John Kerry's Voting Record on Second Amendment and Hunting Issues

His voting record makes John F. Kerry the most anti-gun Presidential nominee in United States history. Since his election to the U.S. Senate in 1984, John F. Kerry has cast 59 votes (NRA did not score 4 of them) on issues involving firearms rights and hunting. These votes included votes to ban guns, to impose waiting periods on gun buyers, to financially punish gun manufactures for operating a legal business and to restrict the free speech of Second Amendment advocates.

In addition, Kerry currently is a co-sponsor of S. 1431, which would ban all semi-automatic shotguns, all detachable-magazine semi-automatic rifles and many other guns, calling the whole lot "assault weapons."

Following are highlights of those votes that demonstrate Kerry`s unwavering record of opposition to gun owners` rights.

In a 20-year career, Kerry voted with gun owners only four times, and each of those votes comes with qualifications. He voted:

1) against a bill NRA opposed for final passage only after Kerry helped sabotage the bill by adding anti-gun amendments (S. 1805)

2) for a non-biding sense of the Senate motion that had no actual impact (S. 2521 in 2000)

3) for a study of "armor piecing" ammunition—a vote he made moot a few minutes later by voting for a broad ban of center-fire rifle ammunition (Votes 27 and 28 in 2004 on S. 1805)

In all, he cast only one real vote for gun owners` rights, and it in support of a narrow group of people charged with responsibility for the safety of others.

Comparing Kerry`s votes to other well known anti-gun Senators who have served with him shows:

1) he voted with Ted Kennedy on all but three votes, and only one of those three had any impact—the vote to arm pilots.

2) he voted with Charles Schumer, the leading anti-gun voice in the Senate, on all but one vote, and that was the non-binding sense of the Senate motion mentioned above (Senate vote 1030).

3) Kerry has a much more anti-gun record than 2000 Democrat Presidential candidate, Al Gore, Jr., who cast votes on 12 key issues before becoming part of the most anti-gun administration in history. Gore voted to protect Second Amendment rights five times on votes related to passage of the Firearms Owners` Protection Act and once to stop a semi-auto ban. Kerry opposed gun owners in each instance.

Kerry has voted on nine separate occasions on issues directly related to banning semi-auto firearms. In 1990 he voted three times to support a ban on semi-autos. He was one of only 17 to vote for Howard Metzenbaum`s amendment to S. 1970, that would have banned not only a list of specific firearms but would have banned any firearms similar to those specified. On two other occasions, Kerry voted to support Dennis DeConcini-sponsored legislation to ban nine specific firearms for three years.

In 1993 Kerry voted for the Dianne Feinstein-sponsored Clinton Gun Ban and further supported the passage of that legislation in 1994 by voting to support the Omnibus Crime bill on three key votes. Finally, in 2004 he voted to reauthorize the Clinton Gun Ban.

Kerry voted in 2004 to ban most center-fire rifle ammunition, including the most common rounds used by target shooters and hunters. Kerry voted in support of Ted Kennedy`s amendment to S. 1805 that would have banned rifle ammunition capable of penetrating soft body armor. Congress has repeatedly rejected such a "performance-based" approach.

Kerry voted in 1985 to allow BATF to conduct unlimited warrant-less inspections of FFL holders. Well-documented and shocking BATF abuses of license holders were a primary reason the Firearms Owners` Protection Act was introduced in Congress and signed into law by President Reagan. Kerry was one of only 18 Senators to vote to allow such abuses—which liberal Democrat Congressman John Dingell called the acts of "jack-booted fascists"—to continue.

In 1993 Kerry was one of 30 Senators who supported an amendment to H.R. 2403 that would have increased the fee for a FFL by more than 37 times. The result of this amendment would have been to force many small or part-time firearms dealers out of business. This would have had a significant impact on both the availability and price of firearms particularly in rural areas of the nation.

