Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3193) to restore second amendment rights in the District of Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 803, I call up the bill (H.R. 3193) to restore second amendment rights in the District of Columbia, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3193, and to include extraneous material thereon.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Today, we will be debating a bill that will go a long way in protecting the constitutional rights of the residents of the District of Columbia.

As all may know, currently in Washington, D.C., citizens are prevented from owning any handgun at all. I am bringing before you today a bill that would restore the second amendment rights of D.C. citizens. I think it is important to note that my bill would not repeal any provision of D.C. law that bans gun possession by criminals, or that punishes violent crime.

In 1976, 2 years after Congress had granted the District of Columbia home rule, the D.C. City Council passed a bill which repealed the handgun ban in the District. The handgun ban actually arrested progress. In the 5 years before 1976, when the handgun ban was put into effect, the murder rate in the District of Columbia had fallen to 27 per 100,000 from 37 per 100,000, according to researchers at the American Enterprise Institute. Five years after the ban, the murders had climbed back to 35 for every 100,000 residents. From that point, it became worse.

In the 13 years between 1987 and 2000, D.C. earned the dubious distinction as the murder capital of the United States. In 2002, it once again had the highest murder rate per 100,000 residents, making it the murder capital of the United States 14 of the last 15 years.

There have been a lot of misunderstandings and miscommunication about what this bill does and does not do. So I will address the bill's provisions in the order in which they appear in the bill.

First, the bill prohibits the District from prohibiting residents from possessing a firearm that is legal for them to possess under Federal law, while still maintaining the Federal ban on private possession of any firearm regulated by the National Firearms Act.

Second, the bill would bring the District's definition of a machine gun into conformity with Federal law and the laws of the States. Currently, the District defines the term machine gun to include firearms that fire only one shot when the trigger is pulled. That is not what a machine gun is, of course. A machine gun fires repeatedly when the trigger is pulled and held back. The District's definition is simply factually incorrect, and this bill will perform the necessary correction.

Third, the bill eliminates the District's firearms registration requirement and, logically, eliminates the penalty for the possession of an unregistered firearm. This does not, however, in any way change the Federal requirement that firearm dealers maintain records of firearm sales. Dealers will still be required to maintain Federal forms which identify the purchasers of firearms by name, address, date and place of birth, and other factors.

Fourth, the bill eliminates the District's ban on private possession of handguns and handgun ammunition.

Fifth, the bill eliminates the District's ban on the use of firearms for protection at home. Currently, the District prohibits a person from having even a lawfully owned firearm at home, loaded and assembled, and unlocked.

While some States have laws designed to have people keep firearms secured in a similar fashion when they are unattended, the District's law requires people to keep firearms unloaded and disassembled or locked even if a violent criminal is attacking them in their homes.

The U.S. Constitution, the constitutions of 44 States, Federal law, and the laws of all 50 States, and the vast majority of Americans recognize the right to use firearms for personal protection. Only the District of Columbia prohibits a person from having a firearm assembled and loaded at home for the purpose of self-defense.

That is why 229 Members of this body are not supporters of the bill, they are cosponsors of this bill. Forty-four of the cosponsors are Democrats. This is truly bipartisan legislation that has come up from the demands of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, facts are stubborn things, and the fact is that today D.C.'s murder rate is still 8 times higher than the national average.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp).

Mr. Speaker, it would be illegal to shoot such a weapon now, and it would continue to be illegal to shoot such a weapon at an armored truck or anybody else under my legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hostettler).

(Mr. HOSTETTLER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), a distinguished member of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice of the Committee on Government Reform.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Musgrave).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

One would think that the District of Columbia has a good record rather than eight times the national average, leading the Nation 14 of the past 15 years in the murder rate. As a former mayor said, ``Other than the killings, their crime rate is not too bad.'' ``Other than the killings'' is a relevant thing here. We are trying to make sure honest citizens can protect themselves, not just the criminals.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), a member of the Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Subcommittee, and a former judge.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from the State of Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Ross), the lead Democratic cosponsor of this bill. We have 44 Democratic cosponsors, and I very much appreciate his leadership and help on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves).

Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a series of stories of individuals who were terrified but defended themselves and could have been prosecuted under the D.C. law.

I will also include for the Record, what would the District of Columbia's gun laws look like after this law passes?

What Would the District of Columbia's Gun Laws Look Like After H.R.

3193?

Even if H.R. 3193 were signed into law in its present form,

it would leave in place an extensive set of laws governing

possession, sale and use of guns. District laws would still

be far more restrictive than the laws of most states:

It would still be illegal to carry firearms outside one's

own property, either openly or concealed. Violations would

still be punishable by a fine of up to $1000 or imprisonment

for not moire than one year for a first offense, and up to

$10,000 and 10 years' imprisonment, or both, for a second

offense or for any violation by a convicted felon. All

penalties are doubled for illegal carry in a ``gun free

zone'' within 1000 feet of a school, day care center,

college, or various youth recreation facilities such as

swimming pools and video arcades.

Possession or use of a firearm while committing a crime of

violence would remain punishable by up to 30 years in prison,

with a minimum of 5 years served before parole or probation.

Handgun possession would remain illegal for drug addicts,

convicted felons, and persons convicted of various public

order offenses such as vagrancy.

It would still be illegal to possess machineguns, sawed-off

shotguns or short-barreled rifles. The definition of ``sawed-

off shotgun'' is more restrictive than federal law.

It would still be illegal to manufacture firearms or

ammunition in the District.

Vehicles used to illegally transport firearms would still

be subject to seizure and forfeiture.

All these provisions are in addition to federal laws that

extensively regulate commerce in firearms, and which provide

strict penalties for gun possession by convicted felons and

other ``prohibited persons'' and for use of firearms in

violent crimes.

H.R. 3193 focuses entirely on restoring fundamental self-

defense rights to honest citizens, by repealing the handgun

ban, gun registration laws, and laws on carry and storage in

the home that prevent people from exercising those rights.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Cubin).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the right to close.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

In closing, I would just like to say that the citizens of D.C. have a right to defend themselves, a constitutional right to defend themselves. This has

been the murder capital of the United States for 14 of the last 15 years, currently is eight times the national average. American citizens have a right to defend themselves.

The only people who have a right to guns right now are criminals. They will still be punished. Anybody who violates the law will still be punished. Anybody who uses the type of weapons we have heard described away from their property are still going to be punished.

The question is, can law-abiding citizens defend themselves in their homes and in their businesses?

