.

            This bill is ill-conceived, and I urge Members to vote against

          the bill.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield one-half minute to the

          gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).

                                                                     PAGE H3096

            Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Chairman, if I take this dime and throw it into

          the Atlantic Ocean, the impact of the ripples will be the same as

          the results of this confused and artificial attempt to reduce

          murder in America.

            Point 5 percent of all murders are caused by assault weapons.

          That is compared to 16 percent by knives, 5 percent by physicians

          and 4 percent by clubs.  Each year 2.4 million Americans defend

          themselves with firearms that now the proponents of this bill are

          saying they will not need anymore because we have midnight

          basketball leagues.

            Meanwhile, in Switzerland every male age 20 to 45 is issued an

          assault rifle which he takes home, uses it to defend the nation and

          himself.  Are they a nation of marauders, no.  It has one of the

          lowest murder rates in the world.

                                                                     PAGE H3096

            Washington, DC, Jamaica, strict gun control, high murder rates.

          What is the difference? Family values and a penal system that

          punishes the criminal, not law abiding citizens.

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 1/2 minutes to the gentleman

          from New York (Mr. Houghton).

            (Mr. HOUGHTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3096

            Mr. HOUGHTON. Mr. Chairman, I stand here to support this ban.

            I was somebody who was on the fence for a long period of time.  I

          made up my mind last night.  It is difficult for me.  I am a member

          of the NRA. I respect that organization.  I think it has been much

          maligned.  I respect the people who are members of that

          organization in the area in which I live.  So, therefore, it was

          difficult.

            And I hear all the arguments that it is a phoney issue and the

          statistics do not add up and it is the camel`s nose under the tent,

          all the things like that.

                                                                     PAGE H3096

            But I think every so often people like myself who come from rural

          areas, where there are not a lot of murders, there is not a lot of

          abuse of weapons like this, ought to stand side by side with our

          compatriots in the cities.  There is a crisis in the cities.  It is

          clear, whether it is drugs, whether it is killings, whether it is

          unemployment.  These weapons have no place there.

            Therefore, reluctantly, against all those people that I have

          dealt with over the years, I feel that this ban is important and we

          should do it.  I, frankly, think it is going to hurt me

          politically, but that is okay.  I guess the only thing I can ask of

          the people in my district is not that they necessarily agree with

          me but they think that I am trying to think through something and

          do the right thing in terms of my own heart.  I think this is the

          right thing to do.

            I ask anyone who is hearing to support this ban.

                                                                     PAGE H3096

                                       TIME: 1610

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I only have two speakers remaining,

          and I reserve the balance of my time.

                                                                     PAGE H3096

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I have one speaker in addition to

          myself, so I reserve the balance of my time

            The CHAIRMAN. The Chair will announce to Members controlling the

          debate time that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brooks) has 6

          minutes remaining, and reserves the right to close debate; the

          gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) has 5 minutes

          remaining; the gentleman from New York (Mr. Schumer) has 4 3/4

          minutes remaining; and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays)

          has 3 1/2 minutes remaining.

            The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr.

          Sensenbrenner).

                                                                     PAGE H3096

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the

          distinguished gentleman from the President`s own State, Arkansas

          (Mr. Dickey).

            (Mr. DICKEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            Mr. DICKEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding time

          to me.

            Mr. Chairman, I am standing here today probably inadequately

          trying to express what the little people want done in my district.

          This is the Fourth District of Arkansas. I am in it every weekend

          and I am talking and listening, and I read the letters.  I talk to

          them on the phone.  What they are saying is enough is enough.  What

          is happening is not just the gun control.  They say that gun

          control is just one other means of trying to get control of their

          lives.

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            Taxes takes care of the bank, the bank accounts.  The school

          efforts to come into their homes and tell them how they can teach

          their kids if they are home schoolers, or private school, is

          another part of it.  The health care bill, the aura of the health

          care bill, coming in and taking 14 percent of the gross national

          product and telling them when they can go to the doctor and when

          they cannot.

            Then here comes gun control.  It is a front.  It is a deception,

          in their minds.  They say,

            People are not concerned about gun control so much as they are

          concerned about taking control of the lives of the people who are

          making this Nation what it is and who have made this Nation what it

          is.

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            I am here speaking for the little person.  I am here saying I am

          not necessarily that type of person, a little person, but to be

          considered about one part of a percent of what our national violent

          crime rate is, and not put those people in person, is wrong, by

          these people.  They are the victims, but the criminals, we are

          putting them in prison, we are building gymnasiums they do not

          have, giving them TV`s they do not have.  We are giving them

          benefits in the medical field they do not have, benefits in the

          legal field.

            They say, `You can have all the appeals you want.`

            These people are paying the taxes, and there is bitterness that

          is coming, bitterness and bitterness and bitterness.  What they

          want is the Government to stay off their back, and this particular

          bill is symbolic.  It is nothing but up there at the top, it is a

          small percentage, but they see it as a very large intrusion.

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            I ask the Members, if it is equal, go with the little person.

          Protect their rights, protect what they want to have for their own,

          and not have the Government take away.

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from

          South Carolina (Mr. Derrick). My understanding is that he will need

          more time than that, but I have only 1 minute to yield.

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman

          from South Carolina (Mr. Derrick).

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Derrick) is

          recognized for 2 1/2 minutes.

            Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Chairman, if this bill fails today, we are no

          longer a democracy.  Eighty percent of the people in this country

          want to see a ban on assault weapons.  This debate is not being

          controlled by our constituents, it is not being controlled by the

          80 percent out there.  It is being controlled by a minority here

          inside the beltway that are again controlled by gun dealers and gun

          manufacturers, primarily.

            Mr. Speaker, if this bill does not pass we are no longer a free

          Nation. Let me tell the Members, they do not have to be in jail.

          They do not have to be incarcerated to not be free.  We as a Nation

          are not free when we cannot walk down our streets and feel safe.

          We as a Nation are not free when we cannot stop at a public

          telephone booth without fear of being molested.  We are not free as

          a Nation if we cannot pull up to a stop light and worry about

          someone with a gun sitting next to us that is going to blow us away

          just for the heck of it.

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            Mr. Chairman, if there is any one time that I have seen since I

          have been in this body, this is an opportunity for us as a body to

          throw off the shackles, the shackles of special interests, and do

          what is right for this Nation, what 80 percent of the people in our

          country know is right for this Nation. It is now.

            I beg of you, I plead for you to fight for our country, because

          if we do not do it now and we do not do it good this afternoon, we,

          our children, and our grandchildren are going to regret it for

          years to come.

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to

          the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Fingerhut).

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            (Mr. FINGERHUT asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend his remarks.)

            Mr. FINGERHUT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my very

          strong support for H.R. 4296 - a bill that will ban the manufacture

          and possession of 19 semi-automatic assault weapons.

            I commend my colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee for

          bringing this bill to the floor, and I also wish to commend the

          President and his Cabinet for the excellent support they provided

          in helping us to gain passage of this legislation.

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            Mr. Speaker, this is one of the most significant votes of the

          year, and I am proud to cast my vote in favor of the assault weapon

          ban.  We have shown a willingness to be tough on criminals.  Now we

          have to be willing to show that we can take the weapons out of the

          hands of these criminals.

            Countless police officers in my district have called me - have

          come by my office - have stopped me on the street to express their

          support for H.R. 4296. I am glad that today I have the opportunity

          to stand up on this floor and say that I support banning these

          weapons of war.

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as she may consume

          to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi).

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            (Ms. PELOSI asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          her remarks.)

            Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the

          legislation offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Schumer) to

          ban certain semiautomatic weapons.

            Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the ban on the manufacture

          of semi-automatic assault weapons.  I am here representing my

          constituents and along with my women colleagues to give voice to

          the concerns of women in America. Our message to the House - pass

          legislation banning assault weapons now!

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            The Intra TEC DC-9, the UZI, the MAC 10, and the AK-47, these are

          the types of weapons we seek to ban.  They come standard with

          ammunition magazines capable of holding 30 rounds and more, they

          can be fired as fast as the trigger can be pulled and they can be

          purchased over the counter.  They are the weapons our kids face on

          the streets every day.

            A gun in the hands of anyone whose goal it is to kill people

          poses a great threat to all of us, however, when an individual is

          armed with one of these assault weapons, that individual`s ability

          to kill many people in a short period of time is significantly

          enhanced.

            Last July, in San Francisco, because Gian Luigi Ferri was armed

          with two Intra TEC DC-9 firearms - like this one here - with

          50-round magazines, he was able to fire between 75 and 100 rounds,

          killing 8 people and wounding 6 others.  Mr. Ferri`s victims were

          shot not once, twice, three, or even four times, but five and six

          times.  Judy Sposato was shot five times that day.  She left behind

          her 18-month-old daughter, Meghan, and her loving husband, Stephen.

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            In 1989, because Patrick Purdy used an AK-47 equipped with 75-

          and 30-round magazines, he was able to kill 5 and wound 30

          schoolchildren in a matter of minutes.

            It will be difficult to prevent these tragedies from ever

          happening again, but let us not make the killer`s job any easier by

          allowing access to these weapons.

            We are faced by an urgent need to find a balance between our

          rights.  A balance between the right of someone like Gian Luigi

          Ferri to bear a weapon with the capability of killing so many

          people so quickly and the right of someone like Jody Sposato to

          life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            The best interest of society at large is not served by making

          available to the public this kind of firepower.  As long as these

          weapons are being manufactured in our country and put out on the

          streets of our cities, the deck will be stacked against our

          children and families.

            Let us give a Mother`s Day present to the mothers of America by

          passing the ban and making our country safer.

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as she may consume

          to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard).

                                                                     PAGE H3097

            (Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend her remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman I rise in strong support of H.R.

          4296, the Assault Weapons Ban.

            In fairness to legal gun-owners, it exempts 2,650 types of

          firearms created for hunting or homes protection and bans 19 types

          of deadly, semiautomatic assault weapons originally designed by the

          military for one purpose - deadly combat.

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            These guns are the weapons of choice for drug traffickers, mass

          murderers and hate groups.  They are frequently linked to the

          injury or death of police officers in the line of duty.  In my

          district, as in the rest of the Nation, these weapons are the most

          frequent cause of random, senseless deaths associated with gang

          violence.

            It is this random violence which has created a climate of fear

          throughout America and leads our children to plan their funerals,

          instead of their graduations.

            H.R. 4296 will make our communities safer, and restore hope in

          our children for the chance to learn and play and grow up in a

          society not imprisoned by fear.

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            We must not ignore this historic opportunity to reduce violent

          crime on American streets.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I am going to close on this

          side.  I would ask the Chair, do I have the right to close

          immediately before the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brooks), as the

          manager on this side of the aisle?

            The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman is correct.

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my

          time.

            Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may

          consume.

            Mr. Chairman, this is a conscience vote for each and every one of

          us.  I would like to thank my leadership for allowing every Member

          on the Republican side of the aisle to come to his or her own

          conclusion.  I would also like to thank the gentleman from

          Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.

          Hyde) for yielding me control of 30 minutes of time to allocate to

          the Republican supporters of the bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            Americans have the constitutional right and protection to bear

          arms.  It is there and it must be maintained.  Their Government has

          the constitutional responsibility to regulate that right.

            Mr. Chairman, we need stronger crime control laws and

          enforcement.  We also need stronger gun control laws and

          enforcement.

            If I had only one choice, it is obvious, I want stronger crime

          control.  There is no contest.  I think it is about 97 percent of

          the solution.  But, that is not a choice we have to make.  We do

          not have to choose between one or the other.  They are not mutually

          exclusive.  It is logical to pass rational gun control legislation

          as well.

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            Some of my constituents called our office in opposition to this

          bill.  When I spoke to them, it was clear they did not all oppose

          the law as it was written, but what the law might become.  What

          they fear is the concept of the slippery slope.  They fear the

          camel`s head under the tent.  My only comment to them is that we

          have to take each piece of legislation on its merit, not judge it

          on what might happen some time in the future.  On its merit, this

          legislation makes sense.

            Mr. Chairman, if this bill, on its merit, cannot pass, there will

          be such pent up desire for gun control legislation that the next

          piece that comes before us will not be as meritorious, will not be

          as rational.  It will attempt to do too much, and threaten people`s

          legitimate rights to bear arms.

            Go with this rational approach to gun control, and recognize,

          this is only three percent of the solution, but it is not mutually

          exclusive.  I believe we need much stronger crime control

          legislation.  Voting for this bill does not prevent me from voting

          for that legislation as well.

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            The CHAIRMAN. The time of the distinguished gentleman from

          Connecticut (Mr. Shays) has expired.

            The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Schumer).

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself my remaining time.

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            (Mr. SCHUMER asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman, and first want

          to thank our chairman for his fairness, and my colleagues on that

          side of the aisle, for what I consider an excellent debate on both

          sides of the aisle.

            Let me say to my colleagues that as I have studied this issue,

          the gun control issue, I realize it is not a simple one.  We are

          concerned, greatly concerned, about the killing on our streets and

          the easy availability of guns.

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            I also have come to understand that in large parts of this

          country having a gun, being able to go out and hunt, having a gun

          to protect your home, target shooting, all of that is very

          important to a way of life.

                                       TIME: 1620

            That is why this debate is a debate that goes back and forth in

          this Chamber. That is why on so many issues, many of us internally

          are deeply divided.  But I would argue to my colleagues,

          particularly those who are undecided because those who have not

          made up their minds yet will determine the outcome today, I would

          say that this legislation, this particular narrowly crafted and

          very limited bill, the balance is in its favor.

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            Mr. Chairman, we know what these weapons do on the one side.

          They are not all killing that is going around, but they are 1

          percent of the weapons with 8 percent of the killing, and if we ask

          law enforcement officers, that number will go up and up and up.  So

          they certainly do damage as we have heard from victim after victim

          after victim.  They do the damage more quickly and more lethally

          than other guns.  And on the other side, the right of people to

          have guns, let us not fool anybody, we know that these guns are not

          used for hunting, we know that these guns are not used for

          self-defense, and we know in only very limited cases are they used

          for target shooting and can be easily replaced by comparable

          weapons.

            Mr. Chairman, yes, it is true, my colleague from Arkansas said

          that if they do not make a difference in the cities, but they do,

          why impinge on our way of life, the rural way of life, and I would

          argue the opposite.  There is some minor impingement on the rural

          way of life, but it will do much more good in terms of the cities.

            Mr. Chairman, I would also say to my colleagues very simply that

          this will work.  We banned machine guns in 1937. Do criminals now

          get machine guns? One cannot find a crime where a machine gun is

          used.  They just do not get them and they will not get

          semiautomatics.  And on the other side, are our sportsmen and our

          hunters and our target practice people and people who want guns for

          self-defense less inconvenienced because there are not machine guns

          on our street? I would argue no.

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            Mr. Chairman, this minor change in the law, and it is a

          relatively minor change, adding 19 weapons to those that are

          already abolished, it will not end the killing, but we know it will

          do some good and very minimal bad.

            Mr. Chairman, these guns are plainly and simply killing

          machines.  They are not made for hunting, they are not made for

          target practice, they are made simply to kill as many people,

          people, people as possible as fast as possible.  They have no

          place, no place at all in a civilized society.

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 1/2 minutes to the

          distinguished gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Volkmer) who served with

          great distinction on the Committee on the Judiciary and helped to

          formulate the 1986 law.

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            (Mr. VOLKMER asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. VOLKMER. Mr. Chairman, I first want to correct two things

          stated by the gentleman from New York, Mr. Schumer, about the 19

          weapons.  I suggest for Members that do not know the truth between

          what the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Sarpalius, showed you, the long

          list, or the gentleman from New York, Mr. Schumer, that they read

          page 20 of the report of this committee and they will find that

          there are many additional semiautomatic weapons that are banned,

          not just the 19.

            No. 2, correction of the gentleman from New York who just spoke

          in this well.  He said that we banned all machine guns.  If he

          meant machine guns by automatic weapons in 1934, he is way off

          base.  He again does not know what he is talking about.  In 1986

          was when automatic weapons were banned.  And why were they banned?

          Because before that time, the media and the gun control

          incorporated, hand gun control were all calling them the weapon of

          choice of the criminal.

                                                                     PAGE H3098

            These were the assault weapons.  And automatics were assault

          weapons, and they still are.  They are the only assault weapons.

          They are the ones that are used by the military.  And they have

          been banned since 1986. But do the criminals still have them? Heck,

          yes, they have them, folks, and they still use them.  Those drug

          pushers still have them and they will continue to have them.

            Mr. Chairman, what have they banned in here? They have banned the

          same thing as my 3030 rifle.  They have banned the same thing as my

          3006 deer rifle, as my 12-gauge shotgun.  They have banned the very

          same thing that works identically.

            Mr. Chairman, one other thing: This shows a banned gun and a

          non-banned gun made by the same people, the same caliber, the same

          way it works, and it kills just as much whether used in hunting or

          used on people.

                                                                     PAGE H3099

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my

          time.

            (Mr SENSENBRENNER asked and was given permission to revise and

          extend his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3099

            The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Wisconsin. (Mr. Sensenbrenner)

          is recognized for 3 minutes.

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, one of the things that has made

          our American Constitution so unique and so enduring is that our

          Bill of Rights was designed to protect the people of this country

          against government action.  There are few who would argue that the

          Second Amendment protects individual possession of nuclear devices

          or machine guns or bazookas or grenade launchers.  But what we are

          talking about here is a balancing of rights and a balancing of

          interests.

            Mr. Chairman, I have been listening to this debate for the last 2

          hours, and it seems to me that balancing those equities requires a

          no vote.  We heard the gentleman from California, Mr. Rohrabacher,

          say that he saw on television Korean American store owners

          protecting their lives and their property during the Los Angeles

          riots, and that was because the police did not show up.  And they

          used semiautomatic weapons that are banned on this list.

          Self-defense is a legitimate purpose and this bill would take those

          guns away from those Korean Americans.

                                                                     PAGE H3099

            Secondly, we have to remember that it is already a Federal felony

          for someone who has been convicted of a felony or adjudicated

          mentally incompetent to possess any type of firearm, any type of

          firearm.  If the

          Justice Department were doing its job adequately, those people

          would be arrested and indicted and prosecuted, and that is the

          organized criminal element that is shooting up our streets today,

          and they do not belong out on parole, they belong in jail, because

          just a small number of the criminals commit the vast percentage of

          the violent crimes in our country.

            Mr. Chairman, let us face it.  The semiautomatic weapon is not

          the weapon of choice by the killers.  The gentlewoman from

          Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) on the other side said that there were

          only 19 murders since October that used the type of semiautomatic

          weapons that are to be banned by this particular piece of

          legislation.  I estimate that the total number of murders

          unfortunately is 10,000 during the same period of time.  This is

          just a small percentage of the murders.

            Mr. Chairman, in order to take weapons that have been used for a

          small percentage of the murders out of the hands of those who would

          use them illegally, the Korean American shop owner who needed that

          weapon to protect lives and property, the hunter that uses these

          weapons for legitimate hunting purposes, the target shooter who

          uses an M-1A or an AR-15 will end up getting legislated our of

          business.

                                                                     PAGE H3099

            Vote for the honest people.  Vote no.  Then let us pass a tough

          crime bill that will put those crooks in jail.

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to

          the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy).

            (Mr. MURPHY asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3099

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to

          the gentleman from New York (Mr. Flake).

            (Mr. FLAKE asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

            Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Chairman, as one who has had the responsibility

          for burying and eulogizing children as young as 11 years old,

          victims of gunshot, I rise in favor of this particular legislation

          and ask my colleagues to join in supporting it.

                                                                     PAGE H3099

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as she may consume to

          the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo).

            (Ms. ESHOO asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          her remarks.)

            Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4296,

          the Assault Weapons Ban Act of 1994. I think that it is time that

          when we use the word `street sweeper,` we know that we are talking

          about public works projects and not South African designed

          shotguns.

                                                                     PAGE H3099

            Mr. Chairman, I rise before the House to urge my colleagues to

          support H.R. 4296, the Assault Weapons Ban Act of 1994.

            This ban is not just an inner city issue.  Today`s Wall Street

          Journal provides new polls showing vast majorities of Americans

          supporting this ban.  This overwhelming support is found in urban,

          suburban, and rural areas of America.

            Every major national law enforcement organization in American

          supports the ban including the National Association of Police

          Organizations and the National Sheriffs` Association.

                                                                     PAGE H3099

            The ban is also supported by our former Presidents Ronald Reagan,

          Jimmy Carter, and Gerald Ford.

            The weapons this bill bans are not sporting weapons, they are

          weapons of death.  The bill bans 19 specific semiautomatic weapons,

          none of which are used for hunting or other sporting purposes and

          exempts 670 specific weapons that are used for legitimate purposes.

            Moreover, this bill does not take away any weapons from people

          who already legally own them.  It addresses only those weapons

          designed to kill human beings.  America and this Congress needs to

          get to a point that when we say the words `street sweeper` we are

          talking about a public works project and not a South

          African-designed shotgun.  Support this gun ban as an important

          step to provide for the safety of all Americans. It is time to stop

          the killing.

                                                                     PAGE H3099

                                       TIME: 1630

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 4 1/2 minutes, the

          remainder of my time.

            (Mr. BROOKS asked and was given permission to revise and extend

          his remarks.)

                                                                     PAGE H3099

            Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, we have now reached the end of the day

          on the issue before us.  The general debate time has allowed every

          possible argument to be aired by the proponents who seem to have no

          qualms whatsoever about taking a simplistic approach to a very

          complicated issue.