Kerry consistently supported passage of campaign finance "reform" legislation. NRA consistently and vigorously opposed such efforts to prohibit the exercise of free speech during the crucial weeks leading up to elections. Kerry voted in 1996 and 1997 for legislation that failed to win final passage and voted in 2001 for S. 27, the bill that became law.

When NRA announced it was considering acquiring a television or radio outlet and seeking the same exemption from campaign finance rules that news organizations have, Kerry sent the Federal Election Commission a letter urging the commission "to prevent the NRA from hijacking America`s airwaves with the gun lobby`s money." (Associated Press, Dec. 9, 2003)

Kerry voted twice to eliminate the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). In 1993 he voted in support of an amendment to eliminate its funding, and in 1996 he voted to abolish the CMP`s successor, the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Safety, a federally chartered civilian marksmanship program.

Kerry twice supported legislation that would have mandated the inclusion of trigger locks with any handgun sale. In 1998 he supported the Barbara Boxer amendment to S. 2260, and in 1999 he voted for the Herb Kohl amendment to S. 254. Both required that trigger locks be included with all handgun sales. In 1998 he voted against Larry Craig`s amendment to S. 2260 that would have recognized that gun locks are not the only method to safely store a firearm by simply requiring the availability of gun locks, but would have left the choice of the best safety method to the individual gun buyer.

On a number of different occasions, Kerry has voted to regulate gun shows by imposing a background check requirement on private gun owners that goes beyond the requirements for FFL holders operating in a gun store. Kerry twice voted in 1999 to require that all gun sales at a gun show go through an FFL holder. That legislation would have allowed authorities up to three days to conduct the checks, threatening the operation of gun shows, which are typically two-day, weekend events. Kerry placed two additional votes supporting passage of this legislation.

In 2004 Kerry again voted to regulate gun shows by mandating background checks on guns sold by private individuals at gun shows, again allowing up to three days to complete the check.

Kerry voted in 1994 to close off 1,181,000 acres of California`s Mojave Desert to hunting. He supported a proposal to designate tens of thousands of acres of the Mojave desert as a national park, where hunting would have been prohibited. He voted against a proposal to make the area a national monument which would have allowed hunting to continue.

Kerry, unlike 56 of his fellow Senators, is not a member of the Congressional Sportsmen`s Caucus. With more than 300 members in the House and Senate, it is one of the largest Caucuses in the U.S. Congress, and is "open to Congressmen and Senators who are sportsmen or who support the concept of sustained use and wildlife management, even if they do not themselves take to the fields and waters to fish, hunt or trap."

In 1985 Kerry was one of only 26 Senators to support a Kennedy amendment to FOPA to continue the ban on the interstate sale of handguns to law-abiding Americans. He also was one of only 15 Senators who voted against final passage of FOPA, a bill designed to specifically protect the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners by removing the ban on interstate sales of rifles and shotguns, curtail BATF abuses of FFL holders by limiting the number of routine inspections and other provisions. Magazine Bans,

On two occasions, first in 1998 and again in 1999, Kerry voted to ban the importation of high- capacity magazines. On both occasions he voted to support a Feinstein amendment to block importation of magazines manufactured before the ban on these magazines was implemented in 1994. He also voted for the 1993 Crime Bill, that included the ban on these magazines.

Kerry voted in 1999 against an amendment to the Juvenile Justice bill that called for increased mandatory minimum and maximum penalties for the illegal transfer or use of a firearm. Instead of supporting this legislation that focused its impact on criminals, Kerry supported broad regulation of law-abiding gun buyers.

In contrast, the year before Kerry voted to impose excessive penalties of a year in prison and a $10,000 fine on an adult if a juvenile gains access to their firearm, even by theft, and then merely displays it in a public place.