Mr. Speaker, I will insert for the Record at this time a list of the 229 cosponsors of this bill, including 44 Democratic sponsors.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Office State Staff contact First contact R or D Govt. reform -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim Johnson.......................... IL...................... Erik Woehrmann.............. 3-Sep.................. R Jim DeMint........................... SC...................... Kara Borie.................. 3-Sep.................. R Joe Wilson........................... SC...................... Laurin Groover.............. 3-Sep.................. R Jo Ann Davis......................... VA...................... Jonathan Kidwell............ 4-Sep.................. R X Ed Schrock........................... VA...................... Cheryl Clark................ 4-Sep.................. R X Dan Burton........................... IN...................... Mary Valentino.............. 4-Sep.................. R X Pete Sessions........................ TX...................... Tucker Anderson............. 5-Sep.................. R Jeb Hensarling....................... TX...................... Derek Baker................. 5-Sep.................. R John Carter.......................... TX...................... Ryan Henery................. 5-Sep.................. R X Kevin Brady.......................... TX...................... Gene Irisari................ 5-Sep.................. R Sam Johnson.......................... TX...................... Spencer Ritchie............. 9-Sep.................. R Michael Burgess...................... TX...................... Stacey DeFino............... 9-Sep.................. R Dennis Rehberg....................... MT...................... Jay Martin.................. 9-Sep.................. R Lamar Smith.......................... TX...................... Allison Beach............... 9-Sep.................. R Randy Neugebauer..................... TX...................... Peter Andres................ 9-Sep.................. R David Vitter......................... LA...................... Greg Facchiano.............. 9-Sep.................. R Ron Paul............................. TX...................... Anamarie Pratt.............. 10-Sep................. R Terry Everett........................ AL...................... Jeff Rabren................. 10-Sep................. R Chris Cannon......................... UT...................... Trevor Kolego............... 10-Sep................. R X Butch Otter.......................... ID...................... Brandon Heiner.............. 10-Sep................. R Adam Putnam.......................... FL...................... Casey Welch................. 11-Sep................. R X Todd Platts.......................... PA...................... Nate Sloan.................. 11-Sep................. R X Joe Barton........................... TX...................... Joby Fortson................ 11-Sep................. R Candice Miller....................... MI...................... David Hemenway.............. 12-Sep................. R X Virgil Goode......................... VA...................... Ward Anderson............... 12-Sep................. R Phil Gingrey......................... GA...................... Jonathan Osborne............ 16-Sep................. R Barbara Cubin........................ WY...................... Brandi Ladd................. 16-Sep................. R Ron Lewis............................ KY...................... Josh Nacey.................. 17-Sep................. R X John Sullivan........................ OK...................... John Rainbolt............... 17-Sep................. R X Spencer Bachus....................... AL...................... Johanna Cole................ 22-Sep................. R Marsha Blackburn..................... TN...................... Mike Platt.................. 23-Sep................. R X John Duncan.......................... TN...................... Patra Stephen............... 23-Sep................. R X Bill Janklow......................... SD...................... Marshall Damgard............ 24-Sep................. R X Bob Ney.............................. OH...................... Greg Mesack................. 24-Sep................. R Nathan Deal.......................... GA...................... Todd Smith.................. 24-Sep................. R X Ernest Istook........................ OK...................... John Albaugh................ 24-Sep................. R John Mica............................ FL...................... Gary Burns.................. 24-Sep................. R X Pat Toomey........................... PA...................... Brain Wild.................. 25-Sep................. R Bob Goodlatte........................ VA...................... Branden Ritchie............. 25-Sep................. R John Doolittle....................... CA...................... Kara Dougherty.............. 26-Sep................. R Roscoe Bartlett...................... MD...................... Chris Tontz................. 26-Sep................. R Mac Collins.......................... GA...................... Shawn Friesen............... 26-Sep................. R Mike Rogers.......................... AL...................... Amy Albro................... 26-Sep................. R Jeb Bradley.......................... NH...................... Brien Miller................ 29-Sep................. R Wally Herger......................... CA...................... Dan MacLean................. 29-Sep................. R Thaddeus McCotter.................... MI...................... Patrick Rothwell............ 29-Sep................. R Steve King........................... IA...................... Brenna Findley.............. 29-Sep................. R Cass Ballenger....................... NC...................... Tim Linker.................. 29-Sep................. R Roger Wicker......................... MS...................... Susan Sweat................. 29-Sep................. R Duke Cunningham...................... CA...................... Katie Hanvey................ 