[url=www.jointogether.org/gv/news/alerts/reader/0,2061,564460,00.html]Milwaukee District Attorney Calls for Strengthened Assault Weapons Ban[/url]
6/26/2003

D.A. McCann and Others Call for Strengthened Assault Weapons Ban, Decry NRA Position as Good for Ciminals but Bad for Law Abiding Citizens and Gun Owners

In a counterpoint to National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre's author visit to Milwaukee, District Attorney E. Michael McCann and others today (Wednesday) announced support for renewal and strengthening of the federal ban on assault weapons.

"Congress must act to make permanent the national ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, and they must significantly strengthen current law," said McCann. "Despite what the NRA leadership might say, these military style guns were not designed for sporting purposes.

The existing federal assault weapons ban, enacted in 1994, will expire in September 2004 unless renewed by Congress and signed by the President.

"The gun industry has cynically skirted the intent of the law and continues to make assault weapons for civilian sale," said McCann. "Far too often, we see assault guns on our streets and used to kill police officers at an alarming rate. Assault guns are favorites of cop-killers, drug dealers, militias and gangs, and there should be no place for them in the neighborhoods of civilian society".

A recent study by the Violence Policy Center showed that 41 of the 211 (nearly one in five) law enforcement officers slain in the line of duty between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2001, were killed with assault weapons. Assault weapons were originally designed for a specific military purpose: laying down a high volume of fire over a wide killing zone, known as `hosing down' an area. An al-Qaida training manual even advises terrorists to take advantage of weak American gun laws to acquire assault weapons.

Fr. Thomas Mueller, Chairperson of the Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH) Education Committee, said, "The existing ban cries out for strengthening. Most of the assault weapons banned in 1994 are back on the market in slightly modified form, which is perfectly legal under existing law."

Dan Ullrich, Program Director of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, said, "The wide availability of these weapons may be OK with the NRA leadership, but it's not OK with the majority of Americans including gun owners who support a strong federal ban on military style assault guns." Ullrich called to question the NRA position that assault guns aren't used for crime. "NRA leadership may claim that these weapons are not used for crime, but the public knows better," said Ullrich. "The Columbine school shootings, the Washington D.C. sniper killings, and a host of other shootings show that assault guns appeal to `the bad guys' and are marketed as killing machines, not sporting guns."

"Soon after the current law was in place," Ullrich added, "the manufacturer began selling the AB-10, which is essentially identical to the TEC-9 gun named in the law. `AB' cynically stands for `After Ban.' The Bushmaster XM-15 used by the D.C. snipers is basically a clone of the banned Colt AR-15, which itself is a semiautomatic version of the fully automatic military M-16. Many models of other `banned' assault guns are also available.

"A strong assault weapon ban poses no threat to responsible gun ownership. There are plenty of real sporting guns that are actually used by target shooters and hunters in Wisconsin. The NRA leadership is dead wrong when they support easy access to military assault guns. Their position may be good for street criminals and terrorists, but it sure isn't good for police officers or for law abiding citizens and responsible gun owners."

What do I care...these laws no lomger apply to me.

Sgtar15

I guess he's calling me irresponsible.  Oh, you mean the civilian semiautomatic version?Too bad none of their opinions matter, as the constitituion declares that the RKBA exists.  Paring down what guns it would apply to, is equivelent to paring down what religions should be allowed.

Please print and distribute this flyer:

[url=www.psr.org/documents/psr_doc_0/program_2/Riskfactsflyer.pdf]GET INFORMED![/url]

Remember that keeping a republican in the white house is more important than all the gun rights in the world!

Sporting purposes- hmmm, don't remember seeing that term mentioned in the Federalist papers or the Constitution...

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