In 2004 Kerry returned from the campaign trail for the first time that year to cast votes against gun owners and to argue against the passage of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. This bill would have protected gun manufacturers from the politically motivated lawsuits that are being filed with the intent of bankrupting the industry. The bill was defeated after it was amended to include renewal of the Clinton Gun Ban and gun show regulation, both supported by Kerry.

In 2000 Kerry was one of only 29 Senators to vote to prohibit gun manufactures from discharging debts created by the reckless lawsuits filed by municipalities. This move was a clear attack on the viability of gun manufacturers, designed to punish them even as they continued to win in court.

Kerry has consistently supported the imposition of a waiting period on gun purchases. In 1985 he voted to require a national 14-day wait. In 1991 he voted for a 7-day wait, and in 1992 he supported a 5- day wait. He also voted in 1993 to specifically allow the continuation of state waiting periods after the advent of the National Instant Check system (NICS), and he voted to strike the sunset of the federal waiting period after implementation of NICS. In all, Kerry voted 11 times to force law-abiding citizens to wait to exercise their Second Amendment rights..

• Kerry denounced NRA`s successful efforts to eliminate monies being spent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to advance gun control policies. (Boston Herald, Aug. 14, 1996)

• Voted to spend $15 million intended for housing programs on ineffective gun buy-back programs.

• Voted to commend the Million Mom March in 2000 for their march on Washington that included calls for gun owner licensing, gun registration and other restrictions on law-abiding gun owners.

APOLOGIES FOR THE LENGTH, but I decided to give out the full text to this one. In S.386, Kerry's definition of Assault Weapon is whatever the AG and Sec of Treasury says.

S AMDT 1676 to S1970 - 1990

[Page: S6772]

Mr. METZENBAUM proposed an amendment to the bill S. 1970, supra, as follows:

On page 49, between lines 4 and 5, insert the following:

`(J) Springfield Armory SAR-48 (.308 caliber) and its variations;

`(K) Cobray SWD 9mm in any of its variants;

`(L) Mossberg Model 500 Bullpup 12 shotgun;

`(M) Ruger Mini-14/5F semiautomatic firearms;

`(N) Feather AT-9 centerfire semiautomatic in 9mm;

`(O) AP 9, 9mm assault pistol;

`(P) Thompson Ordnance M1, semiautomatic in .45 caliber;

`(Q) Franchi SPAS 12 shotgun;

`(R) Heckler and Koch HK-94 pistol;

`(S) Austrian Automatic Arms SAP pistol;

`(T) F.I.E. Spectre P. pistol;

`(U) Sterling Mark 7 pistol;

`(V) all other models by the same manufacturer with the same design which may have slight modifications or enhancements including a folding stock; adjustible sight; case deflector for left-handed shooters; left-handed fire adapter; shorter barrel; wooden, plastic, or metal stock; large size magazine; different caliber provided the caliber exceeds .22 rimfire; bayonet mount; tripod or bipod mount; or flash suppresser; and

`(W) any other firearm with an action design identical or nearly identical to an assult weapon specified in this paragraph which has been redesigned from, renamed, renumbered, or patterned after one of such specified assault weapons regardless of the company of production or country of origin, or any other firearm which has been manufactured or sold by another company under a licensing agreement to manufacture or sell an identical or nearly identical assault weapon as those specified in this paragraph, regardless of the company of production or country of origin.'

SEC. . BAN ON SALE OF MAGAZINES AND BELTS HOLDING GREATER THAN 15 ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION.

(a) Ban.--Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following:

`(s)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), it shall be unlawful for any person to transfer, import, transport, ship, receive or possess a large-capacity detachable magazine or large-capacity ammunition belt, which can be employed by a semiautomatic firearm.

`(2) This subsection does not apply with respect to--

`(A) any transfer, importation, transporting, shipping or receiving to or by, or possession by or under, authority of the United States or any department or agency thereof, or of any State or any department, agency, or political subdivision thereof; or

`(B) any transfer, transporting, shipping, receiving or possession of such magazine or ammunition belt that was lawfully possessed before the date of this subsection, except that no federally licensed firearms dealer shall transfer such magazine or ammunition belt.