            Where the debate has veered off into what I consider an

          unacceptable and mean area is where the self-anointed arbiters of

          morality have attempted to paint legitimate, law-abiding gunowners

          as part of the dark force in America who aid and abet the

          proliferation of violence in our society.  Some would have you

          believe that to vote against this ill-conceived, overbroad, and

          unbelievably vague piece of draftsmanship is to sanction the

          terrible scenes of carnage that we all witness on the late news

          before going to bed at night.  This is a terrible falsehood and

          worthy of the description of the `big lie` - that if repeated often

          enough, can cloud reason and clear-headed thinking.

            Well, it hasn`t swayed my mind one bit or the many other Members

          in this body who know that the problem of violence has to do with

          the roots of crime, with the pervasiveness of drugs, with violent

          impulses and malice of heart that leads individuals with no

          moorings in civilized life to commit unspeakable acts.

                                                                     PAGE H3099

            It is very easy for us sitting here in the Northeast corridor to

          forget about the rest of the continental United States and the

          citizens who live there.  Across this country in our towns and

          communities, fathers and sons know how to properly handle weapons

          for the legitimate purposes of hunting, self-defense, and target

          shooting.  This legislation insults the dignity of their lives by

          attempting to lump them in the same category of deranged

          sociopaths, who could get any weapon described in this bill in an

          hour`s time.  To the frenzied advocates, that is a mere detail.  To

          them, the vagueness of the bill`s language is someone else`s

          problem that can be taken care of later.

            Well, I am not going to subscribe to that cavalier approach.  I

          am not going to subscribe to the broadbrush painting of our good

          citizens as potential criminals - nor of sincere, dedicated

          lawmakers in this body who oppose H.R. 4296 as somehow advocating

          violence in America.

            If you want to fight crime, then support the tough crime bill.

          Let`s put an end to the demagoguery and twisted logic.  Let`s vote

          this down, and get on with the real business of fighting crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3099

            Mr. Chairman, let us put an end to the demagoguery and the

          twisted logic that this bill is going to do anything useful.  Let

          us vote this down and get on with the real business of fighting

          crime.

            Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

                                                                     PAGE H3100

            Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this

          bill.  I share the frustration of many Americans in that there are

          too many weapons in the wrong hands on the streets of our cities.

          There are too many killings by any method, and the United States

          sadly leads all civilized nations in violent crime.  Citizens and

          politicians need to direct meaningful solutions and actions to

          resolve or at least diminish crime.

            But, let`s be frank.  This isn`t a crime control bill.  It`s a

          gun control bill and is another step by the anti-gun crowd to chip

          away at the second amendment.  We know that 80 percent of all

          violent crime is committed by 6 percent of felons.  That`s why

          `three strikes, you`re out` makes sense.

                                                                     PAGE H3100

            This bill gives cover to a Congress that failed to adopt truly

          tough legislation against violent crime.  Just last month, the

          Rules Committee denied amendments to the crime bill such as the

          McCollum amendment that would increase the jail sentence for anyone

          using any kind of weapon in the commission of a crime.  Numerous

          amendments to provide stiffer penalties for criminals were not

          allowed to be debated.  We should classify drive-by shootings as

          first degree murder and any youthful offender in the vehicle should

          receive at a minimum a 1-year sentence in a boot camp.  We should

          insure that there`s truth in sentencing, with no parole for second

          time criminals, and mandate that convicted criminals should serve a

          minimum of 85 percent of time, as recommended by the father of

          Polly Klaus, the young Californian who was murdered by a child

          molester who was released early.

            Instead, the focus in this bill is placed on 19 semiautomatic

          rifles and the size of an ammunition clip.  Supporters of this bill

          call these firearms weapons of war or assault weapons, saying they

          are made only to kill, only used by criminals.  They don`t tell you

          it is already illegal for convicted criminals to own any gun.

            They don`t tell you that these assault weapons aren`t the

          preferred weapons of violent criminals.  Here in Washington, DC,

          the murder capital, of the 4,200 homicides committed between 1990

          and 1993, only four involved the use of a rifle.  The FBI reports

          that nationally only 3 percent of homicides involve rifles.

          Ninety-nine percent of today`s criminals prefer weapons other than

          those so-called assault weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3100

            Not one of the 19 semiautomatic rifles was used in the military

          in any country.  They were not built for the military or used by

          the military.  Real assault weapons, that is, automatic weapons

          should not be used by anyone except the military and law

          enforcement.

            I have flown an F-14 with a 20mm Gatling gun that could

          disintegrate a tank with a 1/2 second burst, but this bill would

          deny me from carrying a 10-shot, 22 target pistol.  We ought to

          remember that it`s not the weapon, but who`s using the weapon.

          These 19 semiautomatic rifles were not designed to kill people but

          for use by lawful citizens.

            Rather than getting tough on guns, we ought to get tough on

          criminals.  Criminals who use a gun, or for that matter a knife or

          a rock, ought to face swift, severe, and certain punishment.  If we

          are frustrated with illegal weapons proliferation, then we ought to

          pass a national computerized instant check system that can identify

          those with a criminal past or mental history that should preclude

          them from buying a gun.  Instead, we pass the Brady bill, a feel

          good unfunded mandate.  We should deal with fly-by-night gun

          dealers that flood the streets with weapons.  We should deal with

          those illegally carrying a concealed weapon.

                                                                     PAGE H3100

            We should pass tough measures, not take away the rights of law

          abiding citizens.  We ought to lock away those core criminals for

          these 6 percent that commit the majority of crime locked up

          forever.

            Mrs. LLOYD. Mr. Chairman, let me say at the outset that I support

          the second amendment, which provides Americans with right to keep

          and bear arms.  Many of my constituents have a great love for the

          land and a tradition of sportsmanship.  I have long maintained that

          abiding citizens have constitutional guarantees to own firearms and

          that these guarantees should be upheld.

            However, I do not believe that in crafting the Constitution, our

          Founding Fathers intended to give citizens the right to bear arms

          of mass destruction.  Every day I turn on the news or read the

          newspaper, I find yet another gun related death.  Our streets,

          playgrounds, and schools have become shooting ranges.  The very

          fabric of American society is being torn apart by a pull of the

          trigger.  Let me qualify, that each pull of the trigger on an

          semiautomatic assault weapon can mean 30 shots emptied in just 5

          seconds.  Semiautomatic assault weapons are specifically engineered

          for the purpose of killing.  These weapons are simply tools used to

          enhance criminal activity.

                                                                     PAGE H3100

            In 1991, I voted against proposed legislation to ban assault

          weapons, because of its ambiguous language and broad definition of

          the configuration of an assault weapon.  However, the legislation

          before us is quite different than the 1991 legislation.  First,

          H.R. 4296 is not retroactive.  The legislation is grandfathered, to

          allow law abiding citizens to keep currently owned semiautomatic

          weapon(s).  The bill discontinues the manufacture and sale of new

          semiautomatic weapons.  Second, H.R. 4296 bans 19 specific guns and

          includes a narrowly tailored two part test to safeguard against

          duplicate versions of the banned weapons.  Finally, and most

          importantly, H.R. 4296 specifies the exemption of 650 hunting and

          sporting rifles.

            As it is written, it is apparent that this legislation is not

          intended to take away the rights of law-abiding citizens.  This

          legislation is intended to prevent the random killings of people

          with assault weapons, such as the five children mowed down in the

          Stockton schoolyard massacre in 1989, and the eight people killed

          in the law firm in San Francisco in 1993. Incidentally, both these

          incidents involved semiautomatic assault weapons purchased by a gun

          dealer.

            Mr. Chairman, according to ATF statistics, during 1986-90, 1,088

          assault weapons were traced to murders in the United States and

          3,505 were connected with drug trafficking.  After reviewing

          homicide statistics and seeing these daily incidents involving

          semiautomatic assault weapons, I cannot justify their existence.  I

          realize that this measure will not eliminate the problem of

          violence in America, but it will certainly create a major obstacle

          in accessing these destructive weapons.  I urge my colleagues to

          support the measure and take a fundamental step in saving lives.

                                                                     PAGE H3100

            Mr. FRANKS of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a member

          of the Sportsman Caucus in strong opposition to H.R. 4296, the

          so-called assault weapon ban.  I am a firm believer in the second

          amendment right to keep and bear arms.  While many in Congress feel

          the way to control crime is to eliminate guns, I do not.

            In my judgment, eliminating guns will not alleviate the crime

          epidemic.  The cause of the outbreak is the criminal.  I believe we

          can better deter criminals by imposing strict penalties for those

          who commit crimes.  Ultimately, the most effective way to deter

          crime is to send a message to the criminal that the punishment will

          be severe and swift.

            Mr. Chairman, this legislation is just another example of

          political posturing by the U.S. Congress. More people are killed

          each year with fists and feet than with these so-called assault

          weapons.  The vast majority of murders involve handguns or some

          other form of a gun, but not assault weapons.  According to FBI

          statistics, fists and feet represent about 5 percent of all

          homicides while assault rifles account for less that 1 percent of

          all murders.

                                                                     PAGE H3100

            There are a number of methods which cause injury or death to

          another individual.  Knives, ropes, bullets, fists, feet, blunt

          objects, and motor vehicles have all led to the deaths of far too

          many people in our society.  Yet I do not believe anyone here would

          advocate the banning of these items.  No, instead we would seek to

          appropriately punish those individuals involved in these heinous

          crimes.

            We are duping the American people by claiming that this

          legislation will help combat the crime epidemic facing our Nation.

          Like most gun control legislation, this bill will do nothing more

          than impose on the constitutional rights or our citizenry.  This

          legislation will disarm law-abiding citizens and strengthen the

          criminal.  I have introduced legislation that punishes the criminal

          and not law-abiding citizens.  My bill would double the Federal

          mandatory sentences for individuals who commit the most heinous

          crimes with a firearm in their possession.

            Mr. Chairman, I would like to state that this legislation has

          nothing to do with fully automatic weapons.  Automatic weapons have

          been banned since 1986. So what we`re talking about is

          semiautomatic weapons.  For those of you not familiar with

          firearms, semiautomatic means that every time you pull the trigger

          one round is fired.

                                                                     PAGE H3100

            Every one of the 670 weapons exempted by this bill is a

          semiautomatic weapon.  They fire the same ammunition at the same

          rate that these so-called assault weapons fire.  The only

          difference is that exempted weapons do not contain features like a

          pistol grip or bayonet lug.  Mr. Chairman, these features may make

          these guns look more intimidating, but they do not increase the

          firepower or lethalness of the weapon.

            If the barrel of a BB gun or a .22 is staring you in the face,

          that is intimidating.  There is no question that a gun of any kind

          in the wrong hands is dangerous.  Gun control is not the answer to

          this problem.  Tough mandatory minimum sentences are.

            Mr. Chairman, I am also concerned that the list of weapons banned

          is not limited to the 19 firearms listed in this legislation.  Some

          estimates show that as many as 150 rifles may be banned by this

          bill.  In my opinion, this sets a dangerous precedent.  Once the

          Congress adopts the theory that limiting access to firearms reduces

          crime, I believe there will be tremendous pressure to ban more and

          more guns - until the right to bear arms is effectively nullified.

                                                                     PAGE H3100

            Mr. Chairman, H.R. 4296 is a bad bill, let`s defeat this

          legislation and get tough on the criminal, not law-abiding

          citizens.

                                                                     PAGE H3101

            Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Chairman, to those who preceded me in

          this debate today to say that a TEC-9 semiautomatic assault weapon

          or any one of the other 18 weapons specifically banned by this

          legislation has never been used to kill anyone in a town in their

          congressional district, I say you should be thankful.  It is my

          hope and prayer that one of these weapons never will be brandished

          during the commission of a crime in those districts.

            Unfortunately, not every congressional district has been so

          fortunate.  There has been case after case reported and documented

          where these weapons have been used to injure or kill innocent

          children, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers in their

          schoolyards, their homes, their offices, and on the streets of

          their hometowns.

                                                                     PAGE H3101

            I know of these tragic stories because I have met survivors of

          these crimes.  The semiautomatic weapons banned by this legislation

          were used in a way that has forever changed the lives of these

          families.  For those who say these weapons are not used in crimes,

          I say tell that to Stephen Sposato, whose wife was killed by a man

          who walked into her San Francisco law firm carrying two TEC DC-9`s

          he purchased in Nevada, because they were outlawed in California.

          After shooting her five times he turned his weapon on others in her

          office, killing seven more and wounding many others.  Tell that to

          the survivors of this horror and to their loved ones.

            The fact is that the guns the Assault Weapons Ban Act seeks to

          end production of are used in criminal violence.  They are used

          disproportionately to their prevalence in the gun population and

          they are used with one purpose in mind - to kill as many people as

          possible.

            As a gun owner myself, and a member of the House Appropriations

          Subcommittee on National Defense, I have fired just about every

          kind of weapon conceivable.  There is no doubt in my mind that the

          type of weapons we are discussing here today have no legitimate

          sporting purpose.  No true sportsman would ever use one of these

          weapons for the hunting of game.

                                                                     PAGE H3101

            The only people who should possess these weapons are the men and

          women of our Nation`s uniformed services and law enforcement

          agencies who are charged with protecting the American people.

            There are those who say that banning these weapons will not

          prevent crime.  There is no doubt this ban will not prevent all

          criminal activities, but if it saves the life of one innocent

          victim or protects one police officer patrolling our streets, then

          this ban is worth enacting today.

            This legislation does not ban the ownership of these weapons.  It

          does not require them to be turned in or registered.  It does not

          even ban their sale or transfer.  It simply bans their future

          production which will help dry up the supply available to the

          criminals who use them.  We have already seen this to be the case

          as the number of murders, assaults, drug crimes and property crimes

          linked to imported assault weapons has declined since the

          imposition of an import ban established by President Bush in 1989

          on a select number of weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3101

            It is unfortunate that the legislation we consider today will not

          put an end to killing and murders in our towns and cities.  No

          legislation we enact in Congress, no matter how tough, will do

          that.

            This legislation, however, makes it more difficult for those who

          might commit these heinous crimes from acquiring weapons whose sole

          purpose is to maim and kill another human being.  It does this

          while still protecting the fundamental second amendment rights of

          the American people.

            Even Bill Jackson, of Pinellas Park, FL, the owner of Shop for

          Adventure, one of our Nation`s largest sporting goods stores

          which sells guns, has written me in support of this bill saying

          these guns `have no need in the sports world, nor for personal

          defense.`

                                                                     PAGE H3101

            Mr. Chairman, contrary to many of the assertions we have heard

          during this debate, the intent of this legislation is simply to

          stop the future manufacture of these killing machines.  The

          legislation grandfathers any weapon in the act that is presently

          owned.  It does not prohibit a gun owner from transferring their

          weapon to their son or daughter or to any other law abiding

          citizen.  It does not require them to register their gun with local

          authorities, and it specifically exempts more than 650 hunting and

          sporting rifles.  The legislation also make clear that a gun does

          not have to be on the list of exemptions to also be exempt.

            People opposed to this act say this is the first step towards gun

          registration and gun confiscation.  Well I am a gun owner, and I

          have used a gun to protect my family from criminals in my own home

          and I strongly defend the right of Americans to own guns, but I

          cannot support allowing the continued production of these 19

          specific types weapons for use by any one other than a member of

          our Nation`s uniformed services or law enforcement agencies.

            Mr. Chairman, over the past few weeks I have searched my

          conscience at length and talked to many people from all sides of

          this issue.  In the course of the debate I have received much input

          from my constituents, and, quite frankly, I have received threats

          of political retribution from both sides if I did not vote their

          way.  To cast my vote for or against any legislation based on the

          threat of retaliation at the polls would be no different than

          casting a vote for or against an issue based on promised financial

          or political support.

                                                                     PAGE H3101

            In casting my vote today, I must decide what is in the best

          interests of the people I represent and all the American people.

          For those who have lost a loved one through a violent act committed

          by one of these specific types of assault weapons, or for those who

          patrol our streets and run the risk of encountering a criminal

          armed with one these weapons, I can only conclude that this

          legislation is in their best interest and the best interest of

          future victims of these weapons.

            Just as those who believe this legislation is a panacea to

          prevent crime and violence in our streets are wrong, those who

          believe this legislation represents an erosion of our second

          amendment rights to keep and bear arms are also wrong.  During this

          debate today, no one stood up to advocate that the second amendment

          covers the right of people to keep and bear machine guns or other

          military style weaponry.  This legislation simply adds 19 specific

          types of weapons to a list of weapons that cannot be produced for

          anyone other than a member of our uniformed or law enforcement

          services.  It does not confiscate or ban possession by those people

          who already legally own them.

            This is an attempt to protect the lives of those who may one day

          run astray of a criminal in possession of one of these weapons of

          death.  For those who would refer to the constitutional protection

          of the American people to keep and bear arms, and their is no

          greater proponent of this second amendment right than this

          Congressman, I would refer to the preamble of our Constitution

          which charges that `We the people, in Order to form a more perfect

          Union, establish Justice, and insure domestic Tranquility * * *`

          This legislation is one step in trying to help insure domestic

          tranquility and the preservation of innocent life.

                                                                     PAGE H3101

            Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Chairman, Americans are sick and tired of

          hearing about crimes that are being committed in their

          neighborhoods.  It is our duty as U.S. Representatives to prevent

          criminals from controlling the lives of law-abiding citizens.  The

          strong punishment and smart prevention measures found in the crime

          bill, which recently passed the House, lets criminals know that

          they will no longer be tolerated.

            However, any attempt to take away the rights of law abiding

          citizens to own firearms is not the answer to stopping crime.  In

          fact, the National Association of Chiefs of Police oppose the ban.

          Criminals by nature will break the law, and if Congress bans

          various assault weapons, criminals will simply choose to illegally

          obtain these or other weapons to perpetrate their crimes.

            Furthermore, the second amendment clearly states that people have

          the right to keep and bear arms.  The idea of banning certain guns

          is an infringement on the rights of citizens to protect their own

          families.  If the assault weapon ban is passed, gun control

          advocates will seek further ways to violate the rights of gun

          owners.  The focus should instead be on finding new ways to help

          kids say no to gangs and drugs through crime prevention programs as

          well as measures which keep repeat offenders off the streets.

          These are the measures which will keep all Americans safe.  At the

          very least, the idea of banning certain guns should be left to each

          State. Therefore, States which are less urban and more rural should

          have the right to allow their own citizens to purchase guns for

          hunting, gun collecting, and other various purposes common in their

          own culture.

                                                                     PAGE H3101

            In addition, the legislation would also ban popular sporting

          rifles such as the Springfield M1A which is used by highpower rifle

          target shooters in competition.  It is unfair to deny law abiding

          sportsmen their rights to own rifles which they use in

          competition.  The ban also imposes penalties of up to 5 years in

          prison as well as a possible fine of up to $5,000 for those who own

          the banned guns.  However, there are many citizens who legally have

          guns in their possession, and these law abiding citizens could be

          subject to penalties if they do not have proof that they purchased

          the gun prior to enactment of the gun ban.  Since many guns lack

          serial numbers and other forms proving the date of purchase, many

          innocent individuals could be accused of violating the law.

            Mr. Chairman, military-style weapons are involved in less than 1

          percent of all serious crime, and the assault weapons ban will not

          keep crime off the streets.  I therefore hope that Congress and the

          President pay less attention to gun bans and more attention to

          tough punishments and smart prevention measures.

                                                                     PAGE H3102

            Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 4269,

          the Assault Weapons Ban Act. As a cosponsor of this bill, I believe

          that it can only decrease our country`s crime rate and ensure the

          safety of the American public.

            The violent incidents in the United States which have been a

          result of assault weapons have not discriminated against any one

          region or age group.  Since 1991 over 5,000 young Americans, ages

          1-19, have died as a result of guns and tens of thousands more have

          been injured.  In the United States today, a young man is more

          likely to die due to handgun violence than by any other means.  We

          now have a chance to not only save the young men and women of our

          country but to also shield the hundreds of thousands of Americans

          who are in some way affected by guns each year.

                                                                     PAGE H3102

            Many organizations who do not support this bill advocate that a

          ban on assault weapons will infringe upon the American public`s

          constitutional rights.  In addition, they argue that there is no

          difference between which guns are proposed to be banned and which

          are not, and claim that this proposed ban will affect hunter`s

          firearms.  All of these allegations are false, as supporters of

          this bill already know.

            The American Bar Association has clearly and continually stated

          that there is no credible constitutional ban on enacting strong,

          comprehensive assault weapon legislation.  The ABA emphasizes that

          the Supreme Court, as well as lower Federal courts, have never

          struck down any regulation of private firearm ownership in our

          Nation`s history.

            It is almost unbelievable that, given the violent statistics,

          Congress has not devoted more attention to this issue until

          recently.  The Treasury Department`s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and

          Firearms has stated that the narrow range of assault weapons which

          this bill would affect are not like ordinary guns.  Rather, the

          weapons to be banned are, in effect, efficient killing machines.

          Hunters who fear that their weapons will be banned should not be

          concerned.  The 19 specific guns which will be outlawed are those

          designed to kill humans, not to hunt animals.

                                                                     PAGE H3102

            Some 77 percent of Americans and two-thirds of gun owners polled

          are in favor of this ban.  The fact remains that guns banned under

          H.R. 4296 make up only 1 percent of all privately owned firearms in

          the United States. Yet, in 1993 assault weapons accounted for 9

          percent of the guns used by cop killers and over 8 percent of all

          firearm related crimes.  This can not be tolerated.

            In 1991, California passed the Nation`s first assault weapons ban

          as an outcome of the tragic 1989 Stockton school massacre.  As a

          result of this ban, California has held firm against the drastic

          Nation-wide growth of assault weapons.  From 1991 through 1993,

          California requests for assault weapons rose less than half of the

          national average.  This ban is an example of a proven method of

          reducing assault weapon violence.

