Broad Coalition Calls for a Strengthened Assault Weapons Ban
5/7/2003
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Press Release
Doctors Against Handgun Injury
1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 1012
Washington, D.C. 20009
Contact: Rebecca Bruno
Phone: 202-232-3319
Groups Representing Consumers, Children, Civil Rights, Health Professionals, and Women call on Senator Feinstein to Support a Strengthened Assault Weapons Ban.
Washington -- Fifty organizations, led by Consumer Federation of America and Doctors Against Handgun Injury, delivered letters to Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) urging her to introduce legislation that would not only reauthorize the 1994 assault weapons ban, but also strengthen it by addressing the limitations in existing law, which the gun industry has manipulated.
[B]The coalition maintains that legislation to reauthorize the 1994 ban must deal with military-style weapons available to the public by clarifying the definition of the term "assault weapon." The term "assault weapon" must include any semiautomatic rifle, shotgun, or pistol that can accept a detachable magazine and includes one listed additional feature such as a pistol grip, fore-end grip, or collapsible stock. This improvement recognizes the features that represent the essence of an assault weapon and would make the law harder for manufacturers to circumvent. In addition, the bill should ban conversion parts kits; regulate "grandfathered" assault weapons and enhance the tracing of such weapons; ban all high-capacity magazines, including imports; and prohibit juvenile possession. The bill should also expand the number of weapons specifically banned by name to include assault weapons, such as the Bushmaster XM15 used by the alleged Washington snipers, that were specifically designed to evade the 1994 law. [/B]
The current ban is set to expire in September of 2004 and Congress is faced with the decision to reauthorize the legislation or let it lapse. Although the current ban was a solid attempt to curtail an extremely unregulated industry, it is common knowledge -- among the pro-gun community, the media, and the public -- that the gun industry has successfully evaded the law. The coalition asked Senator Feinstein to use this opportunity to readdress the ban and plug the loopholes that make it easy to manipulate. The coalition looks forward to working with Senator Feinstein and President Bush, who has said he supports reauthorizing the current ban.
National Organizations
American Association of Suicidology
Association of Clinicians for the Underserved
Central Conference of American Rabbis
The Consumer Alliance
Consumer Federation of America
Doctors Against Handgun Injury
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association for the Surgery of Trauma
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Physicians
American College of Preventive Medicine
American College of Surgeons
American Medical Women's Association
Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Medical Association
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Society of Critical Care Medicine
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Freedom States Alliance
General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America Handgun-Free America, Inc.
Mennonite Central Committee U.S., Washington Office
National Council of Jewish Women
National Organization for Women
National Women's Health Network
Presbyterian Church USA, Washington Office
Union of American Hebrew Congregations
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
Voices for America's Children (formerly National Association of Child Advocates)
State/Local Groups
CeaseFire Maryland
CeaseFire NJ
CeaseFire PA
Champaign County Health Care Consumers (IL)
Chicago Consumer Coalition
Children Now (CA)
Citizens' Committee for Children of New York
Columbia Consumer Education Council (SC)
Consumer Federation of California
Democratic Processes Center, Inc. (AZ)
Florida Consumer Action Network
Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence
Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence
Kids in Common (CA)
Massachusetts Consumers' Coalition
Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition
New Mexico Voices for Children
New Yorkers Against Gun Violence
North Carolina Consumers Council, Inc.
Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence
Oregon Consumer League
Physicians for a Violence-free Society (CA)
Statewide Youth Advocacy (NY)
Trauma Foundation (CA)
Voices for Illinois Children
Voices for Virginia's Children
Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort
Wisconsin Council on Children and Families
Youth ALIVE! (CA)