Congresswoman Brown Urges Renewal of Assault Weapon Ban
Congresswoman Brown Urges Renewal of Assault Weapon Ban
Washington, DC - Congresswoman Corrine Brown made the following statement:
"As a mother concerned about gun violence in the United States, I stand strongly behind the mothers of this nation in urging President Bush and the Congressional Republican leadership to renew the assault weapons ban. This ban, which is unfortunately set to expire in September of this year, is an important public safety measure that serves to protect not only our nation's citizens, but also our officers. Last year in fact, although the City of Jacksonville witnessed a decrease in violent crimes, the children of our city continue to be adversely affected by gun violence. Renewal of the assault weapons ban is an important tool to prevent dangerous weapons from ending up in the hands of criminals, and allow us to make our neighborhoods safer for families.
There is no reason why these weapons should be legal in the first place. Indeed, the only reason criminals like them is because these weapons are made specifically to be concealed and kill dozens of people instantaneously. Now who, besides a criminal or a terrorist, needs to have this kind of fire power? Certainly, not even a weekend sportsmen would argue that he or she needs this powerful of a weapon just to kill game.
In March, the Senate passed a bill to renew the Assault Weapons Ban as an amendment to the gun industry immunity bill. I pledge to do everything within my power as a legislator to urge my colleagues to bring this legislation up on the House floor in the immediate future. The legislation is extremely important to the safety of our country, and our children, and is also supported by a variety of law enforcement agencies such as:
The International Association of Chiefs of Police - (IACP)
Major Cities Chiefs Association - (MCCA)
Police Foundation
Police Executive Research Forum - (PERF)
International Brotherhood of Police Officers - (IBPO)
National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO)
National Fraternal Order of Police - (FOP)
National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives - (NOBLE)
Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association - (HAPCOA)
National Black Police Association - (NBPA)
To close, I reiterate my strong support for a renewal of the ban on assault weapons."