29-Sep................. R Marilyn Musgrave..................... CO...................... Jacob Leis.................. 29-Sep................. R Ginny Brown-Waite.................... FL...................... Bob Honold.................. 30-Sep................. R Robin Hayes.......................... NC...................... Jon Causey.................. 30-Sep................. R Sam Graves........................... MO...................... Paul Sass................... 30-Sep................. R Trent Franks......................... AZ...................... John Graves................. 30-Sep................. R Tom Feeney........................... FL...................... Ryan Visco.................. 30-Sep................. R Jim Gibbons.......................... NV...................... Dan Waters.................. 30-Sep................. R Chip Pickering....................... MS...................... Mike Hurst.................. 30-Sep................. R Chris Chocola........................ IN...................... Rich Dunn................... 30-Sep................. R Steve Pearce......................... NM...................... Matt Meagher................ 30-Sep................. R Gresham Barrett...................... SC...................... Greg Thomas................. 30-Sep................. R Eric Cantor.......................... VA...................... Bill Doblow................. 30-Sep................. R Jeff Miller.......................... FL...................... Steve Holton................ 30-Sep................. R John Hostettler...................... IN...................... Erin Berry.................. 1-Oct.................. R Duncan Hunter........................ CA...................... Lorissa Bounds.............. 1-Oct.................. R Todd Akin............................ MO...................... Franz Kohler................ 1-Oct.................. R Jo Bonner............................ AL...................... ............................ 1-Oct.................. R Henry Brown.......................... SC...................... Joe Gleboki................. 2-Oct.................. R John Boozman......................... AR...................... Brian Bullard............... 2-Oct.................. R John Culberson....................... TX...................... Ellie Essalih............... 3-Oct.................. R Roy Blunt............................ MO...................... Amy Field................... 3-Oct.................. R Johnny Isakson....................... GA...................... Tucker Shumack.............. 6-Oct.................. R John Kline........................... MN...................... Jim McGuire................. 6-Oct.................. R Mike Simpson......................... ID...................... John Revier................. 7-Oct.................. R Rick Renzi........................... AZ...................... Joanne Keene................ 7-Oct.................. R Don Young............................ AK...................... Justin Sprinzen............. 7-Oct.................. R Todd Tiahrt.......................... KS...................... AmyClair Brusch............. 8-Oct.................. R Bill Shuster......................... PA...................... Alex Mistri................. 8-Oct.................. R Mike Pence........................... IN...................... Trip Radtke................. 8-Oct.................. R Jack Kingston........................ GA...................... Stephen Anderson............ 9-Oct.................. R Donald Manzullo...................... IL...................... Conor Brown................. 9-Oct.................. R Philip Crane......................... IL...................... Andrew Wankum............... 9-Oct.................. R Charlie Norwood...................... GA...................... Jason Paluskiewiz........... 10-Oct................. R Jim Ryun............................. KA...................... Marcus Friesen.............. 10-Oct................. R Rob Bishop........................... UT...................... Miriam Harmer............... 14-Oct................. R Richard Baker........................ LA...................... Scott Kirkpatrick........... 14-Oct................. R Joseph Pitts......................... PA...................... Cindy Diggs................. 15-Oct................. R Lee Terry............................ NE...................... Robert Stein................ 15-Oct................. R Mike Rogers.......................... MI...................... Mike Ward................... 15-Oct................. R Zach Wamp............................ TN...................... Alex Richard................ 17-Oct................. R Robert Aderholt...................... AL...................... Brian Johnston.............. 20-Oct................. R Jerry Weller......................... IL...................... Troy Babson................. 20-Oct................. R Jim McCrery.......................... LA...................... Bob Brooks.................. 20-Oct................. R Bob Beauprez......................... CO...................... Bruce Miller................ 21-Oct................. R Randy Forbes......................... VA...................... Andy Halataei............... 21-Oct................. R Henry Bonilla........................ TX...................... Patrick Anderson............ 21-Oct................. R Thomas Petri......................... WI...................... Elizabeth Foy............... 21-Oct................. R Melissa Hart......................... PA...................... William Rys................. 23-Oct................. R Billy Tauzin......................... LA...................... James White................. 27-Oct................. R Steve Buyer.......................... IN...................... Myrna Dugan................. 28-Oct................. R Deborah Pryce........................ OH...................... Peter Freeman............... 29-Oct................. R Fred Upton........................... MI...................... Charles Yessiaian........... 29-Oct................. R Thomas Reynolds...................... NY...................... Tina Mufford................ 30-Oct................. R