            Numerous bipartisan organizations, including major law

          enforcement organizations, who only have the public`s best

          interests and safety in mind support H.R. 4296. I urge my

          colleagues to reflect the will of the American public and to vote

          in favor of this ban.  Together we can win this battle against

          crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3102

            Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the

          Assault Weapons Ban Act. The increase in violence in our Nation`s

          communities is an issue that deeply concerns me.  As a

          Representative from my district of Dayton, OH, I have heard from

          many constituents who have expressed outrage and fear at the type

          of violence they face on a daily basis, and who have urged Congress

          to keep these guns out of the reach of criminals.

            As a parent, I have listened to my children who have told me

          disturbing stories of how many young people get involved with guns

          and drugs in schools.  According to the Centers for Disease

          Control, more than 50,000 American children have been killed by

          guns between 1979 and 1991. In 1991 alone, over 5,000 children

          between the ages of 1 to 19 died from gunshot wounds, and over

          26,000 children were injured by guns.  Mr. Chairman, action must be

          taken to ensure that children are safe in their neighborhoods and

          can attend schools in a learning environment.  It is disturbing to

          hear that so many young people know the horror of such violence at

          an early age, and are planning their funerals instead of planning

          for their future.

            I am not antigun, and I respect the rights of those who are

          hunters, sportsmen, and collectors.  The bill before us does not

          pertain to these law-abiding citizens.  Instead, it bans 19 assault

          weapons which are specifically designed to kill people in large

          numbers.

                                                                     PAGE H3102

            Obviously, this ban is not the only solution to the increase in

          gun-related violence.  But, if we can curb the senseless killing of

          many individuals by banning these assault weapons, then I believe

          we in Congress have made one important step forward in addressing

          the violence in our country.  I urge my colleagues to vote for the

          assault weapon ban.

            Mr. RAHALL. I rise today Mr. Chairman, to oppose H.R. 4296, the

          bill to ban so-called assault weapons and to tell you how the

          people whom I am proud to represent feel about this effort to erode

          their rights.

            I have heard from countless constituents who value the right to

          own the firearms of their choice so that they may participate in

          hunting or sporting activities or to be able to protect their homes

          or their families.  They understand the facts that those who

          advocate gun control do not understand - gun control only restricts

          the rights of honest citizens, it has no effect on criminals.  And

          that is what we are talking about here - gun control instead of

          criminal control or prevention who believe, for a moment that if

          successful today, this will be the end.  Who are we kidding?

                                                                     PAGE H3102

            Let me tell you a little bit about West Virginia. We have very

          little restriction on our second amendment rights and yet we are

          not overrun by gun crime.  We do not have shoot-outs on our

          streets.  People do not barricade themselves in their homes, afraid

          to go out into their neighborhoods.  On the contrary, West

          Virginia, a State with little gun control, enjoys one of the lowest

          crime rates of this Nation.

            We should get one thing clear, Mr. Chairman, the debate here

          today is not about guns, it is not about assault weapons.  What we

          are really talking about is prohibiting ordinary, peaceable

          Americans from owning private property of their choosing.  As one

          of my constituents from Huntington, WV, wrote to me recently,

            Proposed antigun laws do not impact the criminal nearly as much

          as they impact me, the law-abiding, voting, proud West Virginia and

          United States citizen * * * . Our freedoms here in America are very

          precious.  However, I feel that my freedoms are slowly but surely

          being erased.

                                                                     PAGE H3102

            We cannot go about legislating that some guns are good and some

          are evil without jeopardizing the rights of citizens to own guns at

          all.  Those advocating gun control will not be satisfied until all

          weapons are on the evil list.  Last year a little of the value of

          the second amendment was eroded when a waiting period for all

          handgun purchases was instituted.  This year you are seeking to ban

          semiautomatic weapons that have certain arbitrary cosmetic

          features.  Next year it will be something else and the process

          won`t stop until the second amendment is a deflated ballon lying

          wasted in the trail of the parade bound to trample all of our

          personal freedoms.

            I urge all my colleagues to pause for a moment to reflect on the

          impact of your actions here today and have the courage to support

          the rights of honest citizens.  You cannot control crime in the

          streets by slapping handcuffs on the second amendment.  Oppose H.R.

          4296.

            Mr. WISE. Mr. Chairman, the ban on assault weapons will not stop

          criminals from committing crimes, nor will it stop them from

          obtaining guns.  The only thing this legislation will do is keep

          law-abiding citizens from owning the rifle, shotgun, or pistol of

          their choice.

                                                                     PAGE H3102

            I am alarmed at the panic that has been caused by the proponents

          of this legislation.  The semiautomatic firearms that the assault

          weapon legislation seeks to ban make up less than 1 percent of all

          guns in circulation.  Laws already exist that forbid convicted

          felons from owning firearms.  Laws also exist that govern when a

          gun may be used and how it may be carried.

            The only true military-style assault weapons are fully automatic

          and have been stringently controlled since 1934. This legislation

          will have no effect on the sale or ownership of automatic firearms

          which fire multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger.

            This legislation deals with the semiautomatic firearm which fires

          one shot with one pull of the trigger - just like any other

          firearm.  There is no difference in the action of a semiautomatic

          hunting rifle and the action of a semiautomatic rifle that would be

          banned except for the outward appearance of military hardware such

          as a folding stock or bayonet lug.  With these items, it is

          considered an assault weapon and without these items, it is a

          sporting rifle.  The firearm will still use the same bullets, fire

          at the same speed, and hit the same target, but those simple

          cosmetic changes are the difference between a legal and illegal

          weapon.

                                                                     PAGE H3102

            While gun control advocates label the `assault weapon` as the

          weapon of choice for criminals, it is important to note that

          assault rifles were used in less than 1 percent of all homicides.

          If we really want to help protect police officers, we need to fight

          crime - not infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens.

                                                                     PAGE H3103

            Mrs. COLLINS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, on the morning of October

          13, 1992, Annette Freeman prepared her 7-year-old son Dantrell

          Davis for first grade.  As was her custom, she had planned to walk

          with him the few blocks to school through the Cabrini-Green Housing

          Development in which they lived, but as they emerged from their

          building, Dantrell was killed instantly by an AR-15 assault weapon

          shot by a sniper.

            According to the Chicago Tribune, which ran a series of articles

          on the children killed by gunfire, Dantrell`s mother told jurors at

          the trial that when she heard the shots she ducked and saw sparks

          coming from a 9th- or 10th-floor window of a nearby building. `I

          went crawling to Danny` she said. `He was laying on the ground.  I

          just was asking him to get up, but he wouldn`t get up.  He wouldn`t

          get up.`

                                                                     PAGE H3103

            The weapon that enabled the sniper nine floors up at his perch in

          the adjacent high-rise building, to shoot and kill little Dantrell

          is a semiautomatic version of the M-16 machineguns used by the

          military.  This weapon was traced by law enforcement agents in

          crime investigations more than 1,800 times between 1990 and 1993.

          There is absolutely no legitimate reason for this weapon of war to

          be available and as easy to purchase as the bookbag that Dantrell

          carried to school.  This is a national disgrace.

            In 1989 we banned the AR-15 from re-importation into the United

          States because it did not meet the sporting purpose criteria under

          the Gun Control Act. Obviously if these weapons should not be

          imported or re-imported then we certainly should not allow 400,000

          of them to be manufactured here in this country.  This lunacy must

          end.

            This past December, 16-year-old, Gerome Allen who played

          basketball for Westinghouse High School was standing outside Banner

          Supermarket on Chicago`s westside, holding a box of doughnuts,

          waiting for his brother who was still inside the store, when

          gunfire erupted from a building across the street.  One of the

          bullets from an AK-47 assault weapon fatally struck him in the back

          of the head.

                                                                     PAGE H3103

            Over the course of this debate I am sure that we will hear from a

          chorus of assault weapons promoters backed by the NRA, or the not

          really attuned, who will say that the list of weapons included in

          the ban includes guns which are used by sportsmen.  They will argue

          that the ban would prohibit these law-abiding citizens from

          enjoying their sport.  While I believe that the bill has been

          crafted in such a way as to avoid this problem, I must say that as

          a mother I find it hard to listen to arguments about inconvenience

          when regularly innocent children are being killed because of the

          existence of these weapons on our streets.  Guns which cause

          completely unnecessary destruction and death in their wake.  There

          is no question that the lives saved by this ban more than justify

          any possible inconvenience that it may impose.

            The NRA should realize that they are doomed to failure.  Nobody

          really agrees with their views because Americans know that the NRA

          stands for Not Really Aware, or in Need of a Reality Adjustment.

          They must be stopped before these John-Wayne-wannabes misuse the

          second amendment to turn America into a shooting gallery.

            Mr. Chairman, this bill comes too late for Dantrell`s mother or

          the mother of Gerome Allen, but as Mother`s Day approaches let us

          allow a few other mothers the chance to see their children live.

          H.R. 4296 is a measured, and reasonable approach to control a

          category of weapon which has no business being on our streets.  If

          ever there was an important and rational piece of legislation this

          is it.  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4296.

                                                                     PAGE H3103

            Mr. COYNE. Mr. Chairman, I want to express today my strong

          support for H.R. 4296, a bill to ban certain, specified

          military-style assault weapons.  Passage of this bill to ban

          assault weapons is a vital element of our Nation`s campaign to

          control crime and address the most dangerous types of violence in

          the streets of local communities.

            Recently, I voted along with a majority of the House to pass H.R.

          4092, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, also known

          as the crime bill.  This legislation committed a record $28 billion

          to the war on crime and provides significant increases in federal

          grants to states and local governments for anti-crime efforts.

          More prisons will be built to keep convicted criminals in jail for

          longer periods.  More police officers will be hired to patrol local

          communities.  More resources will be committed to the prevention of

          crime.

            The House bill, however, did not address the issue of gun

          violence in an aggressive manner.  Today, the House has an

          opportunity to show the Nation that reasonable men and women can

          take action to stem the availability of assault weapons.  We can

          respond to the outcry against the use of military-style weapons on

          neighborhood streets and school play grounds.  We can help local

          police officers who are at risk to facing criminals with MAC-11

          assault pistols loaded with 32 rounds of ammunition.

                                                                     PAGE H3103

            There is strong support in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania for

          restrictions on assault weapons.  Both the city of Pittsburgh and

          the city of Philadelphia have passed local laws banning the sale of

          assault weapons.  A recent poll conducted by Mansfield University

          Rural Services Institute showed that 77 percent of southwestern

          Pennsylvania supported prohibiting the sale of guns classified as

          semiautomatic assault weapons.

            The House Judiciary has reported responsible legislation to

          prohibit the sale of assault weapons.  This bill bans the future

          manufacture or sale of 19 specific assault weapons, including the

          AK-47, the Uzi, the TEC-9, the Colt AR-15, and the street sweeper

          revolving cylinder shotgun.  Also covered would be assault weapons

          which have two or more military style features, such as folding

          stocks, protruding pistol grips, or bayonet mounts.

            I am proud to be a cosponsor of legislation to prohibit the sale

          of assault weapons.  This responsible bill promotes public safety

          by restricting the sale of military-style assault weapons while

          specifically exempting by name 670 of the guns most commonly used

          by hunters and recreational gun owners.  In addition, this bill

          will not result in the confiscation of any gun.  Legal gun

          owners are grandfathered under this proposal.

                                                                     PAGE H3103

            This effort to ban assault weapons has widespread support among

          law enforcement groups who want to diminish the dangers confronting

          police officers who serve and protect our communities.  Groups

          supporting the ban include the Fraternal Order of Police, the

          Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the International

          Brotherhood of Chiefs of Police, the International Brotherhood of

          Police Officers, the National Association of Police Organizations,

          the National Sheriffs` Association, the National Organization of

          Black Law Enforcement Executives, and the Police Foundation.

            A ban on assault weapons is also supported by a broad coalition

          of civic, labor, education and community groups, including the U.S.

          Conference of Mayors, the National Urban League, the National

          League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, the

          AFL-CIO, the National Education Association, the American

          Federation of Teachers, and the National Congress of Parents and

          Teachers.

            In addition, this legislation is supported by health care

          professionals who must attempt to treat individuals wounded by

          assault weapons.  Medical groups such as the American Medical

          Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American

          College of Emergency Physicians all support a ban on assault

          weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3103

            Opponents of this legislation say that a ban on assault weapons

          will not stop violent crime.  An end to all violent crime may not

          be within our reach.  I believe, however, that this ban on assault

          weapons will help reduce violent crime.  There comes a time when it

          is better to take action even on a modest scale rather than throw

          up our hands in defeat.  It is time to act against criminals who

          enjoy unrestricted access to the most dangerous weapons currently

          in widespread production for the retail marketplace.

            Mr. Chairman, the crime bill recently passed by the House will be

          incomplete without approval of this law to ban assault weapons.  I

          urge my colleagues to vote for this provision.  A ban on assault

          weapons must be part of the final crime bill to be sent to

          President Clinton later this year.

            Mrs. FOWLER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to oppose the assault

          weapons bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3103

            My belief is that the measure pending before us today will do

          little if anything to halt the very real problem of crime in this

          country.  The weapons that are identified in this legislation are

          involved in only a very small percentage of crimes.  In fact, the

          Bureau of Justice statistics reported in 1993 that violent

          criminals use a `military-type gun` in only 1 percent of crimes

          nationwide.

            Rather, this legislation is an attempt to provide a fig leaf to

          those in this body who do not want to see real crime control

          measures put into place.  The Rules Committee has disallowed an

          amendment that would have imposed mandatory minimum sentences on

          those using guns in the commission of a violent felony or drug

          crime as an alternative to this measure.  Just a few weeks ago the

          House defeated measures that would have made a real difference in

          the fight against crime - measures like requiring States to ensure

          that no less than 85 percent of convicts` sentences are served in

          order to obtain Federal prison construction grants, allowing the

          use of evidence that is obtained in good faith but thrown out of

          court due to technicalities, and reforming our Nation`s habeas

          corpus laws to prevent endless death sentence appeals.

            The fact is this bill is little more than a feel-good band-aid

          for politicians who want to say they`re tough on crime but are

          afraid to be tough on the criminals.  It will do little to halt the

          real crime problem that exists in this country.  At the same time,

          it purports to address the crime problem without regard for the

          rights of law-abiding citizens who wish to use popular rifles like

          the Colt Sporter - which would be banned under this bill - in

          legitimate shooting competitions.

                                                                     PAGE H3103

            It is my hope that this body will defeat the measure before us

          today, move on to a conference with the Senate on the crime bill,

          and bring a crime bill back to this House that provides real teeth

          in the fight against crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3104

            Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, due to a personal tragedy, the death of

          my closest friend, Dr. Stephen Kelley, I will be unable to cast my

          vote today against H.R. 4296, the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, so

          that I may attend his funeral in Somerset, KY. While I loathe to

          miss any vote, particularly one as important as this, there are

          rare and extraordinary occasions when we must put family and

          friends above all else.  This is one of those occasions.

            However, I want to reiterate to my colleagues my continuing

          staunch opposition of H.R. 4296, the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994.

          Had I been able to cast my vote today, my vote would have been an

          unequivocal no.  My position has remained unchanged since I cast my

          vote against the assault weapons ban in 1991.

                                                                     PAGE H3104

            I remain opposed to the assault weapons ban for the following

          reasons:

            First, it is clearly unconstitutional.  The second amendment

          gives every law-abiding citizen the right to bear arms.  Once

          again, Congress is intent on trampling the constitutional rights of

          every law-abiding American citizen.

            Second, gun control is not crime control.  One needs to look no

          further than our Nation`s capitol to see that this is true.

          Washington, DC has the strictest gun control laws in the country,

          and the highest per capita murder rate of any city in this country.

                                                                     PAGE H3104

            Third, contrary to the antigun lobby`s claims, assault weapons

          are not the weapon of choice for violent criminals.  Less than one

          half of 1 percent of all violent crimes involve assault weapons.

          In contrast, 15 percent of all violent crimes involve knives, and 5

          percent involve fists and feet.  In fact, the Bureau of Alcohol,

          Tobacco, and Firearms has stated that for every 4,000 violent

          crimes reported to the police, only one involves an assault

          weapon.  Clearly, an assault weapons ban is not the answer to

          violent crime.

            Mr. Chairman, it is time we got tough on crime.  In order to do

          that we must take away the freedom of criminals, instead of

          attacking the freedom every law-abiding citizen is given under the

          Constitution. I urge my colleagues to defeat this legislation.

            Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I do not believe that restricting the

          legal purchase of guns will curb crime.  The firearms listed in

          this bill - despite their outward appearance - operate the same as,

          and are mechanically no different than, popular sport and hunting

          firearms.  So I have to ask what is the agenda of the supporters of

          this ban and where will this Federal intrusion on constitutional

          rights end? If these firearms are being banned due solely for their

          looks, what is the point? Or rather what is the objective? Are

          sport and hunting rifles to be next?

                                                                     PAGE H3104

            Banning these firearms would only be a cosmetic approach to crime

          prevention.  According to FBI statistics more crimes are committed

          using fists and feet - 5 percent - than with these firearms which

          account for less than 1 percent.

            This ban is the wrong approach.  We can best address the illegal

          use of firearms by concentrating our efforts on the actions of

          criminals.  According to the Department of Justice, Bureau of

          Justice Statistics, only 6 percent of criminals commit

          approximately 70 percent of violent crimes.  A Rand Corp. survey

          found that the average career criminal - just the average criminal

          - commits between 187 and 287 crimes a year, with each crime

          costing an average of $2,300. In one recent study of State

          prisoners, it was found that 10 percent of criminals committed 600

          crimes a year.  This ban is misdirected because it targets the

          people who live within the law not those who break it.

            Gun control laws have proven largely ineffective in fighting

          crime.  Instead, we should pursue stiffer penalties for criminals

          in order to deter future acts of violence.  We should also ensure

          that convicted criminals serve their full sentences.  Although

          violent offenders released from prison in 1990 received an average

          sentence of 7.8 years, the time actually served is usually only 3.1

          years.  In fact, for every 100 violent crimes reported, only four

          criminals go to prison.  Even more heinous is the fact that this

          year over 1,100 convicted murders will not even go to prison.

          Clearly, we need criminal control, not gun control.  Please join me

          and vote against this legislation.

                                                                     PAGE H3104

            Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chairman, I hear every day from my constitutents

          who are afraid to go out at night into their once quiet suburban

          neighborhoods because they are afraid of crime.  It is a sad day

          when peaceful citizens are locked up and the criminals run free.

            Unfortunately, the bill now before the House will only perpetuate

          this trend.  Instead of putting killers behind bars, it makes

          criminals out of law-abiding Americans.

            We do not need another gun control bill.  Chicago has some of the

          most restrictive gun bans in the Nation, yet the homicide rate

          there continues to rise.  The so-called assault weapons named in

          H.R. 4296 are rarely used in crimes, yet this bill is being touted

          as the beginning of the end of crime.  I submit to my colleagues

          that passage of H.R. 4296 will mean only the beginning of the end

          of our inalienable and constitutionally protected right to defend

          our homes and families.

                                                                     PAGE H3104

            We need legislation which will send criminals to jail with swift

          and certain punishment.  We have 7 percent of criminals committing

          80 percent of crime in the United States, certainly we need to ban

          criminals, not guns.

            I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this ill conceived

          legislation, H.R. 4296.

            Mr. EWING. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to oppose the assault

          weapons ban.

                                                                     PAGE H3104

            Today we are going to hear compelling arguments from both sides

          of this issue.  I suggest that instead of focusing on our

          differences, we look to what I think is our common goal - to

          eliminate the use of these weapons during the commission of a

          crime.

            This legislation will only affect law-abiding citizens who use

          these sporting rifles in competition as skilled marksmen and

          collectors.  This legislation will not affect the criminals who use

          firearms during the commission of heinous crimes.

            Law-abiding citizens agree that there is absolutely no place for

          these weapons on the streets of America. Only criminals are using

          these weapons on the streets and most of them get their firearms

          illegally.  We must enforce the laws we already have to keep guns

          out of the hands of these thugs.  We must prosecute these criminals

          and lock them in jail for a long time.  We must eliminate early

          release from prison and reform the endless appeals process.  We

          must go after the gang leaders and drug dealers who perpetuate

          these violent crimes.  We can start by better enforcing the laws we

          already have on the books.

                                                                     PAGE H3104

            Passing more guns laws will do nothing to keep criminals from

          committing crimes with guns.  Cities in this country which have the

          toughest gun control laws, such as Chicago and Washington, DC.,

          have the highest rates of gun violence.  If you disarm the people,

          criminals have the upper-hand and the toughest weapons.  In fact, a

          constituent called me just this afternoon to report an incident in

          my district this week in which a gentleman scared off two burglars

          because he had a gun to defend himself.

            While any crime committed with a firearm is a terrible tragedy,

          assault rifles are less than 1 percent of the weapons used in

          homicides in the United States.

            Gun control is not crime control.  This legislation is a feel

          good bill that makes us feel like we are actually doing something

          to make our streets safer.  I urge my colleagues to oppose this ban

          and support tough anticrime legislation to lock up violent

          criminals and truly make our streets safer.

                                                                     PAGE H3104

            I am submitting to the Record a statement from Jacquie Miller

          which appeared in today`s Wall Street Journal. Jacquie was shot by

          a coworker with an AK-47. In spite of her tragedy, she believes

          that disarming innocent people will give criminals the upperhand.

          We can learn a lot from her experience.

