Know thine enemy I--From the Bradycampain.org:
AMERICANS AGAINST ASSAULT WEAPONS
We, as Americans Against Assault Weapons, must mobilize a massive campaign so that Congress will renew and strengthen the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. We want to protect our neighborhoods and law enforcement from “Weapons of War†like AK-47s and UZIs. Unless the federal law is reauthorized, it will expire and assault weapons will once again flood our streets. Under the Americans Against Assault Weapons Campaign, gun violence prevention organizations and other allied organizations will work to educate the public, media and elected officials about the danger assault weapons pose to our communities and the need to reauthorize and strengthen the federal assault weapons ban. The federal assault weapons law, passed in 1994 as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, prohibits the manufacture, sale and importation of new military-style, semi-automatic assault weapons and rapid-fire ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. But the law will expire (“sunsetâ€) in September 2004 unless Congress and the President renew it. If the law is not reauthorized, the manufacture and sale of AK-47s, UZIs and other assault weapons along with rapid-fire ammunition magazines will become legal again. Law enforcement led the fight for the original assault weapons ban because of the great threat these weapons posed to police officers and public safety. The law has worked. In 1999, the National Institute
for Justice (NIJ) reported that trace requests for assault weapons declined 20% in the first year after the federal ban took effect.
While the law has been successful, we can do more. Assault weapons produced before the 1994 law can still be sold in most parts of the country. We need to strengthen the ban to cover
these "grandfathered" weapons and also stop gun industry efforts to circumvent the law by changing some cosmetic features or the name of a firearm. Semi-automatic assault weapons can fire up to 6 bullets a second and have devastating firepower when equipped with magazines holding 20, 30 or even 50 rounds of ammunition. One of the guns used in the Columbine High School shooting was the TEC-DC9 assault pistol, a gun designed to kill a lot of people in a short amount of time. If the National Rifle Association and other gun lobby extremists have their
way, our neighborhoods will once again be flooded with these combat weapons, threatening both our police and the public.
Please sign the pledge below and help us save and strengthen the federal assault weapons ban!
Please add the undersigned organization to the Americans Against Assault Weapons Campaign. We pledge to support reauthorization of the 1994 federal assault weapons law, with updated provisions consistent with Congress’ original intent to prevent manufacturers, importers, and sellers from flooding
America’s neighborhoods with large capacity ammunition feeding devices and military-style firearms, such as AK-47s, UZIs and TEC-9s.
[sig stuff snipped]
Please fax to the attention of AAAW, at the Brady Campaign at 202-408-1851
Please direct questions to Brian at 202-898-0792
AMERICANS AGAINST ASSAULT WEAPONS
We, as Americans Against Assault Weapons, must mobilize a massive campaign so that Congress will renew and strengthen the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. We want to protect our neighborhoods and law enforcement from “Weapons of War†like AK-47s and UZIs. Unless the federal law is reauthorized, it will expire and assault weapons will once again flood our streets. Under the Americans Against Assault Weapons Campaign, gun violence prevention organizations and other allied organizations will work to educate the public, media and elected officials about the danger assault weapons pose to our communities and the need to reauthorize and strengthen the federal assault weapons ban. The federal assault weapons law, passed in 1994 as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, prohibits the manufacture, sale and importation of new military-style, semi-automatic assault weapons and rapid-fire ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. But the law will expire (“sunsetâ€) in September 2004 unless Congress and the President renew it. If the law is not reauthorized, the manufacture and sale of AK-47s, UZIs and other assault weapons along with rapid-fire ammunition magazines will become legal again. Law enforcement led the fight for the original assault weapons ban because of the great threat these weapons posed to police officers and public safety. The law has worked. In 1999, the National Institute
for Justice (NIJ) reported that trace requests for assault weapons declined 20% in the first year after the federal ban took effect.
While the law has been successful, we can do more. Assault weapons produced before the 1994 law can still be sold in most parts of the country. We need to strengthen the ban to cover
these "grandfathered" weapons and also stop gun industry efforts to circumvent the law by changing some cosmetic features or the name of a firearm. Semi-automatic assault weapons can fire up to 6 bullets a second and have devastating firepower when equipped with magazines holding 20, 30 or even 50 rounds of ammunition. One of the guns used in the Columbine High School shooting was the TEC-DC9 assault pistol, a gun designed to kill a lot of people in a short amount of time. If the National Rifle Association and other gun lobby extremists have their
way, our neighborhoods will once again be flooded with these combat weapons, threatening both our police and the public.
Please sign the pledge below and help us save and strengthen the federal assault weapons ban!
Please add the undersigned organization to the Americans Against Assault Weapons Campaign. We pledge to support reauthorization of the 1994 federal assault weapons law, with updated provisions consistent with Congress’ original intent to prevent manufacturers, importers, and sellers from flooding
America’s neighborhoods with large capacity ammunition feeding devices and military-style firearms, such as AK-47s, UZIs and TEC-9s.
[sig stuff snipped]
Please fax to the attention of AAAW, at the Brady Campaign at 202-408-1851
Please direct questions to Brian at 202-898-0792