`(3) For purposes of this subsection--

`(A) The term `large-capacity magazine' means a box drum or other container which holds more than fifteen rounds of ammunition to be fed continuously into a semiautomatic firearm, or a magazine which can be readily converted into a large-capacity magazine. Such term shall not include any magazine that has been permanently modified so that it will not hold more than fifteen rounds of ammunition.

`(B) The term `large-capacity ammunition belt' means a belt or strip which holds more than fifteen rounds of ammunition to be fed continuously into a semiautomatic firearm, or an ammunition belt which can be readily converted into a large-capacity ammunition belt. Such term shall not include any ammunition belt that has been permanently modified so that it will not hold more than fifteen rounds of ammunition.'.

(b) Penalty Section: Section 924 of title 18, United States Code is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection:

`(1) Whoever violates the provisions of this Act relating to large capacity detachable magazines and ammnuition belts shall be fined not more than ten thousand dollards, imprisoned not more than two years, or both.'.

---

[Page: S6773]

ROLL CALL VOTE - Motion to Table this amendment was approved, No votes are bad

Adams (D-WA)
Bradley (D-NJ)
Chafee (R-RI)
Cranston (D-CA)
Dodd (D-CT)
Glenn (D-OH)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Metzenbaum (D-OH)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Moynihan (D-NY)
Pell (D-RI)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Simon (D-IL)
Wilson (R-CA)
Wirth (D-CO)

Mr. METZENBAUM. Mr. President, the amendment that I have offered is an effort to strengthen the assault weapons provisions of the crime bill. The amendment contains provisions that were part of my assault weapons bill, S. 386, which I introduced in February of last year along with Senators Chafee, Pell, Cranston, Wirth, Glenn, Kennedy, Dodd, Moynihan, Adams, Lautenberg, and Kerry.

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

S. 386

To control the sale and use of assault weapons.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 8 (legislative day, JANUARY 3), 1989 Mr. METZENBAUM (for himself, Mr. CHAFEE, Mr. PELL, and Mr. CRANSTON) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL
To control the sale and use of assault weapons.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act shall be cited as the `Assault Weapon Control Act of 1989'.

SEC. 2. Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following:

`(p)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), it shall be unlawful for any person to transfer, import, transport, ship, receive or possess any assault weapon.

`(2) This subsection does not apply with respect to--

`(A) transfer, importation, transporting, shipping or receiving to or by, or possession by or under, authority of the United States or any department or agency thereof, or of any State or any department, agency, or political subdivision thereof; or

`(B) any lawful transfer or possession of such a weapon that was lawfully possessed before the effective date of this subsection.

`(q)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), it shall be unlawful for any person to transfer, import, transport, ship, receive or possess a large-capacity detachable magazine or large-capacity ammunition belt, which can be employed by a semiautomatic firearm.

`(2) This subsection does not apply with respect to--

`(B) within sixty days of the date of enactment of this Act--

`(i) any possession of such magazine or ammunition belt that was lawfully possessed before the date of this subsection; or

`(ii) any transfer, transporting, shipping, or receiving to or by any person for the purpose of sale or donation of such magazines or ammunition belts to the United States or any department or agency thereof, or any State or any department, agency or political subdivision thereof.'.

