Nita Lowey: “Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4296 and urge each and every one of my colleagues to support our Nation's…”

“Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4296 and urge each and every one of my colleagues to support our Nation's police officers by voting for this bill. Not long ago, I stood here in support of the Brady bill. At that time, the National Rifle Association was telling us that the Brady bill would not stop a single criminal. Well, the NRA was wrong. In the 10 weeks since the Brady law has been in effect, it has stopped over 1,000 convicted felons from purchasing firearms. If the NRA had gotten their way on that vote, these criminals would be walking our streets with firearms today. So as we consider this bill we have to ask ourselves again, whose advice are we going to take; the NRA's or our Nation's police officers? Again today, my vote will be with the people we rely on to fight crime on our streets every day. They have suffered the consequences of these assault weapons, and they are pleading with us to give them a fighting chance. And my vote will also be with the firearms experts at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The ATF has compiled tracing data that shows that these 19 specific weapons are used disproportionately in violent crimes. If only one percent of all guns held by the public are assault weapons, why are they used in seven percent of all crimes?”