Combat-wombat
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http://www.bradycampaign.org/facts/issuebriefs/aw_safesec.asp
Note the number of times they say "AK-47". Pure crap.
ASSAULT WEAPONS THREATEN OUR SAFETY AND SECURITY
With Federal Assault Weapon Ban in Jeopardy, State and Local Governments Should Ban Assault Weapons Locally
On January 17, 1989, Patrick Purdy began shooting an AK47 assault weapon at an elementary schoolyard in Stockton, California. In a few minutes, 34 children and a teacher had been shot.
Winston Churchill famously said, "Those that fail to learn from history, are bound to repeat it." His words ring particularly true when referring to the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which is scheduled to expire on September 13, 2004. Americans will pay a terrible price if Congress and President Bush fail to renew and strengthen the ban on assault weapons, but Congress seems unlikely to act due to pressure from the gun lobby. To protect our communities from this threat, state and local governments should quickly enact laws to ban assault weapons and stop these dangerous weapons from flooding our streets once again. Our safety and security are at stake.
The deadly toll caused by semiautomatic assault weapons reached its zenith in the early 1990's, before the federal ban was enacted, when gang members, drug dealers and paramilitary extremists terrorized our communities. Those were the days of drive-by shootings, workplace massacres, and police shootouts. An analysis of crime guns, conducted by the Cox Newspaper Group using data from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), found that assault weapons were 20 times more likely to be used in a crime than a conventional firearm. While assault weapons accounted for only 0.5 percent of all guns in the country, they accounted for 10 percent of all guns traced in crime. The Cox study found that the use of assault weapons in crime rose more than 78 percent from 1987 to 1988 and the trend continued into 1989.i
Criminals chose assault weapons because of their rapid fire and easy concealment, and these dangerous characteristics proved a deadly combination to police officers on the street. Before the Federal Assault Weapon Ban, police were simply outgunned by criminals with assault weapons that could spray-fire dozens of bullets in a few seconds. In response to the terrible threat assault weapons posed to police and public safety, every major law enforcement organization in the country supported enactment of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.
Now, with the Federal Assault Weapons Ban about to expire, our police and communities are at great risk that we will return to a state of siege by criminals with assault weapons. The threat is so immediate and deadly that state and local governments should rapidly enact local laws to restrict assault weapons in case Congress and President Bush fail to renew and strengthen the federal law. Without local action, we may soon return to the days when criminals armed with assault weapons terrorized our communities and brutally ambushed our police.
Assault Weapon Designed for War, Not Sport
Assault weapons are designed with military features intended for combat, not sport. Unlike sporting firearms, assault weapons are designed to be spray-fired from the hip and allow a shooter to maintain control of the weapon even while rapidly firing dozens of rounds. A BATF survey of 735 hunting guides, conducted during the administration of President George H. W. Bush, found that sportsmen do not use assault weapons. BATF concluded that semiautomatic assault weapons are not suitable for sport and should be restricted. ii
BATF found that assault weapons were characterized by the following military combat features:
A large-capacity ammunition magazine, enabling the shooter to continuously fire dozens of rounds without reloading.
A folding stock on a rifle or shotgun, which sacrifices accuracy for concealment and mobility in close combat.
A flash suppressor to shield a shooter's eyes during nighttime shooting.
A pistol grip on a rifle or shotgun, which facilitates firing from the hip, allowing the shooter to spray-fire the weapon. A pistol grip also helps the shooter stabilize the firearm during rapid fire and makes it easier to shoot assault rifles one-handed.
A barrel shroud, which is designed to cool the barrel so the firearm does not overheat during rapid fire and allows the shooter to grasp the barrel area to stabilize the weapon, without burning their hand.
A threaded barrel designed to attach a silencer, which is useful to assassins but clearly has no purpose for sportsmen. Silencers are illegal so there is no legitimate purpose for making it possible to put a silencer on a weapon.
A barrel mount designed to accommodate a bayonet.
Federal Assault Weapon Ban
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban was adopted as Title XI of the Federal Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. It restricts the manufacture, sale or importation of specific models of assault weapons, or their copies, as well as assault weapons that had a combination of certain military characteristics. The federal law also restricts the manufacture and sale ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds (prior to the law, many firearms were sold standard with 30 round magazines). The law exempts assault weapons and large capacity magazines that were manufactured prior to the law's enactment on September 13, 1994.
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban has helped get some of the most deadly assault weapons off of America's streets and out of the hands of criminals. In 1999, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) reported that assault weapons traced in crime investigations, the best measure of gun usage in crime, declined 20 percent in the first calendar year after the ban took effect. NIJ found that assault weapon crime gun traces declined nearly twice as fast as firearms overall, as the weapons became less common. iii And the law's restriction on large capacity ammunition magazines has significantly reduced the firepower generally sold with firearms.
But some unscrupulous manufacturers have sought to thwart the intent of Congress by changing the names of banned assault weapons or making slight changes to evade the military characteristics test. Unfortunately, neither the Bush nor Clinton Administrations took action to stop such dangerous conduct. In response, several states and cities have enacted stronger local laws to prevent the sale of all assault weapons.
With the Federal Assault Weapon Ban set to expire on September 13, 2004, the safety and security of our communities is in jeopardy. Although President Bush has said he supports renewing the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, House Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) has bluntly stated that Congress is not going to renew the law and the White House has not promised to fight for it. Rep. DeLay has teamed up with the National Rifle Association (NRA) to kill the Federal Assault Weapon Ban and make AK47s legal again.
State and Local Laws Restricting Assault Weapons
The imminent expiration of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban poses a serious public safety threat to local communities across America as deadly weapons like the AK47 could again flood our streets. State and city governments should take prompt action to restrict assault weapons by enacting local legislation. Local laws to ban assault weapons would assist law enforcement in protecting the community and increase the safety of the men and women who protect us.
Several states have already enacted laws to protect their residents by restricting assault weapons. Those states include: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
Local cities and counties in some states have the authority to enact local ordinances regulating firearms and have taken action against assault weapons in the following states: iv
California: Numerous cities (later rescinded when a stronger state law was enacted)
Ohio: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Dublin, Toledo
Illinois: Aurora, Chicago, Cicero, Cook County, Niles, Oak Park
Indiana: East Chicago, Gary, South Bend
Kansas: Wichita
Massachusetts: Boston
New York: Albany, Buffalo, New York, Rochester
Conclusion
With the Federal Assault Weapon Ban set to expire in September 2004, state and local governments are faced with a deadly threat to their communities. New AK47-style assault weapons that can shoot 30, 50 and even 100 rounds without reloading will once again proliferate, endangering both police and public safety. We must not return to the days when criminals had easy access to AK47-style weapons spray firing dozens of bullets.
To protect the security of their communities, state and local officials should promptly enact local legislation to restrict assault weapons. Preventing violent criminals from obtaining and using assault weapons against innocent people and law enforcement officers must be the highest priority for local officials.
Note the number of times they say "AK-47". Pure crap.
ing idiots. Makes you want to smack some sense into their head to replace the "Space for rent" sign in there.