SEC. 3. Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following:

`(25) The term `assault weapon' means all firearms designated as assault weapons in this paragraph and all other semiautomatic firearms which are determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Attorney General, to be assault weapons, as provided in this Act. Such term shall include, in addition to any other firearm identified by the Secretary, all versions of the following, including firearms sold under the designation provided in this subsection and firearms which are substantially identical sold under any designation:

`(A) Avtomat Kalashnikov semiautomatic firearms;

`(B) Uzi semiautomatic firearms;

`(C) Ingram Mac 10 or 11 semiautomatic firearms;

`(D) TEC 9 and TEC 22 semiautomatic firearms;

`(E) Ruger Mini 14 semiautomatic firearms;(That's a popular one)

`(F) AR-15 semiautomatic firearms;(A target rifle)

`(G) Beretta AR 70 semiautomatic firearms;

`(H) FN-FAL and FN-FNC semiautomatic firearms;

`(I) Steyr Aug semiautomatic firearms;

`(J) shotguns with revolving cylinders known as the Street Sweeper and Striker 12;

`(K) any other semiautomatic firearm with a fixed magazine capacity exceeding ten rounds; and

`(L) any other shotgun with a fixed magazine, cylinder or drum capacity exceeding six rounds. (My friend has one)

`(26) The term `large-capacity magazine' means a box, drum or other container which holds more than ten rounds of ammunition to be fed continuously into a semiautomatic firearm, or a magazine which can be readily converted into a large-capacity magazine.

`(27) The term `large-capacity ammunition belt' means a belt or strip which holds more than ten rounds of ammunition to be fed continuously into a semiautomatic firearm, or an ammunition belt which can be readily converted into a large-capacity ammunition belt.

`(28) The term `semiautomatic' means a firearm capable of firing a series of rounds by a successive depression of the trigger without additional slide, bolt or other manual action.'.

SEC. 4. Title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding the following new section to chapter 44:

`Sec. . Identification of assault weapons

`(a) The Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General shall, within thirty days after the date of enactment of this Act, determine which firearms sold, or potentially sold in the United States, in addition to those specifically designated in this Act, shall be designated as assault weapons under the provisions of section 3 of this Act. The Secretary shall publish the list of firearms so designated and take steps to make the list and explanatory information widely available to the public.

`(b) The Secretary, after consultation with the Attorney General, may periodically modify the list of firearms designated as assault weapons consistent with this Act.

`(c) The Secretary may issue an emergency order, for not longer than ninety days, barring importation and sale of any firearms, which the Secretary has reason to believe may be designated an assault weapon.

`(d) Notwithstanding any provision of this Act, no firearm shall be designated as an assault weapon which--

`(1) does not employ fixed ammunition;

`(2) was manufactured prior to 1898;

`(3) operates by manual bolt action'

`(4) operates by lever action;

`(5) operates by slide action;

`(6) is a single shot weapon;

`(7) is a multiple barrel weapon;

`(8) is a revolving cylinger weapon other than a shotgun;

`(9) employs a fixed magazine with a capacity of ten rounds or less;

`(10) is a rimfire weapon that employs a tubular magazine with a magazine capacity of six rounds or less;

`(11) cannot employ a detachable magazine or ammunition belt with a capacity greater than ten rounds; or

`(12) was modified so as to render it permanently inoperable or so as to make it permanently a device which may not appropriately be designated as an assault weapon.

`(e) The Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall, when appropriate, recommend to Congress any appropriate modification of this Act, including the addition or deletion of firearms to be designated as assault weapons: Provided, That the Secretary shall submit an initial report containing any recommendations regarding the type of firearms designated as assault weapons no later than three months after the date of enactment of this Act.'.

SEC. 5. Title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding the following new section to chapter 44:

`Sec. . Use of assault weapons

`(a) Whoever, during and in relation to the commission of a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime (including a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime, which provides for an enhanced punishment if committed by the use of a deadly or dangerous weapon or device) for which he may be prosecuted in a court of the United States, uses or carries an assault weapon, shall, in addition to the punishment provided for the commission of such other crimes committed by the defendant, be sentenced to a term of imprisonment for not less than five years.

`(b) For purposes of this subsection, the term `drug trafficking crime' means any felony violation of Federal law involving the distribution, manufacture, or importation of any controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act).'.

SEC. 6. (a) Section 5812 of title 26, United States Code, is amended by inserting the phrase `or assault weapon' after `firearm' wherever it appears.