                  (FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, THURS., MAY 5, 1994)

                                  NOTABLE AND QUOTABLE

            The House is expected to vote today on an assault-weapon ban

          backed by the administration.  Last week, Jacquie Miller of

          Louisville, Ky., who was shot four times in 1989 during a

          co-worker`s attack with an AK-47 (one of the weapons targeted by

          the ban), testified against the bill before a House subcommittee.

          Here are some excerpts:

                                                                     PAGE H3104

            (The killer) used an AK-47. Because of that 12 people lived

          instead of 20 dying.  If he had used a shotgun or a various model

          of hunting rifle, none of us would have made it.

            It completely enrages me that my tragedy is being used against me

          to deny me and all the law-abiding citizens of this country the

          right to the firearm of our choosing.  I refuse in return to use my

          tragedy for retribution against innocent people just to make myself

          feel better for having this misfortune.

            Enforce the laws against the criminals already on the books.

          After all, there are already over 20,000 of them.  More won`t do a

          thing for crime control without everything working together for the

          common good.  Plea bargaining, early release from prison and the

          way juvenile crime is being handled are killing our society.  If we

          don`t start practicing mortality and decency and worshiping God

          instead of ourselves, all the new laws in the world won`t help.

          You cannot ban everything in the world that can be used as a weapon

          because you fear it, don`t understand it or don`t agree with it.

          This is America, not Lithuania or China. Our most cherished

          possession is our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Let`s not sell

          those down the river or we could one day find ourselves in a boat

          without a paddle against the criminals who think we`re easy

          pickings.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            Mr. KIM. Mr. Chairman, over the past 2 days, I have heard many

          compelling arguments both in support of the assault weapons ban and

          those opposed to it.  While I respect the views of my colleagues on

          both sides of this issue, I believe there is a far greater issue at

          stake here.

            As an immigrant, I wasn`t born with the same rights as children

          born in this country.  I came to America as a young man with no

          money and little education.  I earned my American citizenship and

          the rights that go with it.  Thus, I am very reluctant to have a

          right that I worked hard to earn taken away in one fell swoop.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            Today, in this Chamber, we will vote on a measure that will

          greatly restrict one of our constitutionally guaranteed rights.

          Specifically, the second amendment.  If this measure passes, I am

          confident there will be additional measures to further restrict

          this right.  There have been in the past, and I`m sure more will

          follow.

            My fear is that restriction of this right will lead to

          restriction or outright repeal of other rights.  If today Congress

          can tell us what kind of weapons we can or cannot own, I fear that

          tomorrow they will begin to tell us what religion we may or may not

          practice.  If we can chip away at the second amendment, then why

          not the first, third, or any other amendment when it becomes

          politically popular to do so?

            But let`s get to the heart of the issue, which we all know is not

          guns, but crime.  Two weeks ago, Members of this body had a perfect

          opportunity to pass a tough crime bill; to keep violent criminals

          behind bars; to streamline the habeas corpus process; in short, to

          make our streets and cities safer.  But this body knuckled under to

          the political pressure of the liberal media.  As a legislative

          body, we failed.  And the American people will suffer because of

          our lack of will.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            Instead, Congress is offering midnight basketball and gun control

          to the American people as real solutions to crime.  These popular

          feel good provisions demonstrate to me that Congress is not serious

          about crime.  Instead, it is more concerned about headlines.

            Until Congress makes a firm commitment to put the rights of law

          abiding citizens before the rights of criminals, we should keep our

          hands off of the Constitution.

            Mr. BARCIA of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, today we are being asked to

          cast a most important vote.  We are being asked to risk taking

          action in violation of the second amendment in order to provide a

          dangerously false sense of security about needed crime control.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            I deplore violent crime.  I deplore the use of assault weapons in

          crime.  I deplore the use of single shot weapons in crime.  I

          deplore the use of knives in crime.  I deplore the use of physical

          violence in crime.

            The bill before us today suggests that if we ban certain weapons,

          the crime will somehow magically disappear.  There are some people

          who like to believe in fairy tales, but I am not one of them.

            If we are concerned about crime, then we need to make punishment

          swift and certain.  We need to give police the resources they need

          to deal with criminals.  We need to make the courts work faster.

          We need to protect witnesses so that they do not shy away from

          testifying about crimes they have witnessed, as was the case here

          in the District of Columbia recently when people who witnessed

          assaults on a police officer in a school decided they did not want

          to testify.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            I have had police officers tell me that this bill is

          unenforceable.  It makes criminals of law-abiding gun owners, while

          doing nothing about the illegally obtained weapons that are already

          out there.  It does nothing about crimes that are committed with

          guns that are not banned in this bill.  If gun control laws could

          control the problem, then those communities that have adopted

          ownership restrictions should have little or no problem with the

          use of guns in the commission of a crime.  But we all know for a

          fact that this is not the case.  Ladies and gentlemen, I and many

          of my constituents are responsible gun owners.  We do not use these

          weapons illegally.  We store them properly.  We take training in

          their proper use.  If the legislation before us today is adopted,

          how long will it be before some other well-intentioned but

          misguided soul says `let`s add only a few more guns to the list`?

          It is precisely because of concerns about a heavy-handed government

          infringing upon the rights of responsible individuals that the

          second amendment, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights, was

          adopted.  I see no real willingness in my constituency to give up

          second amendment rights.  In fact, I have had many constituents

          call me to tell me that they do not own guns and they oppose this

          bill because they do not want to have the right of law-abiding

          citizens to own guns lessened in any way.

            And if it is second amendment rights that the proponents of the

          assault weapon ban want given up, then why not propose a

          constitutional amendment to redefine the second amendment? Could it

          be that the proponents of the bill know that there is little true

          public support for such a radical change in our constitutional

          liberties?

            As I said, I want crime controlled for the benefit of all of us.

          This bill does not achieve this goal.  I cannot support flim-flam

          and tell my constituents with a straight face that today the House

          of Representatives voted to make a real difference.  I urge a `No`

          vote on this bill.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4296, the

          assault weapon ban.  This kind of legislation will not solve

          America`s violent crime problem and may actually exacerbate it.

            My colleagues need only look right outside the doors of this

          Chamber to see the evidence.  After the District of Columbia banned

          handgun ownership in 1976, its homicide rate tripled.  Our Nation`s

          Capital now has the infamous distinction of the `Murder Capital of

          the World.`

            Furthermore, as my constituents in California know, California

          assault ban has done nothing to curb violent crime.  Since 1989,

          when the California`s assault weapon ban when into effect, the

          State`s homicide rate jumped 44 percent above the rest of the

          Nation`s.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            These kinds of statistics confirm that gun control legislation

          only puts law-abiding citizens at risk.  People use firearms to

          thwart criminal attack more than 2 million times a year - that is

          three times the number of times criminals use their illegal guns to

          inflict violence on innocent Americans.

            So, if gun bans don`t work, what will? The data shows that

          incarceration does.  States where criminals are kept locked up and

          citizens own guns without Government intrusion enjoy less crime

          than places where guns are banned.

            The Nation already has a national gun policy - a tangled web of

          20,000 local, State, and Federal laws.  What the country lacks is a

          national crime policy that takes violent criminals off the streets

          and locks them up.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            President Clinton urges Members to support this legislation in an

          effort to outlaw firearms `designed for the battlefield.` However,

          the semiautomatic weapons listed in this legislation only look like

          military firearms.  True military weapons are fully automatic.  The

          guns outlawed in this bill function no differently than the

          so-called good guns not yet listed in the bill.

            Passage of this legislation opens the door for further

          abridgement of our second amendment rights.  This bill is clearly

          unconstitutional.  It puts Congress in the position of granting or

          denying permission to exercise a liberty specifically guaranteed in

          the Bill of Rights.

            Mr. Chairman, let us not confuse `privilege` with `right.` Gun

          ownership is a right for law-abiding citizens of this country.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 4296.

          This legislation will do nothing to curtail the violence that

          plagues our Nation.

            In fact, the military-looking semiautomatic weapons targeted by

          this legislation are involved in less than 1 percent of homicides

          nationwide.  Frankly the proponents of this legislation have been

          involved in a massive attempt to mislead the public as to what

          exactly an assault weapon is.  It is not an automatic machinegun.

          It is not a weapon used by the U.S. military.  It is not a weapon

          any more or less deadly than the rifles my family had at the ranch

          I grew up on in southeastern Arizona. The fact is these so-called

          assault weapons are merely cosmetically altered, semiautomatic

          weapons.

            Additionally, there is a constitutional issue raised by this

          Federal legislation.  The second amendment of the Constitution

          read: `A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of

          a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall

          not be infringed.` I believe this provision could be read as a

          prohibition against the Federal Government denying citizens the

          right to bear arms.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            Besides the constitutional limitation on gun control, I have seen

          no evidence that demonstrates its effectiveness.  In fact, many

          areas of the country that have the strictest gun control measures,

          such as Washington, DC, and New York City, also have some of the

          highest levels of violent crime.  Unfortunately, the vast majority

          of violent crimes are committed with weapons obtained illegally.

          Such crimes would not be prevented by any form of gun control.  As

          a result, gun control laws regulate the behavior of law-abiding

          gunowners, while having no real impact on criminals.  Frankly, many

          of our most violent criminals on the street have weapons that are

          more powerful than any of the guns that would be banned under this

          legislation.

            What the House has failed to do is pass meaningful anticrime

          legislation that will truly reform our crippled judicial system,

          get violent offenders of the streets, and not infringe on the

          rights of law-abiding gunowners.

            When I hear about incidents of crime from constituents - stories

          about gang violence in South Tucson, border robberies in Naco, and

          drug-related violence in the Catalina Foothills - one fact becomes

          increasingly apparent: This Nation has a dysfunctional criminal

          justice system.  We have a system that releases dangerous criminals

          into the community when they should be serving their sentences,

          that gives more weight to the rights of criminals than to victims,

          and makes it impossible to carry out the death penalty when it is

          imposed.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            On April 21, 1994, the House passed H.R. 4092, the Violent Crime

          Control and Law Enforcement Act. I voted against this bill.

          Frankly, it is a sham.  While accompanied by much fanfare and

          anticrime rhetoric, the reality is that it will do almost nothing

          to stop violent crime.

            The House crime bill has several defects, but perhaps the worst

          is the inclusion of the Racial Justice Act (RJA) which emasculates

          the death penalty, and frankly could mean that there will never be

          another death penalty carried out in this country again.  The RJA

          will establish a quota system for capital punishment which will

          lead to the perverse result of making race the most important

          factor when a prosecutor decides to seek the death penalty.  If a

          death row inmate shows there is a statistical disparity based on

          his or her own race or the race of the victim, the RJA could

          invalidate a death sentence based on information that has nothing

          to do with the case.

            Worst of all, the RJA would apply retroactively - potentially

          freeing from death row some 3,800 convicted murderers on death

          row.  While all may not succeed in voiding their capital sentence,

          the information from these cases will take many hours, and millions

          of dollars, to reassemble.  If such information is no longer

          available, the applicable death sentences could all be dismissed.

          All in all, RJA seriously undermines the perception and reality of

          a color-blind system of justice.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            Additionally, the bill targets $8 billion, not to law

          enforcement, but to social-welfare programs.  President Clinton

          says this will prevent crime by raising self-esteem of prospective

          criminals.  While there is a kernel of truth in that statement, $8

          billion is a lot to spend on some dubious prevention measures.  The

          real way to stop violent crime is to keep criminals off the street

          by assuring there is sufficient prison space, and by enacting

          `truth-in-sentencing` laws which would require violent criminals to

          serve at least 85 percent of their sentences.

            Regrettably, the crime bill we just passed is a hoax, and the

          bill we will vote on today, H.R. 4296, is also a hoax.  They are

          examples of the Democrat`s schizophrenia: on one hand they talk

          tough about crime and the criminal, on the other hand they rely on

          social-welfare remedies and on infringing upon the second amendment

          rights of law-abiding citizens.

            I want to insert into the Record testimony given by a constituent

          of mine, Phillip W. Murphy, on April 25, 1994. He testified before

          the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, and I encourage Members

          to read his comments.  His testimony illuminates the misguided

          nature of the bill before us today.

                                                                     PAGE H3105

            I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation.

                                                                     PAGE H3106

           PREPARED TESTIMONY BY PHILLIP W. MURPHY BEFORE THE HOUSE JUDICIARY

                         SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, APRIL 25, 1994

            In thanking the Chair and members of this committee for inviting

          me to testify this morning, it is important that this committee

          understands exactly what event brought me here.  Simply put, I made

          a choice not to be a victim.

                                                                     PAGE H3106

            I exercised this choice on a conscious level, but my choice to

          purchase the firearm which would hold the potential of saving my

          life and help me bring a convicted felon back to justice was purely

          pedestrian.  Hopefully, this testimony will make my visit to the

          Capitol more than an exercise in futility.  You see, in the eyes of

          the media, this administration and the majority of the members of

          this committee, my choice of a defensive weapon in this instance

          was so politically incorrect that my government may no longer trust

          me with this firearm.  Indeed, I could be considered a potential

          felon.

            I mentioned the pedestrian manner in which I made my decision to

          buy the long-arm in question because, frankly, my decision was

          driven by only two factors: pragmatism and pride.  In February of

          1986, I purchased a Colt AR-15A2 H-BAR Sporter, a semi-automatic

          rifle chambered in .223 Remington. I chose this very practical

          rifle for a variety of purposes: competitive target shooting,

          varmint hunting, inexpensive plinking (it converts to a .22) and

          yes, home defense.  This rifle serves my needs while remaining an

          utterly reliable, easy handling, and nearly recoil-free precision

          instrument . . . qualities I have come to appreciate more and more

          as my physical condition deteriorates due to Multiple Sclerosis. So

          much for my pragmatic concerns.

            The matter of pride comes into play in my desire to honor our

          military by doing what countless millions of Americans have done

          since the Revolution. I bought a civilian version of the weapon

          currently in use by our nation`s armed forces.  And there`s the

          rub.  I bought a rifle that merely looks like an M-16, not one that

          works like an M-16.

                                                                     PAGE H3106

            It is what makes my rifle so unremarkable in function that makes

          me so infuriated to have to defend my choice of this quality

          firearm at this hearing today.  My rifle shares its caliber,

          magazine capacity and century-old technology with the Ruger Mini

          14; an equally capable tool which is not seen as worth banning by

          this administration because of some very politically incorrect

          reasoning - a Mini 14 is not as ugly as an AR-15. Hard to believe,

          but true.  Two inanimate objects identical in function and

          capability

          are given different so-called `personalities` by the same

          legislative body because one gun is `prettier` than the other.  As

          a matter of fact, until the comely Ruger is affixed with a pistol

          grip like my Colt, no menacing label can be applied to it which

          could preclude its sale as will be the case for my rifle.  Pistol

          grips don`t give a rifle or shotgun a `personality`, they make them

          easier to control.  A Benelli Super 90 shotgun, President Clinton`s

          duck hunting `weapon of choice`, will fall out of favor with

          Congress by merely adding a pistol grip.  But I digress.  I`m here

          to convince this committee that I made the right choice in a

          defensive arm.

            In late August of 1989, Johnny Johnson (a convicted burglar with

          a penchant for crack cocaine) was also making some personal

          choices.  On the afternoon of the 28th, Johnny decided to rob my

          parent`s home.  He stole guns, jewelry, coins, and irreplaceable

          valuables which my mother treasured.  I`m certain that Johnny

          considered my parent`s home a good choice because three days later

          he came back to finish the job.  That proved to be what Johnny

          would call, `a bad choice`.

            The investigating officer who took my parent`s burglary report

          mentioned that, because only the bedroom had been violated and the

          point of entry was not yet adequately secured, the chances of my

          folks being robbed again within the week were better than 50/50.

          They worked days.  The house wasn`t secure.  The police could not

          offer them protection.  I could.

                                                                     PAGE H3106

            I arrived at their home every morning armed with a weapon I could

          control with one hand while I spoke to 911 with the other.  I

          brought a weapon so intimidating that I might preclude any

          aggressive action taken against me by its appearance alone - a

          weapon with which I could control a situation against possibly

          numerous antagonists who by now were almost certainly armed.  I

          brought a weapon to help me win.

            The confrontation was brief and noisy.  He said he didn`t want to

          die.  I said I didn`t want to be forced to kill him.  By the time I

          picked up the phone upon which I had already dialed 911 so the

          police could hear and understand my situation, I realized I`d won.

          Mr. Johnson`s arresting officers were not the least bit critical of

          my choice of defensive weapon.  They couldn`t care less.  Cops on

          the street know that the honest citizens are the victims, not the

          perpetrators.  They were just delighted I bagged one of Tucson`s

          most wanted, and so were the courts.

            Johnny Johnson was already a three-time loser with 34 priors who

          was violating his third adult parole for a knife assault when we

          were `formally` introduced.  We were told by the County Attorney

          that since Johnson was a `targeted offender` he could not plea

          bargain his way out of this one and would have to stand trial, but

          he didn`t.  He pled guilty to one charge for every charge that was

          dropped and, unfortunately, the very burglary where I was the

          intended victim was pled away as well.

                                                                     PAGE H3106

            Of course, this rap sheet is fairly typical, but Mr. Johnson was

          only 19 when I caught him.  For those of you who may have spent

          your formative years inside of the beltway, this means all of his

          34 transgressions and supposed punishment took place since Mr.

          Johnson was 18. And yet I`m the one who is under scrutiny by this

          proposed legislation.

            I respectfully urge this committee and the Congress of these

          United States to restrain themselves from forcing tens of millions

          of law-abiding Americans like me to choose between the law and

          their lives.

            Thank you for your attention,                   Phillip W. Murphy.

                                                                     PAGE H3107

            Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to join me today

          in support of H.R. 4296, the Assault Weapons Ban Act. A vote in

          favor of H.R. 4296 is a vote in favor of a safer and saner society

          that will no longer tolerate the carnage these firearms have

          brought to our streets.

            The legislation before us today will begin to take off the

          streets the most deadly of all firearms - military-style assault

          weapons designed for no other purpose than to kill human beings

          quickly, and in large numbers.  There is no compelling sporting

          purpose to any weapon having an ammunition magazine holding a dozen

          rounds of ammunition.  No hunter needs a weapon with a threaded

          barrel for a flash suppressor or a silencer.  And attachments for

          grenade launchers are not necessary for home defense.  This is just

          common sense.

                                                                     PAGE H3107

            I think it`s important for opponents of this legislation to keep

          that in mind when they defend their position by claiming these

          weapons have legitimate sporting purposes.  But I also think those

          of us who support banning these weapons should clearly and directly

          address the issues raised by opponents of this proposal.  I`d like

          to take this opportunity to answer some of the questions I`ve heard

          from my constituents.

            Some have asked, `Why ban these weapons when they only account

          for a small percentage of the crimes committed in this country

          every year?` That may be true, but when you look at the figures, it

          becomes clear that the amount of crime related to these weapons is

          disproportionately high.  Assault weapons of the type covered by

          this legislation account for somewhere between 0.5 and 1 percent of

          all the privately-owned guns in America. But they`re 10 to 20 times

          more likely to be involved in a crime than a conventional weapon.

          And that`s just the weapons that are traced to crimes.  We have no

          idea how many are used that we can`t trace.

            Clearly, these weapons are used far too often in violent and

          deadly crime.  And we know from experience that banning them will

          have an impact on that crime.  My evidence? President Bush, by

          executive order, banned the importation of 43 models of

          semiautomatic assault rifles in 1989. Since then, the number of

          imported assault weapons traced to crime declined by 45 percent,

          while the number of domestic assault weapons traced to crime

          remained the same.  The lesson we learned then is the principle we

          should remember today: dry up the supply of these weapons, and you

          start to dry up their use in the crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3107

            Some respond to these facts by saying, `Well, that may be true,

          but why pass legislation banning guns instead of just going after

          the criminals that use them?` The answers are simple.  First, we

          are going after the criminals.  Just a couple weeks ago, the

          House passed a crime bill that commits more Federal funds than ever

          before to putting more cops on the street and providing more

          resources for State and Federal law enforcement officials to combat

          crime.

            Second, we know from experience that one of the things we need to

          do to fight crime is to take away the tools criminals use to commit

          those crimes.  In the past we`ve taken such measures as banning

          fully automatic weapons, so-called `cop killer` bullets, and other

          destructive devices that have no legitimate place in our society.

          These and other steps to outlaw the instruments of crime - along

          with tougher sentencing, better funding, and more prevention - are

          critical parts of the crime-fighting equation.

            Enactment of this legislation isn`t the end of the fight.  More

          needs to be done on a number of fronts.  We need to pass meaningful

          welfare reform, improve our Nation`s education system, and take

          steps to strengthen the economy and create jobs.  All this and more

          must be done.

                                                                     PAGE H3107

            But one thing we can and must do is restrict access to the most

          deadly firearms so criminals don`t have access to them.

            OK, some ask, but why take firearms away from law-abiding

          citizens who want to use them for legitimate purposes? The answer

          is simple - this bill doesn`t do that.  No firearm will be taken

          away from its lawful owner.  All existing weapons, no matter what

          their characteristics, are grandfathered by the law.  That means

          that if you lawfully own them now, you can lawfully own them after

          this bill becomes law.  And if you don`t own one, you can still

          lawfully buy one.

            All this bill does is prohibit the future domestic manufacture

          and import of the weapons covered by this bill.  Sure, that will

          mean that the supply of these weapons will be reduced in the future

          - and that`s exactly the point.  And yes, that means getting

          actress to them will be more difficult for law-abiding citizens.

          But gun control, like so many issues, involves a balancing test

          between public safety and individual rights and privileges.  I

          believe reasonable regulation of this particularly deadly class of

          weapons both preserves the rights of legitimate gun owners and

          makes us all safer from the crime that threatens our communities.

