Rep. Berman Introduces Bill to Outlaw Semiautomatic Firearms
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WASHINGTON — Aiming to prevent a recurrence of incidents like the Stockton schoolyard shooting, Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City) introduced legislation Friday to outlaw the possession of semiautomatic firearms.
The measure would cover weapons like the AK-47 assault rifle used to kill five children and wound 30 other people in the Stockton attack Jan. 17, as well as banning all semiautomatic pistols and shotguns.
Berman’s bill is much more rigorous than a measure proposed Tuesday by Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum (D-Ohio), which would ban the importation or sale of new semiautomatic assault weapons like the AK-47.
Berman, in a press statement announcing his proposal, criticized the Metzenbaum bill as inadequate because it would leave “thousands upon thousands of these weapons available for criminal use.”
The Stockton slayings have focused increased attention on gun control legislation in this session of Congress.
The National Rifle Assn., which plans to mount a strong lobbying campaign against the measures, called Berman’s plan a “stupid piece of legislation.” The NRA contends that such measures punish only law-abiding gun owners and that semiautomatic weapons have legitimate uses in hunting.
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