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CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE JOINS FIGHT TO REMOVE WEAPONS OF WAR FROM OUR COMMUNITIES

December 16, 2015

Assault Weapons Ban of 2015 will eliminate military-style firearms, high-capacity magazines, stated Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Senior Member of the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Judiciary Committee where she is the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, today joined U.S. Rep David N. Cicilline (D-RI) and other gun violence prevention advocates to introduce the Assault Weapons Ban of 2015 and prohibit the sale, transfer, production, and importation of new military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The Congresswoman issued the following statement:

"Assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are the weapon of choice for mass shooters in the United States. We cannot continue to stand by as these weapons of war are bought and sold freely. I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2015. This bill will save lives and reduce the toll of gun violence in our country. The Assault Weapons Ban of 2015 will prohibit the sale, transfer, production, and importation of:

• Semi-automatic rifles and handguns with a military-style feature that can accept a detachable magazine;

• Semi-automatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can hold more than 10 rounds;

• Semi-automatic shotguns with a military-style feature;

• Any ammunition feeding device that can hold more than 10 rounds;

• And 157 specifically-named and listed firearms.

"The bill also sets new standards to prevent ‘default proceeds' – the standard that allows firearms dealers to complete a sale if a buyer's background check is not completed within three days. Under the proposed law, the background check period will be extended to 14 days for the sale or transfer of an existing assault weapon. If it is determined that a gun was sold to a prohibited individual, the FBI will be required to notify federal, state, and local law enforcement so the weapon can be retrieved as quickly as possible and the buyer can be held accountable for violating federal law.

"For over 10 years in many sessions of Congress I have introduced many bills dealing with gun violence and how we can prevent acts such as this. I have been an advocate for more gun safety laws in America since I have arrived here in Congress. In one year on average, almost 100,000 people in America are shot or killed with a gun. Over a million people have been killed with guns in the United States since 1968. U.S. homicide rates are 6.9 times higher than rates in 22 other populous high-income countries combined, despite similar non-lethal crime and violence rates. In order to promote safety for our children it is imperative that this Congress brings to the House floor NOW the following gun safety laws:

"This Congress must rise above partisan politics and now come together to pass important gun safety laws. The safety of America should be at the forefront when it comes to making these gun safety laws. The politics of outside groups like the NRA should not play a factor when we consider the safety of our citizens. We must also look at gun violence in other cities too such as Chicago where over the last few years a number of school age kids have been killed with guns.

"Assault weapons were used in attacks last month in San Bernardino and Colorado Springs. Shooters also used them to commit mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, and a community college in Roseburg, Oregon. When an assault weapon or a high-capacity magazine is used in a shooting, the number of victims who are killed increases by 63%."