                                                                     PAGE H3107

            Finally, I`ve been told that this bill would ban legitimate

          hunting and sporting rifles, not just the assault weapons that its

          sponsors claim.  That`s just not true.  In addition to the 19 types

          of semiautomatic assault weapons specifically listed in the bill to

          be banned, there is a list of 650 types of hunting and sporting

          rifles and shotguns which would be explicitly exempted from the

          ban.  But neither of these lists is all inclusive.  The bill also

          includes a very specific set of criteria that will allow the Bureau

          of Alcohol, Tobacco and

          Firearms to decide which other weapons are to be banned and which

          are not.  There is no guess work here.  Either a weapon meets the

          description of a banned semiautomatic weapon or it doesn`t.

            And what`s on this list? Well, for one thing, a rifle must be

          semiautomatic, and able to accept a detachable magazine, and have

          at least two of the following five features: First, a folding or

          telescoping stock; second, a pistol grip that protrudes

          conspicuously beneath the rifle`s action; third, a bayonet mount;

          fourth, a flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to

          accommodate a flash suppressor; or fifth, a grenade launcher.  None

          of these five features are necessary for hunting or sport shooting

          - but they sure help criminals looking to intimidate, wound or

          kill.  Banning weapons with these characteristics will have no

          effect on hunters or sportsmen, and won`t impinge on anyone`s

          ability to lawfully protect themselves, their loved ones, or their

          homes with a firearm, should they choose to do so.

            Ultimately, I have to agree with nearly every major police

          organization in the United States - and around 80 percent of the

          American public, no matter what their age, or sex, or income, or

          where they live - who believe this will be an effective way of

          fighting violent crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3107

            I know that opponents of this legislation have made a concerted

          effort to defeat it.  They`ve rallied a small, very vocal minority

          to register their opposition in an organized campaign designed to

          intimidate us into voting against this bill today.  But we should

          not be deterred by tactics designed to intimidate us in the same

          way these weapons are designed to intimidate their victims.  There

          is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the vast majority of my

          constituents support this ban, and that`s one of the reasons I will

          be voting yes.

            While I`m under no illusion that this bill will end the crime

          problem plaguing our Nation, I believe it will cut down on the

          amount of combat we see on our streets every day.  That alone

          merits our support, and I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in

          support of H.R. 4296.

            Mr. MFUME. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the

          legislation.  The bill before us is both effective and fair; it

          will make it harder for criminals or mentally deranged individuals

          to get their hands on these destructive weapons, yet it protects

          the rights of legitimate, law-abiding Americans.

                                                                     PAGE H3107

            In addition to outlawing 19 assault weapons, the legislation

          before us also specifically protects, by name, 650 of the most

          common recreational rifles and shotguns now being produced.  If

          this legislation is enacted, hunters and gun enthusiasts will have

          650 weapons, including over 60 semiautomatic guns, specifically

          protected by law.  I would think that this provision alone would

          cause some sportsmen to at least consider supporting this

          legislation.

            Mr. Chairman, I will admit I am not a hunter.  I do, however,

          listen to the hunters in my district as well as across the Nation.

          I have listened, in fact, to one nationally known hunter, with whom

          I rarely agree, Mr. Barry Goldwater. According to Mr. Goldwater,

          semiautomatic weapons `* * * have no place in anybody`s arsenal.

          If anyone can`t hit a deer with one shot, then he ought to quit

          shooting.`

            I have been to the funerals of innocent children and adults who

          have been killed, needlessly, by stray gunfire.  I have seen

          firsthand the impact of these and other weapons on our streets, in

          our communities, in our neighborhoods, and in our schools.

                                                                     PAGE H3107

            Mr. Chairman, we have heard it before today, and we will hear it

          again, because it is true.  Military assault weapons have no place

          in our society.

            I strongly support the right of all Americans to protect

          themselves and to pursue endeavors such as hunting in which they

          indulge for sustenance.

            I also strongly support the rights of all Americans to pursue

          life, liberty, and happiness.  Assault weapons can indiscriminately

          take away all ambition for life or happiness in just seconds.

                                                                     PAGE H3107

            Let`s take the case of Lawrence Miller, who died on November 22,

          1993.

            At the time, Lawrence was 13 years old.

            Lawrence was a resident of Baltimore. At 1 o`clock in the

          afternoon - on a Monday afternoon - there was a knock on the door.

          Before Lawrence or anybody else had a chance to open a door or a

          window, his house was sprayed by ammunition from an AK-47.

                                                                     PAGE H3107

            Lawrence died almost right away.  Some of the many, many bullets

          that came from this gun came through a window and killed him.  The

          murderer was a 16 year old boy who lived nearby.  He had been

          involved in an argument with someone who lived near Lawrence - not

          Lawrence - and had gone home, gotten the AK-47 that he had

          purchased on the street, and decided to settle the argument.

            What he settled was Lawrence`s life.

            Earlier during this debate, my esteemed colleague from Georgia

          stated that this bill was not about real people or real crimes.  I

          disagree, as I am sure would the family of Lawrence Miller.

                                                                     PAGE H3107

            Because of their rapid fire capabilities, semiautomatic assault

          weapons, which can fire dozens of bullets in just seconds, have

          become the weapon of choice for drug traffickers, gangs, and hate

          groups.

            I fully believe that eventually, the destruction caused by these

          weapons will force the majority of the Members of this body to see

          the need for a ban.  As crime and random violence spread from the

          inner city to the suburbs, so will the cry to control the most

          destructive offenders.

            Mr. Chairman, colleagues, I urge you to support this

          legislation.  Support this legislation for Lawrence Miller, and for

          all of the other victims of these horrible machines.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            Mr. SYNAR. Mr. Chairman, today`s vote on assault weapons is about

          personal responsibility.  It is about the personal responsibility

          each one of us as legislators wrestles with each day we show up for

          work.  Every day we come here to this House and we gather data, we

          listen to the witnesses, read the testimony, study the bills and

          the law and we consult with the friends, constituents, and the

          experts we respect.  And in the end, we use our heads, our hearts,

          and the common sense God gave us to cast our vote.

            Make no mistake we take personal responsibility for every vote we

          cast.  We are judged by it politically but more importantly we

          judge each vote by our own personal standards.  Every single one of

          us comes here to represent our constituents and improve the lives

          of the citizens of this Nation and we ask ourselves after each vote

          - will the vote we just cast make our homes, our States, our Nation

          a better place to live.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            What is our personal responsibility for today`s vote on today`s

          assault weapons ban legislation? Two of my colleagues in the last 2

          days put their own sense of personal responsibility in very sharp

          focus.

            In this morning`s Washington Post the gentleman from Texas (Mr.

          Coleman) is quoted as saying that if voting for this bill `is a

          political offense that costs me my job to try and take Uzis out of

          the hands of schoolkids * * * then so be it.` And yesterday, when

          the gentleman from New York (Mr. Schumer) was asked why he was so

          strongly in favor of banning assault weapons he said it was because

          in his district 15-year-olds were killing 15-year-olds with these

          weapons.

            These two Members know that the question today is whether we are

          going to take personal responsibility for our actions.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            By voting for this bill we will help keep schoolkids from killing

          schoolkids, and keep crooks from killing the police.  Perhaps more

          importantly, we will improve the lives of our citizens fulfill the

          promise of why each one of us came to Congress, and live up to our

          personal responsibility.

            Mr. STARK. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this bill today,

          not just as an advocate of sensible gun control, but also as a

          proud citizen of the State with the Nation`s oldest assault weapons

          ban.

            The California Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act passed in

          1989 after Patrick Purdy killed 5 and wounded 30 schoolchildren in

          Stockton, CA.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            Since 1989, this law has slowed the growing criminal popularity

          of these guns in my State.

            Statistics provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and

          Firearms show that, from 1991 to 1993, local law enforcement

          requests for traces of criminally used guns grew much more quickly

          for the Nation than in California. In fact, the national increase

          in requests has more than doubled California`s.

            And this ban we consider today would be more effective than

          California law because it would also prevent copy-cat versions of

          these guns by banning a list of features, not just a list of names.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            Although California law allows the State attorney general to add

          more weapons to the banned list, not one assault weapon has been

          added since the law went into effect on July 1, 1989.

            I urge my colleagues to examine the letter I inserted into the

          Record yesterday, detailing the effectiveness of California`s law.

            I hope my colleagues will join me and pass this bill and reduce

          the criminal misuse of these weapons across our Nation.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            Mr. SKEEN. Mr. Chairman. I rise today in opposition to H.R. 4296,

          the Assault Weapons Ban Act, for several reasons.

            I believe the supporters of this measure are looking through the

          wrong end of the binoculars on this issue. the problem is not these

          guns; it`s the criminals.

            According to the FBI, the types of weapons proposed to be banned

          in this bill are responsible for less than 1 percent of all murders

          and less than 1 percent of all serious crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            This law proposes to punish hundreds of thousands of law-abiding

          citizens for the actions of law-breaking criminals.

            We know from experience that gun ban laws do not reduce crime.

          Every type of gun control law proposed in Congress has already been

          tried and no one can show any correlation between gun restrictions

          and lower crime rates in localities with gun restriction laws.

            Gun restriction laws don`t work because law breakers don`t follow

          them.  That`s why they`re called criminals.  No law passed by the

          Congress can compel criminals to obey laws.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            What Congress can do to reduce crime is to lock up the

          criminals.  The FBI Uniform Crime Reports show that from 1981 to

          1991, the 10 States with the greatest increases in criminal

          incarceration rates experienced the greatest decreases in the rates

          of crime.

            The answer to America`s violent crime problem is simple: Lock up

          the violent criminals, because they cannot disturb and disrupt the

          lives of innocent citizens when they are behind bars and in jail.

            Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 4296,

          the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act. I

          commend Chairman Schumer and his subcommittee for drafting a bill

          which is narrowly drawn and focused.  This bill targets only a

          small number of weapons which have no legitimate place in an

          ordered and civilized society.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            Let me be unequivocal in saying that I strongly support the right

          of every American citizen to own a gun.  Everyone should be able to

          protect themselves within their home and their business and use

          weapons which are designed for legitimate sport and recreational

          use.  However, the weapons which we are attempting to ban are high

          firepower weapons which are designed for military purposes and have

          no place in sport or recreational use.

            Opponents of this ban often argue that the ban will have no

          effect upon crime in this country.  However, since the Bush

          administration banned the importation of assault weapons in 1989,

          the number of imported assault weapons traced to crime has declined

          by 45 percent.  On the other hand, the number of domestic assault

          weapons traced to crime has remained the same.

            Moreover, these guns comprise only one-half to 1 percent of the

          firearms in this country, yet they accounted for 8.4 percent of all

          firearms traced to crime from 1986-91.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            I could stand here and talk about statistics with you because

          they are important in this debate.  However, more important is the

          simple fact that we are losing lives to these weapons of rapid and

          mass destruction.

            Statistics mean nothing to the families of the five children

          killed by Patrick Purdy, who used a semiautomatic AK-47 with a 75

          round magazine.  Statistics mean nothing to the families of the

          individuals killed by Gian Ferri using two TEC-DC9`s with a 50

          round magazine.  Statistics mean nothing to the families of the two

          bank tellers who were killed in Sykesville, MD, by two gunmen using

          a MAC firearm.

            Moreover, statistics mean nothing to this Nation`s law

          enforcement officers, the vast majority of whom support this bill.

          In fact, they have been pleading with us to pass this bill because

          they are on the front lines everyday in battles against criminals

          armed with these weapons.  From coast to coast, tragic stories

          about the devastation caused by semiautomatic assault weapons are

          filling the headlines.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            If there is a way to begin putting an end to these types of

          tragedies, it is the passage of this bill today.

            Before closing, I must reemphasize that I wholeheartedly support

          the right of Americans to own guns to protect themselves in their

          home and in their business and own guns used and designed for

          legitimate, recreational uses.

            I thank the gentleman for allowing me to speak today and I urge

          my colleagues to join with me in supporting this legislation.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Chairman I rise today in strong support on H.R.

          4296, the bill to ban assault weapons.

            Although I voiced my support for this legislation months ago, the

          tragedy that took place in my district last week merely confirmed

          my beliefs that voting for this bill is the right thing to do.

            The deadly impact of assault weapons is pretty obvious.  A 29

          year, decorated veteran of the Waukesha Police Force, Captain James

          Lutz had no chance to defend himself when confronted by two bank

          robbers armed with M1-A assault rifles.  Captain Lutz was cut down

          in hail of 20 rounds in just a matter of seconds as this bill was

          being voted in committee last Thursday.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            The guns effected by this legislation have no other purpose but

          to kill people in a hurry.  The majority of legitimate hunters and

          sportsmen will find that their guns are specifically protected by

          this bill.  It lists over 670 of them.

            The differences between sporting and assault weapons are hardly

          cosmetic, as the opponents of the ban suggest.  This is like saying

          that a Schwinn bicycle is the same thing as a Harley Davidson

          motorcycle.  Both have two wheels and will get you where you want

          to go.  But a reality check tells us that the distinctions are

          obvious.  The same is true between assault weapons and legitimate

          hunting and sporting rifles.

            Critics are quick to say that bans won`t work.  However, when the

          Bush administration banned the importation of certain assault

          weapons, the number of imported assault weapons traced to crime

          declined by 45 percent.  At the same time, the number of domestic

          assault weapons traced to crime remained the same.

                                                                     PAGE H3108

            Still, even if an assault weapon was traced to just 1 violent

          crime, that crime might by the one in Waukesha that also wounded 3

          other officers, or the 1 crime in San Francisco that resulted in

          the deaths of 8 innocent people; or the 1 crime in Stockton, CA,

          where 5 children were killed and 29 others were wounded.  One crime

          per assault weapon is plenty.

            For my colleagues who are not satisfied because these guns have

          not been used in enough crimes, I must ask them how many crimes

          would they like to occur before we take them off the street? How

          many more people have to die before we act?

            Mr. Chairman and Members, the time has come to act positively on

          this measure.  How many more Waukesha or Kileen, TX incidents does

          this country need before this Congress wakes up.

                                                                     PAGE H3109

            Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Chairman, over the last few days, I`ve contacted

          local law enforcement in my congressional district and asked them

          this question: During the last 3 years, how many killings in your

          jurisdiction have involved the use of a semi-automatic assault

          weapon? The answer I received was `zero`.

            While I realize that on rare occasions, killings have occurred as

          a result of a semiautomatic assault weapon, bottom line is the

          passage of this bill will have no impact on the growing crime

          problems we have in this country.

                                                                     PAGE H3109

            Instead of demagoging about gun control, we should be focusing

          our energy on passing laws that will have an impact on crime.  Like

          truth-in-sentencing reform, habeas corpus reform, and a workable

          death penalty.  But the White House and the leadership in Congress

          won`t hear of it.  Instead they`re trying to use this issue to

          posture.

            The crime bill that just passed the House is not the answer this

          country is looking for to solve the problems we face.  Neither is

          gun control.

            I think the American people will see we are not serious about

          crime.

                                                                     PAGE H3109

            Ms. VELA 1ZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of

          H.R. 4296, the Assault Weapons Ban Act. As the Representative of

          one of the poorest districts in the country, I know what it`s like

          for my constituents to live in constant fear of crime, and the

          violence brought about by drug trafficking and drug use.  Assault

          weapons, which are particularly appealing to gangs, drug dealers

          and organized criminals, are intimidating and deadly instruments of

          terror.

            Opponents of the bill, such as the NRA, claim that this bill will

          eliminate semiautomatic hunting rifles used by gun enthusiasts and

          hunters.  This is simply not true.  The 19 semiautomatic weapons

          that this bill does ban, are designed not for sport, but for

          killing.  No wonder my constituents live in fear of their lives -

          they live in a war zone.  What will it take for this body to

          understand that our young adults are mercilessly killing themselves

          and others with these instruments of war.

            Mr. Chairman, as a cosponsor of this bill, I urge this House to

          stop the violence and the killing.  Don`t listen to foolish and

          false propaganda, support H.R. 4296.

                                                                     PAGE H3109

            Mr. POSHARD. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4296, the

          Assault Weapons Ban Act. After intensive study of this bill, the

          Constitution, the Federalist Papers and a wide range of research

          materials dealing with the second amendment, I have come to believe

          that the second amendment does guarantee Americans the right to

          bear arms, and that this legislation infringes on the rights of

          law-abiding citizens.

            I represent the 19th District of Illinois, 27 counties in

          America`s heartland which encompasses large communities such as

          Decatur and small towns of no more than a few families.  I have

          traveled my district, some 260 miles north to south hundreds of

          times, and talked with thousands of people on this and other

          issues.  I have tried my best to explain how crucial this issue is

          and how we must view it in its proper context.

            I reject the notion that opposing this ban somehow means one

          favors the violence resulting from the illegal use of firearms.

          Nothing is further from the truth.  Throughout my career in public

          service I have supported strong crime control measures.  Anyone who

          steps outside the boundaries of a civilized society and harms

          people in his or her community should be punished severely.  If

          they commit a crime with a firearm then we should remove them from

          society.  And I am willing to pay for the prisons and jails which

          will help us keep such persons from causing this destruction ever

          again, and perhaps provide a deterrent to others.

                                                                     PAGE H3109

            In this debate, we face the classic confrontation between rights

          and responsibilities, and it is our duty to decide where the

          balance exists between those elements.  My conclusion is that as we

          continue to further and further restrict our rights under the

          second amendment - waiting periods for certain purchases,

          ever-expanding lists of firearms which are banned - then we do

          serious damage to the amendment itself.

            And my fear extends beyond the second amendment to the entire

          Bill of Rights. I truly fear the slow but irreversible trend toward

          more limits on our freedoms, limits which may apply one day to

          firearms but in the next applies to the rights of people to speak

          or be protected from illegal search and seizure.  Because I value

          those freedoms so deeply I must oppose this ban.

            In this political climate, I think it`s important to point out

          that I don`t take any political action committee donations.  I`m

          not beholden to any special interest group to finance my campaign

          or provide any political cover in my district.  I find myself on

          the opposite side of a terribly important issue from friends and

          colleagues for whom I hold tremendous respect.  If I thought this

          bill would reduce crime and still protect the rights of Americans I

          would be the first to vote for it.  But because I truly believe we

          will fail the people on both counts, I am compelled to vote against

          it.

                                                                     PAGE H3109

            Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 4296,

          legislation which would take a small but desperately needed and

          significant step toward reducing crime in our country by barring 19

          types of battlefield weapons.  With this legislation, we answer the

          anguished cry of the American people for relief from civilian

          gunfire.

            We are tired of the gun-toting talk in this country that has

          protected assault weapons and left unprotected unarmed children who

          have fallen like non-combatants caught on battlefields disguised as

          city streets.  In the district more than 10 percent of those shot

          and killed last year were youngsters under 18. In the name of

          Devaughn Phillips, shot at age 5, Cecilia Rushing, shot at age 2,

          Reginiya Trippett shot at age 1, and 49 kids like them, assault

          weapon legislation must pass this week.

            The NRA says, `Get the criminals.` We say, `Right on.` But would

          you mind getting their guns first before they use them on us? The

          NRA strategy revises the notion of locking the barn door after the

          horse is gone.  They lock the casket and move on to the next one.

          We are fed up with their manly mantras.  We want combat weapons out

          of here!

                                                                     PAGE H3109

            Kids are showing up in school with assault weapons, preferred

          today by street gangs, drug traffickers and paramilitary

          extremists.  Yet, your Nation`s Capital bans all guns.  We

          nevertheless are drowning in assault weapons.  Only a national ban

          on war-zone guns can stop the carnage in civilian streets.  When

          President Bush banned 43 types of imported semiautomatic

          non-sporting assault weapons, their use in crimes dropped 40

          percent in the first year.  Our problem now is the deadly domestic

          varieties that are 10-20 times more traceable to crime than

          conventional firearms.

            Let us stand with the major national law enforcement

          organizations.  Like them, let us support the ban on 19 combat

          weapons used on city streets and country roads against cops and

          kids.

            Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I support an assault

          weapons ban because, very simply, I believe that it will save

          lives.  Let me be clear - it will not reduce crime in America.

          Hopefully, the tough measures in the Crime bill will do that.  But

          what this bill will do is reduce the number of victims of violent

          crime.  This measure simply saves lives.

                                                                     PAGE H3109

            The most important thing it does is to ban large-capacity clips

          like those used in the recent California schoolyard and New York

          commuter train killings in which dozens of people died.  In fact,

          the madman in New York was subdued only when he stopped to reload.

          We can`t stop these sick individuals from getting guns, but what we

          can do is make it harder for them to get weapons equipped to fire

          dozens of shots without reloading.  This is the real effect of this

          legislation.

            I have heard from a lot of my constituents on this issue.  Some

          of them supported the ban; others didn`t.  I talked to police

          officers who said they wanted to maintain their ability to get

          these kinds of weapons for protecting the public.  This bill allows

          them to do that.  I heard from hunters and sportsmen who told me of

          the guns they use for those pastimes.  This bill protects 650

          specific weapons that they use.  I have also heard from people who

          cannot understand what legitimate purpose guns that fire 150 rounds

          without reloading can possibly serve.

            I do not vote for much gun control legislation.  I support

          background checks because I think they are effective, and I do not

          support waiting periods because I do not think they are effective.

                                                                     PAGE H3109

            I support the second amendment.  I grew up in a culture that

          values and respects guns.  I enjoy hunting and have guns in my home

          for protection.  Hunting and home protection are not the issue in

          this case.  Killing people is the issue.  I firmly believe that if

          these guns are banned, the effect will be to reduce the potential

          for mass killings in America.

