FIREARMS
Hastings: Reinstate the assault weapons ban
By DARRAN SIMON AND SOFIA SANTANA
[email protected]U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar, introduced legislation Wednesday to reinstate the assault weapons ban, according to his office.
The ban -- the centerpiece of the 1994 Crime Bill -- expired Monday. It applied to 19 semiautomatic weapons, banned certain features on firearms such as bayonet mounts, and limited ammunition magazines to 10 rounds. It was signed into law by former President Bill Clinton.
A clause in the ban said it would expire unless Congress specifically reauthorized it. President Bush opted not to lobby the GOP-controlled Congress and the deadline passed Monday with no vote.
Expiration of the act ''favors gangs, terrorists, drug dealers'' and endangers others, Hastings said in a statement.
Also Wednesday, several Miami-Dade leaders spoke against the use of assault weapons. Their plea comes after Miami-Dade Officer Keenya Hubert was shot with an AK-47 on Sunday. Hubert sustained injuries to her shoulder and forehead.
According to the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C., one in five police officers slain in the line of duty are killed by assault weapons.