Broad Coalition Calls for a Strengthened Assault Weapons Ban (NAGS, CFA, Church groups, others)

Join Together ^ | 5-7-03

[Dan from Michigan]

Broad Coalition Calls for a Strengthened Assault Weapons Ban

5/7/2003

Press Release
Consumer Federation of America
1424 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Contact: Susan Peschin: (202) 939-1017

Doctors Against Handgun Injury
1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 1012
Washington, D.C. 20009
Contact: Rebecca Bruno: (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.

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.

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 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

[Dan from Michigan]

Would someone tell me what in the blue hell does consumer groups, church orgs, etc have to do with the 2nd amendment? Or the Nags? Doctors need to remember "Do no harm".

[Dan from Michigan]

.

[Nachoman]

A larger coalition calls for them to shove the AWB.

[Fee]

The NRA and GOA must be equally hardballed. With Doctors, they should support every law that will regulate them, hold them accountable, and make them vulnerable to every possible lawsuit from patients. If they do not like that, then they leave the gunowners alone, and we will leave them alone. Many of those anti-gun groups are equally vulnerable to government regs and lawsuits.

[Sender]

They are all pro-socialist groups, and disarmament of the population is a primary requirement. Whatever their 'vision'.

[Joe Brower]

[George Smiley]

American Association of Suicidology

From this particular group's name, you'd have thought they'd want *increased* availability.

[m1911]

Excellent point. You'd think that the doctors, who are beginning to revolt over the excesses of the trial lawyers, would be a natural ally...

bones & chirodoc, hope you don't mind the ping, I saw you on the other thread re:doctors and gun questions.

[backhoe]

Joe, I don't have time right now to go & fetch them individually, but go here to the last & scroll backwards- there are plenty of related links here:

DUBOB 11-- even *more* tales from the Dark Underbelly of the Beast.....

[jdege]

During the debate over the Minnesota shall-issue law, one of the Metrocrats (our favorite son, Wes Skoglund) presented a list of three hundred organizations that opposed the law.

The question was asked, what groups support the shall-issue bill?

Minnesota Concealed Carry Reform, Now!, the National Rifle Association, and the Republican Party of Minnesota.

And, of course, the majority of voters in the last election....

I'm getting sick and tired of these professional leftists taking adminstrative jobs at various non-profits, instead of working for a living, then using other people's money to push an agenda that few of them are aware of, all the while pretending to be the voice of "civil society".

[The Old Hoosier]

Whistling Dixie!

[Redcloak]

DiFi is trying hard to resist the temptation to fiddle with the bill. A "strengthened" bill might give Bush an excuse to back down and oppose the bill rather than support it. After the firestorm that erupted after the White House's remarks about renewing the bill, they may be looking for an out. Let's hope that DiFi, or some other Democrat, succumbs to the pressured from these groups and tampers with the bill.

[Mr. Mojo]

This is going to be one mighty disappointed coaltion.

[45Auto]

Feinswine is running scared that the companion bill in the House will become part of a broader bill that will never be passed. She may be right, but if we know one thing about politicians whatever their stripe, they are all "on the take" and their treachery knows no bounds. We need to "grease the right palms" in the House, but even that is no guarantee that they will do the right thing.

[eskimo]

A larger coalition calls for them to shove the AWB.

Larger indeed, I have heard that most of those lobby organizations in DC are one room offices staffed with 1 or 2 people who don't even talk to people they supposedly represent, they just do what they are told by those who own them.

[templar]

With Doctors, they should support every law that will regulate them, hold them accountable, and make them vulnerable to every possible lawsuit from patients.

That's not going to be very popular among the Tort reformers around here.

[mabelkitty]

Is this from The Onion?


American Association of Suicidology
(Suicide is now a learned subject??)
Association of Clinicians for the Underserved
(Doctors who take Medicare/Medicaid)
Doctors Against Handgun Injury
(???)
American Academy of Pediatrics
(To keep people from shooting themselves in the foot)
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(In case a father wants to take justice into his owns hands)
Mennonite Central Committee U.S., Washington Office
(How do we know for sure? When did the Amish get electricity?)
Union of American Hebrew Congregations
(For shame. They should know better)

[Eastbound]

Sounds like a bunch of phoney UN NGO groups. It's for the chiiiiiiiildren, don'cha know.

[Dan from Michigan]

Some days it's hard to tell if it is real or from the Onion.