            I leave with this question: If a madman walks into a fast food

          restaurant where your wife and children are eating, would you

          rather he have a six-shooter or a weapon that can wipe out every

          person in the building? That`s what this bill is about, and I urge

          its adoption.

                                                                     PAGE H3110

            Mr. FAZIO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 4296, the

          Assault Weapons Ban Act.

            California, along with 3 other States and more than 30 cities and

          counties, already has its own assault weapons ban in place.  The

          Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act, which is currently in

          effect in California, is the Nation`s oldest assault weapons ban.

          It was enacted in 1989 in response to the shooting spree at a

          Stockton schoolyard, where a gunman armed with an AK-47 and several

          semiautomatic pistols fired over 100 rounds, killing 5 children and

          wounding 30 other people before killing himself.  Because it bans

          weapon names, instead of weapons features, however, the California

          ban has been effective in preventing the sale and use of new

          weapons.  We are finding that some domestic manufacturers get

          around the ban by producing copy-cat weapons under different names.

                                                                     PAGE H3110

            On a national level, we are faced with a similar challenge.  As a

          result of the current ban on the import of 43 foreign-made assault

          weapons, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)

          estimates that 750,000 assault weapons have been kept out of the

          country - that the number of imported assault weapons traced to

          crime declined by 40 percent.  Unfortunately, domestic

          manufacturers are also producing copies of these banned weapons, so

          the number of domestic assault weapons traced to crime remains the

          same.

            The Assault Weapons Ban Act that is now before us closes this

          loophole because it bans assault weapons by feature, rather than

          name.  It imposes a 10-year ban on the manufacture and possession

          of certain assault weapons and copies of assault weapons.  Also

          prohibited are firearms that have certain features - like grenade

          launchers and bayonet mounts - as well as large-capacity ammunition

          feeding devices.

            Law enforcement and the military are not included in the ban, and

          weapons that are currently legally owned are exempted, as are 650

          specified sporting guns, none of which can be banned while the bill

          is in effect.  Lastly, the bill requires that the Justice

          Department conduct a study of the impact that the ban has had on

          violent and drug trafficking crime 1 year after it is enacted, and

          that the Department submit the results of this study to Congress.

                                                                     PAGE H3110

            This legislation will have very little effect on the right of the

          average American to bear arms.  They include weapons used almost

          exclusively by organized crime, gangs, and drug cartels.  They do

          not include any weapons, semiautomatic or otherwise, used for

          hunting.

            In spite of claims that assault weapons bans do not work, the

          facts indicate otherwise.  Although we do not have detailed,

          nationwide statistics on the misuses of these weapons, the Oakland

          Police Department Weapons Unit reports that criminal misuses of

          assault weapons in Oakland fell by virtually half since the

          enactment of the California ban.  Additionally, the Atlanta

          Constitution found in a 1989 study that, although assault weapons

          make up only 2 to 3 percent of all guns owned by Americans, they

          show up in 30 percent of all firearms traced to organized crime,

          gun trafficking, and terrorism.  And the ATF reports that in 1989,

          assault weapons made up 10 percent of guns traced in crimes.

          Police in virtually every city in this country will tell you that

          they are outgunned and that an assault weapons ban would help them

          fight gun violence.

            The further restrictions on the sales and ownership of assault

          weapons that are in this bill will not cause a major reduction in

          crime.  However, they will make it much more difficult for drug

          dealers, violent criminals, and psychopaths to get their hands on a

          military-style semiautomatic rifles and certain shotguns and

          pistols.

                                                                     PAGE H3110

            Perhaps, with provisions like these in effect, disasters like the

          1993 tragedy when a gunman with an assault pistol walked into a San

          Francisco law office, murdered eight innocent, unarmed people and

          wounded another six can be prevented.  Just prior to testifying

          before the House Judiciary Committee in support of a ban on assault

          weapons, the widower of one of the victims of this massacre wrote:

            It`s been almost one year since my beloved wife was brutally

          murdered * * * by a psychotic possessing an assault weapon with 50

          round clips.  These weapons of war have absolutely no place in our

          society and the all too common tragedies in which they are used

          must be stopped.  Too many citizens dead; too many friends and

          family gone * * * This is not a partisan issue.  Violence and

          assault weapons affect all citizens * * * As a Republican, I am

          calling on members of * * * my party and Democrats to see that this

          bill becomes law.  Hopefully no other 10-month-old girls will place

          dirt on their mommys` grave as my daughter Meghan did.  Hopefully

          no other single parent will be left the task of telling their

          infant how their mother was brutally murdered with an assault

          weapon.

            I`d like to recall the words and wisdom of my esteemed colleagues

          from Illinois, Mr. Hyde, in his address to newly elected Members of

          the 102d Congress back in 1990. I feel that Mr. Hyde`s advice to

          that freshman class is appropriate for all of us now, as we face a

          vote that is controversial, political, and hits close to home for

          many of us who have constituents on both sides of this issue -

          constituents who are passionate in their feelings about what we are

          going to decide.

                                                                     PAGE H3110

            Mr. Hyde told his audience that our responsibility as Members of

          this House is often greater than just representing our constituents

          - that we also have a responsibility to all Americans. This broader

          obligation and accountability demand that we take a national view

          on certain issues - even if it means risking the disfavor of the

          folks back home.  We must look beyond the politics of career and be

          willing to take a principled stand for what we believe to be right

          and in the best interests of our Nation, as a whole, even if it

          means we risk losing an election.  Mr. Hyde reminds us of why we

          are here in the first place - to serve not just our immediate

          constituents, but our country, as well.

            This vote on the assault weapons ban is such a stand, and it is a

          small price to pay to help curb the unnecessary and senseless

          violence that plagues communities throughout our country.  If 1

          life or 1,000 lives are saved because we are able to keep an

          assault weapon out of the wrong hands, it is worth the effort.

            Mr. STOKES. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my strong

          support of H.R. 4296, the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms

          Use Protection Act. I commend my colleague from New York,

          Representative Chuck Schumer for his effort in bringing this piece

          of legislation to the floor and addressing an issue which is

          pertinent to all Americans, the issue of gun control.

                                                                     PAGE H3110

            I am certain my colleagues would agree that Americans from all

          walks of life are looking for action on this problem.  H.R. 4296

          makes it illegal for a person to own, manufacture or sell specified

          semiautomatic assault weapons, exempting those weapons which are

          already legally owned.  In addition, there are 650 specified

          sporting guns which are exempted from the ban.  Of the 19 specified

          weapons included in this bill, none are used for hunting or other

          sporting purposes.  These are military-style assault weapons

          designed to injure as many human beings as quickly as possible.

            Increasingly, these weapons are becoming the weapon of choice for

          violent criminals and drug dealers.  Although these weapons

          represent only 1 percent of privately owned firearms in this

          country, they represent 8 percent of the firearms traced to a

          crime, and are 18 times more likely to be used to kill police

          officers than any other gun.  From 1990 to 1993, law enforcement

          officials reported a 37-percent increase in the use of assault

          weapons.  How can we ensure the security of our citizens, when

          police officers, are being outgunned, and often times murdered by

          violent criminals wielding AK-47s and other military style weapons.

            In the last several years, we have witnessed gun violence take a

          devastating toll on our Nation. Although many may think that the

          violence associated with semiautomatic assault weapons occurs

          exclusively in the inner city; is a gang problem; or only affects

          certain areas of the country; the grim reality of this violence is

          that it occurs throughout America. One day a child may be caught in

          a cross-fire, on another day an out of control member of society

          may unleash his rage in a convenience store, gas station or fast

          food restaurant.

                                                                     PAGE H3110

            In 1990 no nation had a higher murder rate than ours.  The United

          States murder rate was quadruple that of the entire Continent of

          Europe and was 11 times higher than Japan. Americans are dying from

          unnecessary violent deaths in unprecedented numbers.  While it is

          not realistic to expect the ban to lead to the cessation of

          violence, California`s assault weapons ban demonstrates that a ban

          will decrease the usage of assault weapons in violent crimes.

            Nearly 77 percent of all Americans are in support of the assault

          weapons ban.  We all agree that there needs to be an immediate

          response to this dilemma.  Too many lives have been lost to

          violence.  The grim reality demands our immediate response.

            Mr. Chairman, this measure takes a significant step in curbing

          the rising tide of our Nation`s violence.  H.R. 4296 will help to

          restore safety and sanity to our communities and I strongly urge

          all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

                                                                     PAGE H3111

            Mr. BORSKI. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my strong

          support for H.R. 4296, the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms

          Use Protection Act. In conjunction with the crime bill and the

          Brady Law, this legislation is an essential step in ensuring the

          safety of our community, our law enforcement officers, and

          especially our families.

            Mr. Chairman, assault weapons were designed for only one purpose

          - killing people.  These weapons were designed for war,

          specifically manufactured to make as many wounds as possible with a

          maximum number of bullets.  Unfortunately, the rapid-firing

          capability and large bullet capacity of these deadly weapons are

          quite useful as instruments of terror for the criminals of our

          country.

                                                                     PAGE H3111

            There is an ongoing war on the streets between the law

          enforcement and the criminals.  The fact remains that in the city

          of Philadelphia, our local police are not armed with assault

          weapons, but the criminals are.  Mr. Chairman, opponents to this

          legislation have stated that a ban on any firearm is an

          infringement upon their second amendment rights.  Let me remind my

          colleagues that the Preamble of the Constitution clearly states

          that it is our constitutional duty to `insure domestic Tranquility,

          provide for the common Defence, (and to) promote the general

          Welfare (of) ourselves and our Posterity.` H.R. 4296 is an

          important step in upholding our vows to ensure these `God-given`

          liberties.

            Mr. Chairman, it is clear that current laws are inadequate to

          ensure these liberties.  Criminals are winning the war on crime in

          this country.  The law enforcement officers charged with protection

          of our citizens are outgunned and outnumbered by criminals who can

          easily obtain deadly weapons.  The House has already taken steps to

          aid the law enforcement officials with the passage of H.R. 3355,

          the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. The

          crime bill provides local law enforcement officials with much

          needed financial assistance for recruitment of 50,000 additional

          police officers, requires three-time violent criminals to be locked

          up for life and provides funding for the construction of new

          prisons.  Yet, law enforcement officials continue to begin each day

          with the fear that they will face a well-armed `street` militia

          armed with only their service revolver.

            H.R. 4296 will ban the manufacture and importation of these

          weapons of war which will cut off the production and, thus, the

          supply of these deadly weapons to criminals.  The assault weapons

          banned in this legislation are used every day by criminals to kill

          other human beings.  These guns are not hunting rifles, these guns

          are not target shooters, these guns were designed to harm other

          humans.  Criminals with rapid-firing capabilities and large

          capacity ammunition clips can potentially kill as many human beings

          as they have bullets.

                                                                     PAGE H3111

            H.R. 4296 specifically targets the most dangerous weapons present

          on our streets today: AK-47`s, UZI`s and street sweepers.  H.R.

          4296 will only ban semiautomatic rifles capable of accepting a

          detachable ammunition clip, and two or more of the following

          military features: flash suppressors, grenade launchers, bayonet

          attachments, folding or telescoping stocks, and pistol grips.

            Mr. Chairman, I see no legitimate reason why this legislation

          should not be passed.  It is time to stop the madness of

          gun-warfare on our city streets.  It is time to protect our

          Nation`s law enforcement officers, our families and our children

          from the crossfire.  It is time to pass this measure and prevent

          these guns from entering into the hands of the criminals of this

          country.

            The CHAIRMAN (Mr. Mfume). All the time for general debate has

          expired.

                                                                     PAGE H3111

            Pursuant to the rule, the committee amendment in the nature of a

          substitute shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose

          of amendment and is considered as read.

            The text of the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute

          is as follows:

                                       H.R. 4296

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

          United States of America in Congress assembled,

          SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

           This Act may be cited as the `Public Safety and Recreational

          Firearms Use Protection Act`.

                                                                     PAGE H3111

          SEC. 2. RESTRICTION ON MANUFACTURE, TRANSFER, AND POSSESSION OF

                        CERTAIN SEMIAUTOMATIC ASSAULT WEAPONS.

           (a) Restriction. - Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is

          amended by adding at the end the following:

           `(v)(1) It shall be unlawful for a person to manufacture,

          transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon.

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the possession or transfer

          of any semiautomatic assault weapon otherwise lawfully possessed on

          the date of the enactment of this subsection.

           `(3) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to -

           `(A) any of the firearms, or replicas or duplicates of the

          firearms, specified in Appendix A to this section, as such firearms

          were manufactured on October 1, 1993;

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(B) any firearm that -

           `(i) is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action;

           `(ii) has been rendered permanently inoperable; or

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(iii) is an antique firearm;

           `(C) any semiautomatic rifle that cannot accept a detachable

          magazine that holds more than 5 rounds of ammunition; or

           `(D) any semiautomatic shotgun that cannot hold more than 5 rounds

          of ammunition in a fixed or detachable magazine.

                                                                     PAGE H3111

          The fact that a firearm is not listed in Appendix A shall not be

          construed to mean that paragraph (1) applies to such firearm.  No

          firearm exempted by this subsection may be deleted from Appendix A

          so long as this Act is in effect.

           `(4) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to -

           `(A) the United States or a department or agency of the United

          States or a State or a department, agency, or political subdivision

          of a State;

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(B) the transfer of a semiautomatic assault weapon by a licensed

          manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer to an entity

          referred to in subparagraph (A) or to a law enforcement officer

          authorized by such an entity to purchase firearms for official use;

           `(C) the possession, by an individual who is retired from service

          with a law enforcement agency and is not otherwise prohibited from

          receiving a firearm, of a semiautomatic assault weapon transferred

          to the individual by the agency upon such retirement; or

           `(D) the manufacture, transfer, or possession of a semiautomatic

          assault weapon by a licensed manufacturer or licensed importer for

          the purposes of testing or experimentation authorized by the

          Secretary.`.

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           (b) Definition of Semiautomatic Assault Weapon. - Section 921(a)

          of such title is amended by adding at the end the following:

           `(30) The term `semiautomatic assault weapon` means -

           `(A) any of the firearms, or copies or duplicates of the firearms,

          known as -

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(i) Norinco, Mitchell, and Poly Technologies Avtomat Kalashnikovs

          (all models);

           `(ii) Action Arms Israeli Military Industries UZI and Galil;

           `(iii) Beretta Ar70 (SC-70);

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(iv) Colt AR-15;

           `(v) Fabrique National FN/FAL, FN/LAR, and FNC;

           `(vi) SWD M-10, M-11, M-11/9, and M-12;

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(vii) Steyr AUG;

           `(viii) INTRATEC TEC-9, TEC-DC9 and TEC-22; and

           `(ix) revolving cylinder shotguns, such as (or similar to) the

          Street Sweeper and Striker 12;

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(B) a semiautomatic rifle that has an ability to accept a

          detachable magazine and has at least 2 of -

           `(i) a folding or telescoping stock;

           `(ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the

          action of the weapon;

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(iii) a bayonet mount;

           `(iv) a flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to

          accommodate a flash suppressor; and

           `(v) a grenade launcher;

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(C) a semiautomatic pistol that has an ability to accept a

          detachable magazine and has at least 2 of -

           `(i) an ammunition magazine that attaches to the pistol outside of

          the pistol grip;

           `(ii) a threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender,

          flash suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer;

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(iii) a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely

          encircles, the barrel and that permits the shooter to hold the

          firearm with the nontrigger hand without being burned;

           `(iv) a manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when the pistol

          is unloaded; and

           `(v) a semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm; and

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(D) a semiautomatic shotgun that has at least 2 of -

           `(i) a folding or telescoping stock;

           `(ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the

          action of the weapon;

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(iii) a fixed magazine capacity in excess of 5 rounds; and

           `(iv) an ability to accept a detachable magazine.`.

           (c) Penalties. -

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           (1) Violation of section 922(v). - Section 924(a)(1)(B) of such

          title is amended by striking `or (q) of section 922` and inserting

          `(r), or (v) of section 922`.

           (2) Use or possession during crime of violence or drug trafficking

          crime. - Section 924(c)(1) of such title is amended in the first

          sentence by inserting `, or semiautomatic assault weapon,` after

          `short-barreled shotgun,`.

           (d) Identification Markings for Semiautomatic Assault Weapons. -

          Section 923(i) of such title is amended by adding at the end the

          following: `The serial number of any semiautomatic assault weapon

          manufactured after the date of the enactment of this sentence shall

          clearly show the date on which the weapon was manufactured.`.

                                                                     PAGE H3111

          SEC. 3. RECORDKEEPING REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSFERS OF GRANDFATHERED

                        FIREARMS.

           (a) Offense. - Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, as

          amended by section 2(a) of this Act, is amended by adding at the

          end the following:

           `(w)(1) It shall be unlawful for a person to sell, ship, or

          deliver a semiautomatic assault weapon to a person who has not

          completed a form 4473 in connection with the transfer of the

          semiautomatic assault weapon.

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(2) It shall be unlawful for a person to receive a semiautomatic

          assault weapon unless the person has completed a form 4473 in

          connection with the transfer of the semiautomatic assault weapon.

           `(3) If a person receives a semiautomatic assault weapon from

          anyone other than a licensed dealer, both the person and the

          transferor shall retain a copy of the form 4473 completed in

          connection with the transfer.

           `(4) Within 90 days after the date of the enactment of this

          subsection, the Secretary shall prescribe regulations ensuring the

          availability of form 4473 to owners of semiautomatic assault

          weapons.

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(5) As used in this subsection, the term `form 4473` means -

           `(A) the form which, as of the date of the enactment of this

          subsection, is designated by the Secretary as form 4473; or

           `(B) any other form which -

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(i) is required by the Secretary, in lieu of the form described

          in subparagraph (A), to be completed in connection with the

          transfer of a semiautomatic assault weapon; and

           `(ii) when completed, contains, at a minimum, the information

          that, as of the date of the enactment of this subsection, is

          required to be provided on the form described in subparagraph

          (A).`.

           (b) Penalty. - Section 924(a) of such title is amended by adding

          at the end the following:

                                                                     PAGE H3111

           `(6) A person who knowingly violates section 922(w) shall be fined

          not more than $1,000, imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both.

          Section 3571 shall not apply to any offense under this paragraph.`.

                                                                     PAGE H3112

          SEC. 4. BAN OF LARGE CAPACITY AMMUNITION FEEDING DEVICES.

           (a) Prohibition. - Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, as

          amended by sections 2 and 3 of this Act, is amended by adding at

          the end the following:

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           `(x)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), it shall be unlawful

          for a person to transfer or possess a large capacity ammunition

          feeding device.

           `(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the possession or transfer

          of any large capacity ammunition feeding device otherwise lawfully

          possessed on the date of the enactment of this subsection.

           `(3) This subsection shall not apply to -

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           `(A) the United States or a department or agency of the United

          States or a State or a department, agency, or political subdivision

          of a State;

           `(B) the transfer of a large capacity ammunition feeding device by

          a licensed manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer to

          an entity referred to in subparagraph (A) or to a law enforcement

          officer authorized by such an entity to purchase large capacity

          ammunition feeding devices for official use;

           `(C) the possession, by an individual who is retired from service

          with a law enforcement agency and is not otherwise prohibited from

          receiving ammunition, of a large capacity ammunition feeding device

          transferred to the individual by the agency upon such retirement;

          or

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           `(D) the manufacture, transfer, or possession of any large

          capacity ammunition feeding device by a licensed manufacturer or

          licensed importer for the purposes of testing or experimentation

          authorized by the Secretary.`.

           (b) Definition of Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device. -

          Section 921(a) of such title, as amended by section 2(b) of this

          Act, is amended by adding at the end the following:

           `(31) The term `large capacity ammunition feeding device` -

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           `(A) means -

           `(i) a magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device that

          has a capacity of, or that can be readily restored or converted to

          accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition; and

           `(ii) any combination of parts from which a device described in

          clause (i) can be assembled; but

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           `(B) does not include an attached tubular device designed to

          accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire

          ammunition.`.

           (c) Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Devices Treated as Firearms.

          - Section 921(a)(3) of such title is amended in the first sentence

          by striking `or (D) any destructive device.` and inserting `(D) any

          destructive device; or (E) any large capacity ammunition feeding

          device.`.

           (d) Penalty. - Section 924(a)(1)(B) of such title, as amended by

          section 2(c) of this Act, is amended by striking `or (v)` and

          inserting `(v), or (x)`.

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           (e) Identification Markings for Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding

          Devices. - Section 923(i) of such title, as amended by section 2(d)

          of this Act, is amended by adding at the end the following: `A

          large capacity ammunition feeding device manufactured after the

          date of the enactment of this sentence shall be identified by a

          serial number that clearly shows that the device was manufactured

          or imported after the effective date of this subsection, and such

          other identification as the Secretary may by regulation

          prescribe.`.

          SEC. 5. STUDY BY ATTORNEY GENERAL.

           (a) Study. - The Attorney General shall investigate and study the

          effect of this Act and the amendments made by this Act, and in

          particular shall determine their impact, if any, on violent and

          drug trafficking crime.  The study shall be conducted over a period

          of 18 months, commencing 12 months after the date of enactment of

          this Act.

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           (b) Report. - Not later than 30 months after the date of enactment

          of this Act, the Attorney General shall prepare and submit to the

          Congress a report setting forth in detail the findings and

          determinations made in the study under subsection (a).

          SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.

           This Act and the amendments made by this Act -

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           (1) shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act;

          and

           (2) are repealed effective as of the date that is 10 years after

          that date.

          SEC. 7. APPENDIX A TO SECTION 922 OF TITLE 18.