(b) Section 5822 of title 26, United States Code, is amended by inserting the phrase `or assault weapon' after `firearm' wherever it appears.

(c) Subsections (a), (b), and (c) of section 5841 of title 26, United States Code, is amended by adding the phrase `or assault weapons' after `firearms' wherever it appears and adding the phrase `or assault weapon' after `firearm' wherever it appears.

(d) Section 5841 of title 26, United States Code, is amended by adding the following new subsection:

`(f) Any person in the possession of an assault weapon on the date of enactment of this Act shall register such firearm with the Secretary under such regulations as he may prescribe. Such registration shall be required for any type of assault weapon not later than thirty days from the date the Secretary provides public notice that the type of firearm is designated as an assault weapon or promulgates regulations for registration, whichever is later: Provided, That any firearm specifically designated as an assault weapon in paragraphs 921(a)(25)(A)-(I), as added by this Act, shall be registered within thirty days of the promulgation of regulations for registration by the Secretary.'.

(e) Section 5861 of title 26, United States Code, is amended by adding the following new subsection:

`(m) to fail to register an assault weapon in violation of the provisions of this chapter.'.

(f) Section 5845 of title 26, United States Code, is amended by adding the following new subsection:

`(i) ASSAULT WEAPONS- The term `assault weapon' shall have the meaning provided in section 921 of title 18.'.

SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE- Unless otherwise provided, this Act shall become effective thirty days after the date of enactment of this Act.

Cosponsors:

Sen Adams, Brock [WA] - 4/6/1989 Sen Chafee, John H. [RI] - 2/8/1989

Sen Cranston, Alan [CA] - 2/8/1989 Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] - 4/6/1989

Sen Glenn, John H., Jr. [OH] - 4/6/1989 Sen Kennedy, Edward M. [MA] - 4/6/1989

Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] - 4/19/1989 Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ] - 4/6/1989

Sen Moynihan, Daniel Patrick [NY] - 4/6/1989 Sen Pell, Claiborne [RI] - 2/8/1989

Sen Wirth, Timothy [CO] - 4/6/1989

Kerry's comments on S386

Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, our Nation is supposedly in the midst of a war on drugs, but from the looks of things it appears that the war is somewhat one-sided. In our Nation's streets, drug pushers and gang members used deadly battleground weapons to murder anyone who gets in their way--and that includes police and narcotics agents. Simply stated our law enforcement officers are being outmaneuvered and outgunned.

The days when criminals used the `Saturday Night Special' or the Colt revolver are long gone. Today, semiautomatic weaponry is the criminals' choice: the AK-47, the Uzi, and the Street Sweeper have shifted the balance of power away from law enforcement agents in favor of the criminal. As our Nation grapples with the problems of drug abuse, we must ask ourselves, `How can we expect to win the war if we continue to permit the arming of the enemy?'

In the United States, it is very simple to obtain an assault weapon . One need only enter one of the many sporting goods stores in this country selling semiautomatic weapons, fill out a Federal firearms form and pay the going price--anywhere from $250 to $400--to obtain an AK-47, an Uzi, a Street Sweeper or any of the many other versions of these deadly weapons. No background check or official clearance is required. That is exactly what Patrick Edward Purdy did last year in Oregon when he bought his AK-47, which he later used in January to kill 5 children and wound 29 others in the brutal Stockton, CA, schoolyard massacre.

Recognizing the dangers associated with the proliferation of deadly assault weapons and their lack of utility within our society, the Bush administration has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of semiautomatic weapons. At least for the time being, this makes it more difficult to obtain foreign manufactured semiautomatic assault weapons. Even the NRA has withheld major criticism of this action. Semiautomatic assault weapons are known to have no hunting or sporting utility. In fact, according to a recent CBS News poll, 73 percent of Americans say they want to see the ownership, sale, and manufacture of assault weapons banned nationwide. In a recent Boston Globe poll, 78 percent of those responding believed that the action taken by the Bush administration to ban imports of semiautomatic weapons was about right or did not go far enough. In short, the American people want to see these weapons of destruction banned.

