Frank Lautenberg: “Finally, a coalition of 50 organizations including Handgun Control, the Violence Policy Center, and the Coalition to…”

“Finally, a coalition of 50 organizations including Handgun Control, the Violence Policy Center, and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, opposed this effort to overturn the policy of three administrations on this issue. For a range of public health and safety, national security, and taxpayer reasons, we strongly urge you vote to delete this provision from the Fiscal Year 1998 Treasury-Postal Service-General Government Appropriations bill. Supporters of this amendment describe it as an innocuous measure which simply allows the importation of some obsolete 'curios and relics.' In reality, the amendment would allow the import of an estimated 2.5 million weapons of war, including 1.2 million M1 carbines. The M1 carbine is a semi-automatic weapon that can be easily converted into automatic fire equipped with a 15-30 round detachable magazine.”