Congressman Eric Swalwell announced in a press release Wednesday his support of the Assault Weapons Ban, which if passed would ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition feeding devices.
Swalwell, who represents the Tri-Valley down to Fremont, said he was one of the original cosponsors of the bill and has encourage fellow new new members of Congress to lend their support as well.
Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), a leader on gun control in the House, praised Swalwell for his work to rally support for the ban
“The fight to reduce gun violence is not an easy one and it’s so helpful to have a partner like Congressman Swalwell in the movement – he’s hit the ground running and I’m grateful that he’s taking such active initiative in helping to organize our colleagues and pass sensible legislation,” McCarthy said.
Here is Swawell full statement on cosponsoring the Assault Weapons Ban:
As a prosecutor I saw first-hand the damage that can be done with military-style weapons in the hands of killers. The tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a horrific example for the entire country of the carnage that assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition feeding devices can inflict. Banning these assault weapons and large-capacity feeding devices is not the only solution. But, it's a start and will pioneer more comprehensive legislation totackle the alarming rate of gun violence in America. California already has an assault weapons and high-capacity feeding device ban, and so this bill is only asking the rest of the country to do what California has already done. We owe it to the young victims of Sandy Hook and all those who have suffered as a result of these weapons of mass murder to act now, with this first important step, to make our communities safer.
I’m heartened that many people, on all sides of the political spectrum, are saying that now is the time to ban dangerous assault weapons and large-capacity feeding devices from our streets. Legislation to do just that has been introduced today in the House, and I want to applaud the hard work of its sponsors, Senator Diane Feinstein of California and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy of New York.
I’m proud to cosponsor this gun safety legislation and am grateful for the trust Congresswoman McCarthy placed in me by asking me to encourage other new Members of the House to cosponsor it aswell. I’ve been working diligently to build support for it and I’ll continue to do so throughout this Congress until the bill is passed.
Do you support Swalwell's position on assault weapons? Tell us why or why not in the comments section.
I thought they were wounded, not killed? There's no question that people crazies and criminals are the problem, but guns are a tool that assists them in causing more damage. We already heavily regulate guns. Enforce existing laws, and fix the mental health system in this county and keep guns out of the hands of prohibited persons.
1) Mexico gets the majority of it's illegal guns from the good old USA, so sure a ban doesn't work when US citizens buy guns in mass quantities and send them to Mexico. Did you forget about the Fast and Furious Fiasco? Our agents just watched as weapons they had tracked from a sale in a gun shop just dissapeared into Mexico because assistant DA Emory Hurley said there wasn't probably cause for arrests. 2) In DC the murder rate held steady for 10 years after the gun ban and then peaked in 1993 and has been falling ever since to levels well below those in the 70s. 3) A man stabbed 23 elementary school children in Hong Kong and NOONE died. I was able to find 10 seperate elementary school attacks in China with various sharp/blunt objects since March 2010 which resulted in 25 total deaths and 115 injuries. Clearly this is a mental health issue, but it also show that the weapons used play into how many victims survive. I understand that my guns are designed to kill, plain and simple. The idea that an individual can possess weapons that can kill mass amounts of people in a very short amount of time scares people. Gun owners say they need access to such weapons because they are scared of criminals that have them.
Egypt's army defected. It wasn't the citizens vs. the military, it was the citizens plus the military vs. Mubarak and his loyalists. Had the army not defected, the revolution would have been crushed.
2)Washington D.C. has a problem with violence because of the law. All of the rest of the U.S. has city police,sheriff,state,fed officers. Washington D.C. only has a police force..So, for anyone to use D.C. as a idicator for violence is comparing apples to oranges.. 3) I really don't care about China. China is an enemy of America and has shown it since the early 1940"ss..
An average of 2 million people a year protect themselves from the criminal element with their own FIREARM! MORE people are killed ,each year,from hammers and OTHER BLUNT OBJECTS,than from FIREARMS! MORE people are killed each year from CARS than FIREARMS!! PLEASE EXPLAIN!!!!!!!!!!~
SEMPER FIDELUS
But it is enough. Right now the NRA supports laws under which an Al Qaeda terrorist who did not have a criminal record could go to a gun show and by an AR15 with cash. All Legal. Enough already. The 2nd amendment guarantees the right to bear arms. It does not say AR-15, or M-1 Tank. Every single right in the Constitution is subject to reasonable regulation. When the police ask for gun control, I, a progressive, feel like it is not a fascist or communist policy, but one that is from common sense. The police are not agents of a Nazi regime. They are our neighbors. They are the people who have to deal with the current policies and they want gun laws changed. We outlawed fully automatic machine guns in the 30's and it worked. Ban clips over 10 rounds and if people are caught with them fine the heck out of them. Ban armor piercing bullets and AR15s and AK47s. We have killed enough of our own people. Will this solve the problem completely? No, but it's better than now.
a) Just because all those people died by guns does not mean they would be alive without the existence of guns. It is a ridiculous notion that fails to even attempt a stance in logic. guns are not rampaging dinosaurs that kill indescriminately, they are aimed and activated by people. Show some evidence that these people would not kill with knives or cars and I will buy your argument. b)Fully automatic weapons are not outlawed, plenty of people buy, own and even build them. They require a special tax stamp and must be approved by the ATF. That's it. You never hear about them because nobody is stealing and using them and the media is not scared enough of them to twist the facts into getting you to hate them. c).Sweden has more lax gun laws and they have a fraction of our gun crime. If guns are the problem, please explain this. d) We are the safest nation per capita that we have been since the 70s from violent crime and murder YET there are more guns in circulation than ever before, please explain that. If you would like links to check these facts for yourself, just ask. I'd wager most people who are already brainwashed into your line of thinking won't even bother reading the facts because they don't care and are emotionally committed and would rather not have to be wrong.
But among advanced countries, the U.S. homicide rate stands out. “We seem to be an average country in terms of violence and aggression,” says Harvard’s Hemenway. “What we have is huge homicide rates compared to anybody else.” Says Wintemute: “The difference is that in this country violence involves firearms and firearms change the outcome.”