Timothy Roemer: “this bill is vague, broad and an indiscriminate ban on firearms in this country that leaves our Second Amendment rights…”

“this bill is vague, broad and an indiscriminate ban on firearms in this country that leaves our Second Amendment rights in the hands of Federal bureaucrats. H.R. 4296 is not the bill we considered in 1991, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the legislation before us today. This bill is tightly focussed. It prohibits by name the manufacture and sale of 19 specific semiautomatic weapons. Instead of the sweeping authority contained in the 1991 bill, the legislation before us today limits the ban to those guns with characteristics useful only for military combat and violent crime. It is unthinkable that in our society, we continue to allow citizens to walk the streets with guns that have grenade launchers, flash suppressors, and bayonet mounts. What legitimate recreational purpose could these characteristics possibly serve? As a hunter, I tell you assuredly: none. Opponents of this bill cite statistics which indicate that assault weapons account for only 1 percent of the guns in circulation. What they neglect to point out is that this 1 percent is used for over 8 percent of criminal activity.”