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding

          at the end the following appendix:

                                      `APPENDIX A

                            CENTERFIRE RIFLES - AUTOLOADERS

           Browning BAR Mark II Safari Semi-Auto Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning BAR Mark II Safari Magnum Rifle

           Browning High-Power Rifle

           Heckler & Koch Model 300 Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Iver Johnson M-1 Carbine

           Iver Johnson 50th Anniversary M-1 Carbine

           Marlin Model 9 Camp Carbine

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Marlin Model 45 Carbine

           Remington Nylon 66 Auto-Loading Rifle

           Remington Model 7400 Auto Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington Model 7400 Rifle

           Remington Model 7400 Special Purpose Auto Rifle

           Ruger Mini-14 Autoloading Rifle (w/o folding stock)

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Ruger Mini Thirty Rifle

                           CENTERFIRE RIFLES - LEVER & SLIDE

           Browning Model 81 BLR Lever-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning Model 81 Long Action BLR

           Browning Model 1886 Lever-Action Carbine

           Browning Model 1886 High Grade Carbine

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Cimarron 1860 Henry Replica

           Cimarron 1866 Winchester Replicas

           Cimarron 1873 Short Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Cimarron 1873 Sporting Rifle

           Cimarron 1873 30` Express Rifle

           Dixie Engraved 1873 Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           E.M.F. 1866 Yellowboy Lever Actions

           E.M.F. 1860 Henry Rifle

           E.M.F. Model 73 Lever-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Marlin Model 336CS Lever-Action Carbine

           Marlin Model 30AS Lever-Action Carbine

           Marlin Model 444SS Lever-Action Sporter

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Marlin Model 1894S Lever-Action Carbine

           Marlin Model 1894CS Carbine

           Marlin Model 1894CL Classic

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Marlin Model 1895SS Lever-Action Rifle

           Mitchell 1858 Henry Replica

           Mitchell 1866 Winchester Replica

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Mitchell 1873 Winchester Replica

           Navy Arms Military Henry Rifle

           Navy Arms Henry Trapper

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Navy Arms Iron Frame Henry

           Navy Arms Henry Carbine

           Navy Arms 1866 Yellowboy Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Navy Arms 1873 Winchester-Style Rifle

           Navy Arms 1873 Sporting Rifle

           Remington 7600 Slide Action

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington Model 7600 Special Purpose Slide Action

           Rossi M92 SRC Saddle-Ring Carbine

           Rossi M92 SRS Short Carbine

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Savage 99C Lever-Action Rifle

           Uberti Henry Rifle

           Uberti 1866 Sporting Rilfe

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Uberti 1873 Sporting Rifle

           Winchester Model 94 Side Eject Lever-Action Rifle

           Winchester Model 94 Trapper Side Eject

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Model 94 Big Bore Side Eject

           Winchester Model 94 Ranger Side Eject Lever-Action Rifle

           Winchester Model 94 Wrangler Side Eject

                                                                     PAGE H3112

                            CENTERFIRE RIFLES - BOLT ACTION

           Alpine Bolt-Action Rifle

           A-Square Caesar Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           A-Square Hannibal Bolt-Action Rifle

           Anschutz 1700D Classic Rifles

           Anschutz 1700D Custom Rifles

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Anschutz 1700D Bavarian Bolt-Action Rifle

           Anschutz 1733D Mannlicher Rifle

           Barret Model 90 Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Beeman/HW 60J Bolt-Action Rifle

           Blaser R84 Bolt-Action Rifle

           BRNO 537 Sporter Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           BRNO ZKB 527 Fox Bolt-Action Rifle

           BRNO ZKK 600, 601, 602 Bolt-Action Rifles

           Browning A-Bolt Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker

           Browning A-Bolt Left Hand

           Browning A-Bolt Short Action

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning Euro-Bolt Rifle

           Browning A-Bolt Gold Medallion

           Browning A-Bolt Micro Medallion

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Century Centurion 14 Sporter

           Century Enfield Sporter )4

           Century Swedish Sporter )38

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Century Mauser 98 Sporter

           Cooper Model 38 Centerfire Sporter

           Dakota 22 Sporter Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Dakota 76 Classic Bolt-Action Rifle

           Dakota 76 Short Action Rifles

           Dakota 76 Safari Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Dakota 416 Rigby African

           E.A.A./Sabatti Rover 870 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Auguste Francotte Bolt-Action Rifles

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Carl Gustaf 2000 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Heym Magnum Express Series Rifle

           Howa Lightning Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Howa Realtree Camo Rifle

           Interarms Mark X Viscount Bolt-Action Rifle

           Interarms Mini-Mark X Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Interarms Mark X Whitworth Bolt-Action Rifle

           Interarms Whitworth Express Rifle

           Iver Johnson Model 5100A1 Long-Range Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           KDF K15 American Bolt-Action Rifle

           Krico Model 600 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Krico Model 700 Bolt-Action Rifles

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Mauser Model 66 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Mauser Model 99 Bolt-Action Rifle

           McMillan Signature Classic Sporter

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           McMillan Signature Super Varminter

           McMillan Signature Alaskan

           McMillan Signature Titanium Mountain Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           McMillan Classic Stainless Sporter

           McMillan Talon Safari Rifle

           McMillan Talon Sporter Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Midland 1500S Survivor Rifle

           Navy Arms TU-33/40 Carbine

           Parker-Hale Model 81 Classic Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Parker-Hale Model 81 Classic African Rifle

           Parker-Hale Model 1000 Rifle

           Parker-Hale Model 1100M African Magnum

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Parker-Hale Model 1100 Lightweight Rifle

           Parker-Hale Model 1200 Super Rifle

           Parker-Hale Model 1200 Super Clip Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Parker-Hale Model 1300C Scout Rifle

           Parker-Hale Model 2100 Midland Rifle

           Parker-Hale Model 2700 Lightweight Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Parker-Hale Model 2800 Midland Rifle

           Remington Model Seven Bolt-Action Rifle

           Remington Model Seven Youth Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington Model Seven Custom KS

           Remington Model Seven Custom MS Rifle

           Remington 700 ADL Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 700 BDL Bolt-Action Rifle

           Remington 700 BDL Varmint Special

           Remington 700 BDL European Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 700 Varmint Synthetic Rifle

           Remington 700 BDL SS Rifle

           Remington 700 Stainless Synthetic Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 700 MTRSS Rifle

           Remington 700 BDL Left Hand

           Remington 700 Camo Synthetic Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 700 Safari

           Remington 700 Mountain Rifle

           Remington 700 Custom KS Mountain Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 700 Classic Rifle

           Ruger M77 Mark II Rifle

           Ruger M77 Mark II Magnum Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Ruger M77RL Ultra Light

           Ruger M77 Mark II All-Weather Stainless Rifle

           Ruger M77 RSI International Carbine

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Ruger M77 Mark II Express Rifle

           Ruger M77VT Target Rifle

           Sako Hunter Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Sako Fiberclass Sporter

           Sako Safari Grade Bolt Action

           Sako Hunter Left-Hand Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Sako Classic Bolt Action

           Sako Hunter LS Rifle

           Sako Deluxe Lightweight

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Sako Super Deluxe Sporter

           Sako Mannlicher-Style Carbine

           Sako Varmint Heavy Barrel

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Sako TRG-S Bolt-Action Rifle

           Sauer 90 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Savage 110G Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Savage 110CY Youth/Ladies Rifle

           Savage 110WLE One of One Thousand Limited Edition Rifle

           Savage 110GXP3 Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Savage 110F Bolt-Action Rifle

           Savage 110FXP3 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Savage 110GV Varmint Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Savage 112FV Varmint Rifle

           Savage Model 112FVS Varmint Rifle

           Savage Model 112BV Heavy Barrel Varmint Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Savage 116FSS Bolt-Action Rifle

           Savage Model 116FSK Kodiak Rifle

           Savage 110FP Police Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Steyr-Mannlicher Sporter Models SL, L, M, S, S/T

           Steyr-Mannlicher Luxus Model L, M, S

           Steyr-Mannlicher Model M Professional Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Tikka Bolt-Action Rifle

           Tikka Premium Grade Rifles

           Tikka Varmint/Continental Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Tikka Whitetail/Battue Rifle

           Ultra Light Arms Model 20 Rifle

           Ultra Light Arms Model 28, Model 40 Rifles

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Voere VEC 91 Lightning Bolt-Action Rifle

           Voere Model 2165 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Voere Model 2155, 2150 Bolt-Action Rifles

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Weatherby Mark V Deluxe Bolt-Action Rifle

           Weatherby Lasermark V Rifle

           Weatherby Mark V Crown Custom Rifles

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Weatherby Mark V Sporter Rifle

           Weatherby Mark V Safari Grade Custom Rifles

           Weatherby Weathermark Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Weatherby Weathermark Alaskan Rifle

           Weatherby Classicmark No. 1 Rifle

           Weatherby Weatherguard Alaskan Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Weatherby Vanguard VGX Deluxe Rifle

           Weatherby Vanguard Classic Rifle

           Weatherby Vanguard Classic No. 1 Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard Rifle

           Wichita Classic Rifle

           Wichita Varmint Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Model 70 Sporter

           Winchester Model 70 Sporter WinTuff

           Winchester Model 70 SM Sporter

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Model 70 Stainless Rifle

           Winchester Model 70 Varmint

           Winchester Model 70 Synthetic Heavy Varmint Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Model 70 DBM Rifle

           Winchester Model 70 DBM-S Rifle

           Winchester Model 70 Featherweight

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Model 70 Featherweight WinTuff

           Winchester Model 70 Featherweight Classic

           Winchester Model 70 Lightweight Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Ranger Rifle

           Winchester Model 70 Super Express Magnum

           Winchester Model 70 Super Grade

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Model 70 Custom Sharpshooter

           Winchester Model 70 Custom Sporting Sharpshooter Rifle

                            CENTERFIRE RIFLES - SINGLE SHOT

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Armsport 1866 Sharps Rifle, Carbine

           Brown Model One Single Shot Rifle

           Browning Model 1885 Single Shot Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Dakota Single Shot Rifle

           Desert Industries G-90 Single Shot Rifle

           Harrington & Richardson Ultra Varmint Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Model 1885 High Wall Rifle

           Navy Arms Rolling Block Buffalo Rifle

           Navy Arms )2 Creedmoor Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Navy Arms Sharps Cavalry Carbine

           Navy Arms Sharps Plains Rifle

           New England Firearms Handi-Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Red Willow Armory Ballard No. 5 Pacific

           Red Willow Armory Ballard No. 1.5 Hunting Rifle

           Red Willow Armory Ballard No. 8 Union Hill Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Red Willow Armory Ballard No. 4.5 Target Rifle

           Remington-Style Rolling Block Carbine

           Ruger No. 1B Single Shot

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Ruger No. 1A Light Sporter

           Ruger No. 1H Tropical Rifle

           Ruger No. 1S Medium Sporter

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Ruger No. 1 RSI International

           Ruger No. 1V Special Varminter

           C. Sharps Arms New Model 1874 Old Reliable

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           C. Sharps Arms New Model 1875 Rifle

           C. Sharps Arms 1875 Classic Sharps

           C. Sharps Arms New Model 1875 Target & Long Range

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Shiloh Sharps 1874 Long Range Express

           Shiloh Sharps 1874 Montana Roughrider

           Shiloh Sharps 1874 Military Carbine

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Shiloh Sharps 1874 Business Rifle

           Shiloh Sharps 1874 Military Rifle

           Sharps 1874 Old Reliable

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Thompson/Center Contender Carbine

           Thompson/Center Stainless Contender Carbine

           Thompson/Center Contender Carbine Survival System

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Thompson/Center Contender Carbine Youth Model

           Thompson/Center TCR `87 Single Shot Rifle

           Uberti Rolling Block Baby Carbine

                                                                     PAGE H3112

                       DRILLINGS, COMBINATION GUNS, DOUBLE RIFLES

           Beretta Express SSO O/U Double Rifles

           Beretta Model 455 SxS Express Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Chapuis RGExpress Double Rifle

           Auguste Francotte Sidelock Double Rifles

           Auguste Francotte Boxlock Double Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Heym Model 55B O/U Double Rifle

           Heym Model 55FW O/U Combo Gun

           Heym Model 88b Side-by-Side Double Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Kodiak Mk. IV Double Rifle

           Kreighoff Teck O/U Combination Gun

           Kreighoff Trumpf Drilling

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Merkel Over/Under Combination Guns

           Merkel Drillings

           Merkel Model 160 Side-by-Side Double Rifles

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Merkel Over/Under Double Rifles

           Savage 24F O/U Combination Gun

           Savage 24F-12T Turkey Gun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Springfield Inc. M6 Scout Rifle/Shotgun

           Tikka Model 412s Combination Gun

           Tikka Model 412S Double Fire

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           A. Zoli Rifle-Shotgun O/U Combo

                              RIMFIRE RIFLES - AUTOLOADERS

           AMT Lightning 25/22 Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           AMT Lightning Small-Game Hunting Rifle II

           AMT Magnum Hunter Auto Rifle

           Anschutz 525 Deluxe Auto

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Armscor Model 20P Auto Rifle

           Browning Auto-22 Rifle

           Browning Auto-22 Grade VI

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Krico Model 260 Auto Rifle

           Lakefield Arms Model 64B Auto Rifle

           Marlin Model 60 Self-Loading Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Marlin Model 60ss Self-Loading Rifle

           Marlin Model 70 HC Auto

           Marlin Model 990l Self-Loading Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Marlin Model 70P Papoose

           Marlin Model 922 Magnum Self-Loading Rifle

           Marlin Model 995 Self-Loading Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Norinco Model 22 ATD Rifle

           Remington Model 522 Viper Autoloading Rifle

           Remington 552BDL Speedmaster Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Ruger 10/22 Autoloading Carbine (w/o folding stock)

           Survival Arms AR-7 Explorer Rifle

           Texas Remington Revolving Carbine

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Voere Model 2115 Auto Rifle

                         RIMFIRE RIFLES - LEVER & SLIDE ACTION

           Browning BL-22 Lever-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Marlin 39TDS Carbine

           Marlin Model 39AS Golden Lever-Action Rifle

           Remington 572BDL Fieldmaster Pump Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Norinco EM-321 Pump Rifle

           Rossi Model 62 SA Pump Rifle

           Rossi Model 62 SAC Carbine

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Model 9422 Lever-Action Rifle

           Winchester Model 9422 Magnum Lever-Action Rifle

                      RIMFIRE RIFLES - BOLT ACTIONS & SINGLE SHOTS

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Anschutz Achiever Bolt-Action Rifle

           Anschutz 1416D/1516D Classic Rifles

           Anschutz 1418D/1518D Mannlicher Rifles

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Anschutz 1700D Classic Rifles

           Anschutz 1700D Custom Rifles

           Anschutz 1700 FWT Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Anschutz 1700D Graphite Custom Rifle

           Anschutz 1700D Bavarian Bolt-Action Rifle

           Armscor Model 14P Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Armscor Model 1500 Rifle

           BRNO ZKM-452 Deluxe Bolt-Action Rifle

           BRNO ZKM 452 Deluxe

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Beeman/HW 60-J-ST Bolt-Action Rifle

           Browning A-Bolt 22 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Browning A-Bolt Gold Medallion

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Cabanas Phaser Rifle

           Cabanas Master Bolt-Action Rifle

           Cabanas Espronceda IV Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Cabanas Leyre Bolt-Action Rifle

           Chipmunk Single Shot Rifle

           Cooper Arms Model 36S Sporter Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Dakota 22 Sporter Bolt-Action Rifle

           Krico Model 300 Bolt-Action Rifles

           Lakefield Arms Mark II Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Lakefield Arms Mark I Bolt-Action Rifle

           Magtech Model MT-22C Bolt-Action Rifle

           Marlin Model 880 Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Marlin Model 881 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Marlin Model 882 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Marlin Model 883 Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Marlin Model 883SS Bolt-Action Rifle

           Marlin Model 25MN Bolt-Action Rifle

           Marlin Model 25N Bolt-Action Repeater

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Marlin Model 15YN `Little Buckaroo`

           Mauser Model 107 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Mauser Model 201 Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Navy Arms TU-KKW Training Rifle

           Navy Arms TU-33/40 Carbine

           Navy Arms TU-KKW Sniper Trainer

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Norinco JW-27 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Norinco JW-15 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Remington 541-T

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 40-XR Rimfire Custom sporter

           Remington 541-T HB Bolt-Action Rifle

           Remington 581-S Sportsman Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Ruger 77/22 Rimfire Bolt-Action Rifle

           Ruger K77/22 Varmint Rifle

           Ultra Light Arms Model 20 RF Bolt-Action Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Model 52B Sporting Rifle

                       COMPETITION RIFLES - CENTERFIRE & RIMFIRE

           Anschutz 64-MS Left Silhouette

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Anschutz 1808D RT Super Match 54 Target

           Anschutz 1827B Biathlon Rifle

           Anschutz 1903D Match Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Anschutz 1803D Intermediate Match

           Anschutz 1911 Match Rifle

           Anschutz 54.18MS REP Deluxe Silhouette Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Anschutz 1913 Super Match Rifle

           Anschutz 1907 Match Rifle

           Anschutz 1910 Super Match II

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Anschutz 54.18MS Silhouette Rifle

           Anschutz Super Match 54 Target Model 2013

           Anschutz Super Match 54 Target Model 2007

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Beeman/Feinwerkbau 2600 Target Rifle

           Cooper Arms Model TRP-1 ISU Standard Rifle

           E.A.A./Weihrauch HW 60 Target Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           E.A.A./HW 660 Match Rifle

           Finnish Lion Standard Target Rifle

           Krico Model 360 S2 Biathlon Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Krico Model 400 Match Rifle

           Krico Model 360S Biathlon Rifle

           Krico Model 500 Kricotronic Match Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Krico Model 600 Sniper Rifle

           Krico Model 600 Match Rifle

           Lakefield Arms Model 90B Target Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Lakefield Arms Model 91T Target Rifle

           Lakefield Arms Model 92S Silhouette Rifle

           Marlin Model 2000 Target Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Mauser Model 86-SR Specialty Rifle

           McMillan M-86 Sniper Rifle

           McMillan Combo M-87/M-88 50-Caliber Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           McMillan 300 Phoenix Long Range Rifle

           McMillan M-89 Sniper Rifle

           McMillan National Match Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           McMillan Long Range Rifle

           Parker-Hale M-87 Target Rifle

           Parker-Hale M-85 Sniper Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 40-XB Rangemaster Target Centerfire

           Remington 40-XR KS Rimfire Position Rifle

           Remington 40-XBBR KS

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 40-XC KS National Match Course Rifle

           Sako TRG-21 Bolt-Action Rifle

           Steyr-Mannlicher Match SPG-UIT Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Steyr-Mannlicher SSG P-I Rifle

           Steyr-Mannlicher SSG P-III Rifle

           Steyr-Mannlicher SSG P-IV Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Tanner Standard UIT Rifle

           Tanner 50 Meter Free Rifle

           Tanner 300 Meter Free Rifle

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Wichita Silhouette Rifle

                                 SHOTGUNS - AUTOLOADERS

           American Arms/Franchi Black Magic 48/AL

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Benelli Super Black Eagle Shotgun

           Benelli Super Black Eagle Slug Gun

           Benelli M1 Super 90 Field Auto Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Benelli Montefeltro Super 90 20-Gauge Shotgun

           Benelli Montefeltro Super 90 Shotgun

           Benelli M1 Sporting Special Auto Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Benelli Black Eagle Competition Auto Shotgun

           Beretta A-303 Auto Shotgun

           Beretta 390 Field Auto Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Beretta 390 Super Trap, Super Skeet Shotguns

           Beretta Vittoria Auto Shotgun

           Beretta Model 1201F Auto Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning BSA 10 Auto Shotgun

           Browning Bsa 10 Stalker Auto Shotgun

           Browning A-500R Auto Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning A-500G Auto Shotgun

           Browning A-500G Sporting Clays

           Browning Auto-5 Light 12 and 20

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning Auto-5 Stalker

           Browning Auto-5 Magnum 20

           Browning Auto-5 Magnum 12

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Churchill Turkey Automatic Shotgun

           Cosmi Automatic Shotgun

           Maverick Model 60 Auto Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Mossberg Model 5500 Shotgun

           Mossberg Model 9200 Regal Semi-Auto Shotgun

           Mossberg Model 9200 USST Auto Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Mossberg Model 9200 Camo Shotgun

           Mossberg Model 6000 Auto Shotgun

           Remington Model 1100 Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 11-87 Premier shotgun

           Remington 11-87 Sporting Clays

           Remington 11-87 Premier Skeet

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 11-87 Premier Trap

           Remington 11-87 Special Purpose Magnum

           Remington 11-87 SPS-T Camo Auto Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 11-87 Special Purpose Deer Gun

           Remington 11-87 SPS-BG-Camo Deer/Turkey Shotgun

           Remington 11-87 SPS-Deer Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 11-87 Special Purpose Synthetic Camo

           Remington SP-10 Magnum-Camo Auto Shotgun

           Remington SP-10 Magnum Auto Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington SP-10 Magnum Turkey Combo

           Remington 1100 LT-20 Auto

           Remington 1100 Special Field

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 1100 20-Gauge Deer Gun

           Remington 1100 LT-20 Tournament Skeet

           Winchester Model 1400 Semi-Auto Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

                                SHOTGUNS - SLIDE ACTIONS

           Browning Model 42 Pump Shotgun

           Browning BPS Pump Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning BPS Stalker Pump Shotgun

           Browning BPS Pigeon Grade Pump Shotgun

           Browning BPS pump Shotgun (Ladies and Youth Model)

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning BPS Game Gun Turkey Special

           Browning BPS Game Gun Deer Special

           Ithaca Model 87 Supreme Pump Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Ithaca Model 87 Deerslayer Shotgun

           Ithaca Deerslayer II Rifled Shotgun

           Ithaca Model 87 Turkey Gun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Ithaca Model 87 Deluxe Pump Shotgun

