From: [j--l--r] at [valerie.isi.edu] (John Walker) Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns Subject: Re: Assault Weapon/Crime Subcommittee hearing Date: 26 Apr 1994 17:30:44 -0700 Just In case you didn't get to see the House Subcommittee hearing on Crime and Assault Weapons yesturday, here are a few tidbits. The legislation is HR 3527. The hearings started with only three (of thirteen) members present. Rep. Sensenbrenner (R-Wi) noted that these hearings were called with such short notice that none of the opposition to this legislation could return from prior commitments and that his requests that the hearing be delayed until more people showed up was ignored (By the chairman, our good buddy Charles Schumer (D-NY). In addition to Schumer and Sensenbrenner, Rep. Don Edwards (D-CA), and Rep. Mel Reynolds (D-IL) were present. Charles Schumer (D-NY) opened the hearings asking if weapons of war, weapons solely designed for killing people should be allowed on the street. He claimed that they were not for hunting, for target shooting, or for self defense. He held up a kg-99 (or something like it) and said that his weapon was not for sport and was only for killing people. He said that these "killing machines" are killing innocent people all over America. That these weapons are 18 times more likely to kill a cop than "conventional" firearms, 19 times more likely to be traced to crime than conventional guns. They are the choice of drug trafficers, youth gangs and the seriously deranged people bent revenge through mass murder. Schumer continued by saying that this hearing isn't about banning all semi-automatic guns. He said that he new that the gun lobby was trying to scare hunters and other legitamate sportsmen with this exaggeration. This hearing isn't about cosmetics. Not about features that make a gun look bad. They enhance the "spray-fire" capability of these killing machines, make them less useful in hunting and other legitimate but that these features make them attractive to drug trafficers and violent gangs. Congressman James Sensenbrenner (D-WI) He supported the Brady Bill, but is adimately opposed to HR 3527. In his comments he noted that the Bennelli shotgun which the president used in his famous duck hunt became an illegal assault weapon if you added a stock with a pistol grip and a magazine extension (he labeled this as the "Schumer Gun"). Congressman Don Edwards (D-CA) He is adimately in favor of HR 3527 and in his comments about his experience as an FBI agent said that no doubt J. Edgar Hoover would be in favor of banning these weapons. Congressman Mel Reynolds (D-IL) He is adimately in favor of HR 3527 and chastised the Pro-Gun panel for seeing the problem of crime as a simple good guys vs. bad guys problem. In an exchange with some members of the pro-gun panel he asked the NRA rep how much money the NRA has spent in the inner city teaching gun safety, etc. The NRA rep couldn't provide any figures and told the congressman that she would get back to him with the figures in the next 5 days. The congressman then mentioned that that was the same answer he had gotten some 9 months ago and that he has yet to get any such information from the NRA. He also asked why the "Eddy Eagle" program had not been brought to inner city schools. Tanya Metaksa informed him that the school boards didn't want them there. Rep. Reynolds expressed an interest in working with the NRA and getting the "Eddy Eagle" program into Chicago schools (Is anyone holding their breath on this one????) First Panel: Touched by "Assault-Weapon" violence. Jim & Sarah Brady, HCI. continuing the fight against "Assault-Weapons" Legislation which is of vital importance to the safety of people. Said that if someone is hunting with an AK-47, then they will still be able to hunt with that weapon. Pistol grip allows the gun to be spray fired from the hip. Steve Sposato (wife killed by murderer in 101 California St. office building in San Francisco). Michelle Scully (husband killed by murderer in 101 California St. office building in San Francisco). Mr. & Mrs. Locicero (Daughter killed on Long Island Subway shooting). The legislation will also limit number capacity of magazines. Ken Brondell (Brother of Christy Brondell who was killed by the teen-ager armed with an AR-15 in LA). Doctor David Milzman (Emergency room doctor). Second Panel: (Clinton Administration Reps.) Henry Cisneros (HUD Secretary) Joe P. Mayo Chicago Housing Authority Police Department Chris Maerz Head of security at Chicago Housing Authority Director Magaw (ATF head) Brad Buckels (legal councel for ATF) Third Panel: Tanya Metaksa of NRA ILA (with Richard Gardner, Dr. Paul Blackman) Suzanna Gratia Jacquie Miller (Was shot by a fellow employee wielding an AK-47). Phillip Murphy (Protected himself using and AR-15). Fourth Panel: Is there any legitamate self defense purpose of the banned weapons. The general concensus of this panel was that the weapons that would be banned were of no value as a self defense weapon. Sylvester Daughtry (International Association of Chief's of Police) Blamed high gun crime rate in Washington D.C. on the lack of any federal controls on these "assault weapons". Said that it was too easy to purchase one in a different state and then transport it to the place where they are illegal. John Pitta (Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association) Stated that law enforcement are outgunned. (We know that this is a lie. The weapons that law enforcement officers may carry are determined by the Chief of Police. By law, law enforcement officers may purchase any weapon that is available to the military (i.e. automatic weapons, submachine guns and real assault weapons). If law enforcement is outgunned, the fault lies with their own management and the local politicians.) Tony Loizzo (National Association of Police Officers) Discussed the high crime rate in Miami (Dade County). (Didn't bother to mention the NRA rally at the Florida state capitol.) Schumer said that if you are an NRA member that you should get on the phone and call the NRA and tell them to get on the band wagon and support this legislation. If you would like to contact Schumer and let him know how you feel, his Washington D.C. office number is (202) 225-6616. He supposedly has a fax at that office. The fax number is (202) 225-4183 ----------------- Comments and additional information is welcome.