Today, it is estimated that about 500,000 military-type semiautomatics are in existence in the United States. Since the first of January, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms has received requests to import from abroad nearly 14,000 such weapons. In 1988, 44,000 weapons were imported, up from only 4,000 in 1986. Such a steep increase in the importation of semiautomatics has had catastrophic effects on American society.

The presence of semiautomatic assault weapons in the United States has turned our city neighborhoods into war zones. In the District of Columbia this year alone, over 115 people have been murdered. Just the other day a police officer was murdered during a raid on a crack house in Alexandria, VA, just outside of Washington. Many of these murders within the District and about the country are drug related and many are committed by criminals carrying semiautomatic weapons. Officials in Los Angeles County have imposed a ban on semiautomatics by making it a misdemeanor to sell or own such a weapon there. Law enforcement officials across America realize that now is the time to restrict access to semiautomatic assault weapons. Even the manufacturers are having second thoughts about the utility of semiautomatic asault weapons in American society. Because of recent concerns over the misuse of semiautomatic weaponry, Colt Industries, has decided to discontinue the sale and manufacture of the AR-15's it produces.

To provide treatment for the increasing numbers of people victimized by military assault weapons, city hospitals have had to adopt wartime medical techniques used in Vietnam. Whoever said that `Guns don't kill people', wasn't familiar with the AK-47, the Uzi, or the Street Sweeper. Because the wounds inflicted by these weapons are so much more severe than those inflicted by other types of guns,(BS) assault weapon victims require special medical techniques developed in the field hospitals of Southeast Asia. The cost of treating such patients, many of whom are indigent and many of whom die, place great strains on our national health care resources. The annual cost of treating gunshot wounds nationwide is estimated at $1 billion, with 85 percent of it derived from taxpayers funds.

I support the Assault Weapons Control Act of 1989 introduced by Mr. Metzenbaum. This bill makes it unlawful for any person to possess or engage in any transaction involving semiautomatic assault weapons or the appropriate ammunition for such weapons. Any person legally owning such a weapon would be required to register it with the proper authorities. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Attorney General, would designate which guns, in addition to those specified by the Act, are to be embraced by the act. Strict sentencing would be imposed for any person who uses or carries an assault weapon while committing a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime. Finally, the Act specifically defines what is to be considered an assault weapon , limiting the scope of the Act to the most heinous of weapons legally in circulation at this time.

The Assault Weapon Control Act of 1989 is necessary to halt the spreading use of dangerous assault weapons in America. While the recent action taken by the Bush administration to temporarily halt imports of semiautomatic weapons is a necessary first step, further action must be taken to better monitor those who can be eligible to buy assault weapons, further restrictions must be placed on the manufacturing of semiautomatics, and stricter sentencing must be imposed upon those who commit crimes with semiautomatic assault weapons. President Bush has even stated that `We are in different times now, and I am convinced that reasonable men and women can work together to find a answer to the problem of these automatic weapons.'

Drugs and crime go hand in hand. A comprehensive strategy is needed to resolve both the drug problem and the crime problem in this country. We need to increase our interdiction of drugs. We need to treat addicts and to educate America's youth of the hazards of drug abuse. And we need to increase our law enforcement capabilities. Our Nation can only tackle the problem of drug abuse more effectively by restoring the balance of force in favor of law enforcement.

If we are to win the war on drugs it is important that we take measures to ensure that we do not allow the criminal to be better armed than our law enforcement agents. If we are to take seriously our commitment to ending the violence plaguing our city streets, we must eliminate the weapons relied upon by felons. I urge my colleagues to take the important step to curb drug related violence by joining in support of the Assault Weapon Control Act of 1989.

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