Anna Eshoo: “I rise in strong support of H.R. 4296, the Assault Weapons Ban Act of 1994. I think that it is time that when we use the…”

“I rise in strong support of H.R. 4296, the Assault Weapons Ban Act of 1994. I think that it is time that when we use the word ``street sweeper,'' we know that we are talking about public works projects and not South African designed shotguns. This ban is not just an inner city issue. Today's Wall Street Journal provides new polls showing vast majorities of Americans supporting this ban. This overwhelming support is found in urban, suburban, and rural areas of America. Every major national law enforcement organization in American supports the ban including the National Association of Police Organizations and the National Sheriffs' Association. The ban is also supported by our former Presidents Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and Gerald Ford. The weapons this bill bans are not sporting weapons, they are weapons of death. The bill bans 19 specific semiautomatic weapons, none of which are used for hunting or other sporting purposes and exempts 670 specific weapons that are used for legitimate purposes. Moreover, this bill does not take away any weapons from people who already legally own them. It addresses only those weapons designed to kill human beings.”