           Magtech Model 586-VR Pump Shotgun

           Maverick Models 88, 91 Pump Shotguns

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Mossberg Model 500 Sporting Pump

           Mossberg Model 500 Camo Pump

           Mossberg Model 500 Muzzleloader Combo

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Mossberg Model 500 Trophy Slugster

           Mossberg Turkey Model 500 Pump

           Mossberg Model 500 Bantam Pump

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Mossberg Field Grade Model 835 Pump Shotgun

           Mossberg Model 835 Regal Ulti-Mag Pump

           Remington 870 Wingmaster

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 870 Special Purpose Deer Gun

           Remington 870 SPS-BG-Camo Deer/Turkey Shotgun

           Remington 870 SPS-Deer Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 870 Marine Magnum

           Remington 870 TC Trap

           Remington 870 Special Purpose Synthetic Camo

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 870 Wingmaster Small Gauges

           Remington 870 Express Rifle Sighted Deer Gun

           Remington 879 SPS Special Purpose Magnum

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 870 SPS-T Camo Pump Shotgun

           Remington 870 Special Field

           Remington 870 Express Turkey

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 870 High Grades

           Remington 870 Express

           Remington Model 870 Express Youth Gun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Model 12 Pump Shotgun

           Winchester Model 42 High Grade Shotgun

           Winchester Model 1300 Walnut Pump

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Model 1300 Slug Hunter Deer Gun

           Winchester Model 1300 Ranger Pump Gun Combo & Deer Gun

           Winchester Model 1300 Turkey Gun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Model 1300 Ranger Pump Gun

                                 SHOTGUNS - OVER/UNDERS

           American Arms/Franchi Falconet 2000 O/U

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           American Arms Silver I O/U

           American Arms Silver II Shotgun

           American Arms Silver Skeet O/U

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           American Arms/Franchi Sporting 2000 O/U

           American Arms Silver Sporting O/U

           American Arms Silver Trap O/U

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           American Arms WS/OU 12, TS/OU 12 Shotguns

           American Arms WT/OU 10 Shotgun

           Armsport 2700 O/U Goose Gun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Armsport 2700 Series O/U

           Armsport 2900 Tri-Barrel Shotgun

           Baby Bretton Over/Under Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Beretta Model 686 Ultralight O/U

           Beretta ASE 90 Competition O/U Shotgun

           Beretta Over/Under Field Shotguns

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Beretta Onyx Hunter Sport O/U Shotgun

           Beretta Model SO5, SO6, SO9 Shotguns

           Beretta Sporting Clay Shotguns

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Beretta 687EL Sporting O/U

           Beretta 682 Super Sporting O/U

           Beretta Series 682 Competition Over/Unders

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning Citori O/U Shotgun

           Browning Superlight Citori Over/Under

           Browning Lightning Sporting Clays

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning Micro Citori Lightning

           Browning Citori Plus Trap Combo

           Browning Citori Plus Trap Gun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning Citori O/U Skeet Models

           Browning Citori O/U Trap Models

           Browning Special Sporting Clays

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning Citori GTI Sporting Clays

           Browning 325 Sporting Clays

           Centurion Over/Under Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Chapuis Over/Under Shotgun

           Connecticut Valley Classics Classic Sporter O/U

           Connecticut Valley Classics Classic Field Waterfowler

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Charles Daly Field Grade O/U

           Charles Daly Lux Over/Under

           E.A.A./Sabatti Sporting Clays Pro-Gold O/U

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           E.A.A/Sabatti Falcon-Mon Over/Under

           Kassnar Grade I O/U Shotgun

           Krieghoff K-80 Sporting Clays O/U

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Krieghoff K-80 Skeet Shotgun

           Krieghoff K-80 International Skeet

           Krieghoff K-80 Four-Barrel Skeet Set

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Krieghoff K-80/RT Shotguns

           Krieghoff K-80 O/U Trap Shotgun

           Laurona Silhouette 300 Sporting Clays

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Laurona Silhouette 300 Trap

           Laurona Super Model Over/Unders

           Ljutic LM-6 Deluxe O/U Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Marocchi Conquista Over/Under Shotgun

           Marocchi Avanza O/U Shotgun

           Merkel Model 200E O/U Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Merkel Model 200E Skeet, Trap Over/Unders

           Merkel Model 203E, 303E Over/Under Shotguns

           Perazzi Mirage Special Sporting O/U

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Perazzi Mirage Special Four-Gauge Skeet

           Perazzi Sporting Classic O/U

           Perazzi MX7 Over/Under Shotguns

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Perazzi Mirage Special Skeet Over/Under

           Perazzi MX8/MX8 Special Trap, Skeet

           Perazzi MX8/20 Over/Under Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Perazzi MX9 Single Over/Under Shotguns

           Perazzi MX12 Hunting Over/Under

           Perazzi MX28, MX410 Game O/U Shotguns

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Perazzi MX20 Hunting Over/Under

           Piotti Boss Over/Under Shotgun

           Remington Peerless Over/Under Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Ruger Red Label O/U Shotgun

           Ruger Sporting Clays O/U Shotgun

           San Marco 12-Ga. Wildflower Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           San Marco Field Special O/U Shotgun

           San Marco 10-Ga. O/U Shotgun

           SKB Model 505 Deluxe Over/Under Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           SKB Model 685 Over/Under Shotgun

           SKB Model 885 Over/Under Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays

           Stoeger/IGA Condor I O/U Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Stoeger/IGA ERA 2000 Over/Under Shotgun

           Techni-Mec Model 610 Over/Under

           Tikka Model 412S Field Grade Over/Under

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Weatherby Athena Grade IV O/U Shotguns

           Weatherby Athena Grade V Classic Field O/U

           Weatherby Orion O/U Shotguns

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Weatherby II, III Classic Field O/Us

           Weatherby Orion II Classic Sporting Clays O/U

           Weatherby Orion II Sporting Clays O/U

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Winchester Model 1001 O/U Shotgun

           Winchester Model 1001 Sporting Clays O/U

           Pietro Zanoletti Model 2000 Field O/U

                                                                     PAGE H3112

                                SHOTGUNS - SIDE BY SIDES

           American Arms Brittany Shotgun

           American Arms Gentry Double Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           American Arms Derby Side-by-Side

           American Arms Grulla )2 Double Shotgun

           American Arms WS/SS 10

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           American Arms TS/SS 10 Double Shotgun

           American Arms TS/SS 12 Side-by-Side

           Arrieta Sidelock Double Shotguns

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Armsport 1050 Series Double Shotguns

           Arizaga Model 31 Double Shotgun

           AYA Boxlock Shotguns

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           AYA Sidelock Double Shotguns

           Beretta Model 452 Sidelock Shotgun

           Beretta Side-by-Side Field Shotguns

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Crucelegui Hermanos Model 150 Double

           Chapuis Side-by-Side Shotgun

           E.A.A./Sabatti Saba-Mon Double Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Charles Daly Model Dss Double

           Ferlib Model F VII Double Shotgun

           Auguste Francotte Boxlock Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Auguste Francotte Sidelock Shotgun

           Garbi Model 100 Double

           Garbi Model 101 Side-by-Side

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Garbi Model 103A, B Side-by-Side

           Garbi Model 200 Side-by-Side

           Bill Hanus Birdgun Doubles

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Hatfield Uplander Shotgun

           Merkell Model 8, 47E Side-by-Side Shotguns

           Merkel Model 47LSC Sporting Clays Double

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Merkel Model 47S, 147S Side-by-Sides

           Parker Reproductions Side-by-Side

           Piotti King No. 1 Side-by-Side

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Piotti Lunik Side-by-Side

           Piotti King Extra Side-by-Side

           Piotti Piuma Side-by-Side

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Precision Sports Model 600 Series Doubles

           Rizzini Boxlock Side-by-Side

           Rizzini Sidelock Side-by-Side

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Stoeger/IGA Uplander Side-by-Side Shotgun

           Ugartechea 10-Ga. Magnum Shotgun

                         SHOTGUNS - BOLT ACTIONS & SINGLE SHOTS

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Armsport Single Barrel Shotgun

           Browning BT-99 Competition Trap Special

           Browning BT-99 Plus Trap Gun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Browning BT-99 Plus Micro

           Browning Recoilless Trap Shotgun

           Browning Micro Recoilless Trap Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Desert Industries Big Twenty Shotgun

           Harrington & Richardson Topper Model 098

           Harrington & Richardson Topper Classic Youth Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Harrington & Richardson N.W.T.F. Turkey Mag

           Harrington & Richardson Topper Deluxe Model 098

           Krieghoff KS-5 Trap Gun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Krieghoff KS-5 Special

           Krieghoff K-80 Single Barrel Trap Gun

           Ljutic Mono Gun Single Barrel

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Ljutic LTX Super Deluxe Mono Gun

           Ljutic Recoilless Space Gun Shotgun

           Marlin Model 55 Goose Gun Bolt Action

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           New England Firearms Turkey and Goose Gun

           New England Firearms N.W.T.F. Shotgun

           New England Firearms Tracker Slug Gun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           New England Firearms Standard Pardner

           New England Firearms Survival Gun

           Perazzi TM1 Special Single Trap

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Remington 90-T Super Single Shotgun

           Snake Charmer II Shotgun

           Stoeger/IGA Reuna Single Barrel Shotgun

                                                                     PAGE H3112

           Thompson/Center TCR `87 Hunter Shotgun.`.

            The CHAIRMAN. No amendment to the committee amendment in the

          nature of a substitute and no other amendment to the bill is in

          order.

            The question is on the committee amendment in the nature of a

          substitute.

                                                                     PAGE H3112

            The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed

          to.

            The CHAIRMAN. Under the rule, the Committee rises.

            Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker having resumed

          the chair, Mr. Mfume, Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House

          on the State of the Union, reported that that Committee, having had

          under consideration the bill (H.R. 4296) to make unlawful the

          transfer or possession of assault weapons, pursuant to House

          Resolution 416, he reported the bill back to the House with an

          amendment adopted by the Committee of the Whole.

                                                                     PAGE H3112

            The SPEAKER. Under the rule, the previous question is ordered.

            The question is on the amendment.

            The amendment was agreed to.

                                                                     PAGE H3112

            The SPEAKER. The question is on the engrossment and third reading

          of the bill.

            The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time and

          was read the third time.

                                                                     PAGE H3115

                    MOTION TO RECOMMIT OFFERED BY MR. SENSENBRENNER

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to recommit.

                                                                     PAGE H3115

            The SPEAKER. Is the gentleman opposed to the bill?

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. I am, Mr. Speaker.

            The SPEAKER. The Clerk will report the motion to recommit.

                                                                     PAGE H3115

            The Clerk read as follows:

            Mr. Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin moves to recommit the bill, H.R.

          4296, to the Committee on the Judiciary.

            The SPEAKER. Without objection, the previous question is ordered

          on the motion to recommit.

                                                                     PAGE H3115

            There was no objection.

            The SPEAKER. The question is on the motion to recommit.

            The motion to recommit was rejected.

                                                                     PAGE H3115

            The SPEAKER. The question is on the passage of the bill.

            The question was taken; and the Speaker announced that the ayes

          appeared to have it.

                                                                     PAGE H3116

            Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and

          nays.

            The yeas and nays were ordered.

                                                                     PAGE H3116

            The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were - yeas

          216, nays 214, not voting 2, as follows:

                                     (ROLL NO. 156)

                                       YEAS - 216

          Abercrombie           Ackerman                Andrews (ME)

          Andrews (NJ)          Andrews (TX)            Applegate

          Bacchus (FL)          Baesler                 Barrett (WI)

          Bateman               Becerra                 Beilenson

          Bereuter              Berman                  Bishop

          Blackwell             Blute                   Boehlert

          Bonior                Borski                  Brown (CA)

          Brown (FL)            Brown (OH)              Bryant

          Byrne                 Cantwell                Cardin

          Carr                  Castle                  Clay

          Clayton               Clyburn                 Coleman

          Collins (IL)          Collins (MI)            Condit

          Conyers               Coppersmith             Coyne

          DeLauro               Dellums                 Derrick

          Deutsch               Dicks                   Dixon

          Dooley                Durbin                  Edwards (CA)

          Edwards (TX)          Engel                   English

          Eshoo                 Evans                   Farr

          Fawell                Fazio                   Fields (LA)

          Filner                Fingerhut               Flake

          Foglietta             Ford (MI)               Ford (TN)

          Frank (MA)            Franks (NJ)             Furse

          Gejdenson             Gephardt                Gibbons

          Gilchrest             Glickman                Gonzalez

          Greenwood             Gutierrez               Hall (OH)

          Hamburg               Harman                  Hastings

          Hoagland              Hochbrueckner           Horn

          Houghton              Hoyer                   Huffington

          Hughes                Hyde                    Inslee

          Jacobs                Jefferson               Johnson (CT)

          Johnson (GA)          Johnson, E.B.           Johnston

          Kaptur                Kasich                  Kennedy

          Kennelly              Kildee                  King

          Kleczka               Klein                   Klug

          Kreidler              LaFalce                 Lambert

          Lantos                Lazio                   Leach

          Lehman                Levin                   Levy

          Lewis (GA)            Lipinski                Lloyd

          Lowey                 Machtley                Maloney

          Mann                  Manton                  Margolies-Mezvinsky

          Markey                Martinez                Matsui

          Mazzoli               McCurdy                 McDade

          McDermott             McHale                  McKinney

          McNulty               Meehan                  Meek

          Menendez              Meyers                  Mfume

          Michel                Miller (CA)             Miller (FL)

          Mineta                Minge                   Mink

          Moakley               Molinari                Moran

          Morella               Nadler                  Neal (MA)

          Neal (NC)             Olver                   Owens

          Pallone               Pastor                  Payne (NJ)

          Pelosi                Penny                   Pickle

          Pomeroy               Porter                  Price (NC)

          Pryce (OH)            Quinn                   Rangel

          Reed                  Reynolds                Ridge

          Roemer                Ros-Lehtinen            Rostenkowski

          Roukema               Roybal-Allard           Rush

          Sabo                  Sanders                 Sangmeister

          Sawyer                Saxton                  Schenk

          Schroeder             Schumer                 Scott

          Serrano               Sharp                   Shaw

          Shays                 Shepherd                Skaggs

          Slattery              Slaughter               Smith (NJ)

          Spratt                Stark                   Stokes

          Studds                Swett                   Swift

          Synar                 Thompson                Torres

          Torricelli            Towns                   Traficant

          Tucker                Valentine               Velazquez

          Vento                 Visclosky               Washington

          Waters                Watt                    Waxman

          Wheat                 Woolsey                 Wyden

          Wynn                  Yates                   Young (FL)

                                       NAYS - 214

          Allard                Archer                  Armey

          Bachus (AL)           Baker (CA)              Baker (LA)

          Ballenger             Barca                   Barcia

          Barlow                Barrett (NE)            Bartlett

          Barton                Bentley                 Bevill

          Bilbray               Bilirakis               Bliley

          Boehner               Bonilla                 Boucher

          Brewster              Brooks                  Browder

          Bunning               Burton                  Buyer

          Callahan              Calvert                 Camp

          Canady                Chapman                 Clement

          Clinger               Coble                   Collins (GA)

          Combest               Cooper                  Costello

          Cox                   Cramer                  Crane

          Crapo                 Cunningham              Danner

          Darden                de la Garza             Deal

          DeFazio               DeLay                   Diaz-Balart

          Dickey                Dingell                 Doolittle

          Dornan                Dreier                  Duncan

          Dunn                  Ehlers                  Emerson

          Everett               Ewing                   Fields (TX)

          Fish                  Fowler                  Franks (CT)

          Frost                 Gallegly                Gallo

          Gekas                 Geren                   Gillmor

          Gilman                Gingrich                Goodlatte

          Goodling              Gordon                  Goss

          Grams                 Grandy                  Green

          Gunderson             Hall (TX)               Hamilton

          Hancock               Hansen                  Hastert

          Hayes                 Hefley                  Hefner

          Herger                Hilliard                Hinchey

          Hobson                Hoekstra                Hoke

          Holden                Hunter                  Hutchinson

          Hutto                 Inglis                  Inhofe

          Istook                Johnson (SD)            Johnson, Sam

          Kanjorski             Kim                     Kingston

          Klink                 Knollenberg             Kolbe

          Kopetski              Kyl                     Lancaster

          LaRocco               Laughlin                Lewis (CA)

          Lewis (FL)            Lightfoot               Linder

          Livingston            Manzullo                McCandless

          McCloskey             McCollum                McCrery

          McHugh                McInnis                 McKeon

          McMillan              Mica                    Mollohan

          Montgomery            Moorhead                Murphy

          Murtha                Myers                   Nussle

          Oberstar              Obey                    Ortiz

          Orton                 Oxley                   Packard

          Parker                Paxon                   Payne (VA)

          Peterson (FL)         Peterson (MN)           Petri

          Pickett               Pombo                   Portman

          Poshard               Quillen                 Rahall

          Ramstad               Ravenel                 Regula

          Richardson            Roberts                 Rohrabacher

          Rose                  Roth                    Rowland

          Royce                 Santorum                Sarpalius

          Schaefer              Schiff                  Sensenbrenner

          Shuster               Sisisky                 Skeen

          Skelton               Smith (IA)              Smith (MI)

          Smith (OR)            Smith (TX)              Snowe

          Solomon               Spence                  Stearns

          Stenholm              Strickland              Stump

          Stupak                Sundquist               Talent

          Tanner                Tauzin                  Taylor (MS)

          Taylor (NC)           Tejeda                  Thomas (CA)

          Thomas (WY)           Thornton                Thurman

          Torkildsen            Unsoeld                 Upton

          Volkmer               Vucanovich              Walker

          Walsh                 Weldon                  Whitten

          Williams              Wilson                  Wise

          Wolf                  Young (AK)              Zeliff

          Zimmer

                                                                     PAGE H3116

                                     NOT VOTING - 2

          Long                  Rogers

                                       TIME: 1658

            Mr. LEHMAN and Mr. JACOBS changed their vote from `nay` to `yea.`

                                                                     PAGE H3116

            So the bill was passed.

            The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.

            A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                                                                     PAGE H3116

OUTLINE     1. PUBLIC SAFETY AND RECREATIONAL FIREARMS USE

              PROTECTION ACT                                             H3063

               2. H. RES. 416                                            H3064

               3. TIME: 1210                                             H3064

               4. TIME: 1220                                             H3066

               5. TIME: 1230                                             H3067

               6. TIME: 1240                                             H3068

               7. TIME: 1250                                             H3069

               8. TIME: 1300                                             H3070

               9. STATEMENT OPPOSING BAN ON ASSAULT WEAPONS              H3071

                 (BY JOEL CARLSTON, WYOMING PRESIDENT OF AMERICANS

                 AGAINST GUN CONTROL (AAGC))                             H3071

              10. TIME: 1310                                             H3072

              11. TIME: 1320                                             H3074

              12. (ROLL NO. 155)                                         H3075

                 YEAS - 220                                              H3075

              13. NAYS - 209                                             H3075

              14. NOT VOTING - 3                                         H3075

              15. TIME: 1349                                             H3075

              16. TIME: 1350                                             H3075

              17. TIME: 1351                                             H3075

                 IN THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE                           H3075

              18. TIME: 1400                                             H3076

              19. ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN                           H3076

              20. TIME: 1420                                             H3079

              21. TIME: 1430                                             H3081

              22. TIME: 1440                                             H3082

              23. TIME: 1450                                             H3083

              24. TIME: 1500                                             H3085

              25. TIME: 1510                                             H3087

              26. TIME: 1520                                             H3089

              27. TIME: 1540                                             H3092

              28. TIME: 1550                                             H3094

              29. TIME: 1600                                             H3095

              30. TIME: 1610                                             H3096

              31. TIME: 1620                                             H3098

              32. TIME: 1630                                             H3099

              33. (FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, THURS., MAY 5,

                 1994)                                                   H3104

                 NOTABLE AND QUOTABLE                                    H3104

              34. PREPARED TESTIMONY BY PHILLIP W. MURPHY BEFORE

                 THE HOUSE JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, APRIL

                 25, 1994                                                H3106

              35. H.R. 4296                                              H3111

              36. `APPENDIX A                                            H3112

                 CENTERFIRE RIFLES - AUTOLOADERS                         H3112

              37. CENTERFIRE RIFLES - LEVER & SLIDE                      H3112

              38. CENTERFIRE RIFLES - BOLT ACTION                        H3112

              39. CENTERFIRE RIFLES - SINGLE SHOT                        H3112

              40. DRILLINGS, COMBINATION GUNS, DOUBLE RIFLES             H3112

              41. RIMFIRE RIFLES - AUTOLOADERS                           H3112

              42. RIMFIRE RIFLES - LEVER & SLIDE ACTION                  H3112

              43. RIMFIRE RIFLES - BOLT ACTIONS & SINGLE SHOTS           H3112

              44. COMPETITION RIFLES - CENTERFIRE & RIMFIRE              H3112

              45. SHOTGUNS - AUTOLOADERS                                 H3112

              46. SHOTGUNS - SLIDE ACTIONS                               H3112

              47. SHOTGUNS - OVER/UNDERS                                 H3112

              48. SHOTGUNS - SIDE BY SIDES                               H3112

              49. SHOTGUNS - BOLT ACTIONS & SINGLE SHOTS                 H3112

              50. MOTION TO RECOMMIT OFFERED BY MR. SENSENBRENNER        H3115

              51. (ROLL NO. 156)                                         H3116

                 YEAS - 216                                              H3116

              52. NAYS - 214                                             H3116

              53. NOT VOTING - 2                                         H3116

              54. TIME: 1658                                             H3116

.