William Jenkins...................... TN...................... Megan Caldwell.............. 30-Oct................. R Steve Chabot......................... OH...................... Kevin Fitzpatrick........... 31-Oct................. R Wiliam Thornberry.................... TX...................... Trey Bahm................... 3-Nov.................. R Cliff Stearns........................ FL...................... Alan Hill................... 3-Nov.................. R Scott Garrett........................ NJ...................... Jay Fahrer.................. 5-Nov.................. R Ken Calvert.......................... CA...................... Deena Contreras............. 7-Nov.................. R Phil English......................... PA...................... Christine Rogala............ 12-Nov................. R Devin Nunes.......................... CA...................... Kedrin Simms................ 18-Nov................. R Max Burns............................ GA...................... Zach Procter................ 19-Nov................. R Tom Tancredo......................... CO...................... Mac Zimmerman............... 21-Nov................. R Jim Nussle........................... IA...................... Luke........................ 24-Nov................. R Tom Cole............................. OK...................... Chris Arnold................ 1-Dec.................. R Rick Keller.......................... FL...................... Mike Shutley................ 9-Jan.................. R Scott McInnis........................ CO...................... Jack Allen.................. 22-Jan................. R Walter Jones......................... NC...................... Anne Cassity................ 26-Jan................. R Sue Myrick........................... NC...................... Matt Priest................. 28-Jan................. R John Peterson........................ PA...................... Angela Ambrose.............. 29-Jan................. R Dana Rohrabacher..................... CA...................... Meredith Curcio............. 29-Jan................. R Mario Diaz-Balart.................... FL...................... Charles Cooper.............. 29-Jan................. R Paul Ryan............................ WI...................... Ryan........................ 4-Feb.................. R Joel Hefley.......................... CO...................... Larry Hoja.................. 9-Feb.................. R Nick Smith........................... MI...................... Alan Knapp.................. 26-Feb................. R Frank Lucas.......................... OK...................... Marna Harris................ 26-Feb................. R Darrell Issa......................... CA...................... Josh Brown.................. 9-Mar.................. R Gary G. Miller....................... CA...................... Sandra...................... 11-Mar................. R Jeff Flake........................... AZ...................... Margaret Klessig............ 12-Mar................. R Tom Latham........................... IA...................... Kevin Berents............... 22-Mar................. R Kenny Hulshof........................ MO...................... Shaun Duignan............... 25-Mar................. R Nicholas Lampson..................... TX...................... Aaron Schmidt............... 31-Mar................. R Gary Miller.......................... CA...................... John Rothrock............... 1-Apr.................. R Curt Weldon.......................... PA...................... Mary........................ 5-Apr.................. R George Radanovich.................... CA...................... Emma........................ 23-Apr................. R Sherwood Boehlert.................... NY...................... Sam......................... 23-Apr................. R Charles Taylor....................... NC...................... Adam Shepard................ 26-Apr................. R Dave Weldon.......................... FL...................... Eric........................ 26-Apr................. R Jo Ann Emerson....................... MO...................... Tony Eberhard............... 28-Apr................. R Greg Walden.......................... OR...................... Dallas...................... 28-Apr................. R Shelley M. Capito.................... WV...................... Adam........................ 4-May.................. R Richard Pombo........................ CA...................... Josh Rolph.................. 5-May.................. R Harold Rogers........................ KY...................... Ben......................... 12-May................. R Katherine Harris..................... FL...................... Stuart Mallory.............. 17-May................. R X Dave Camp............................ MI...................... Chris Wenk.................. 17-May................. R Jim Gerlach.......................... PA...................... William Tighe............... 19-May................. R Gil Gutknecht........................ MN...................... Ryan McLaughlin............. 19-May................. R Mark Kennedy......................... MN...................... Tim Morrison................ 1-Jun.................. R Steven LaTourette.................... OH...................... Ryan........................ 2-Jun.................. R X Anne Northup......................... KY...................... Brooken Smith............... 4-Jun.................. R Richard Burr......................... NC...................... Ricky Welborn............... 4-Jun.................. R John Shimkus......................... IL...................... Bill........................ 9-Jun.................. R Howard McKeon........................ CA...................... Brandi...................... 9-Jun.................. R George Nethercutt.................... WA...................... Rob......................... 9-Jun.................. R Don Sherwood......................... PA...................... John Ormasa................. 9-Jun.................. R Doc Hastings......................... WA...................... Jenny Gorski................ 9-Jun.................. R John McHugh.......................... NY...................... Melanie Turpin.............. 9-Jun.................. R X Jerry Moran.......................... KS...................... Jenny Guttery............... 14-Jun................. R Ed Whitfield......................... KY...................... Benjamin Beaton............. 15-Jun................. R Charles Bass......................... NH...................... Jennifer Warren............. 16-Jun................. R Tom DeLay............................ TX...................... Elliot Burke................ 16-Jun................. R John Linder.......................... GA...................... Mike Swansburg.............. 16-Jun................. R John Boehner......................... OH...................... Gary........................ 17-Jun................. R John Sweeney......................... NY...................... Jim Christopolous........... 17-Jun................. R Kay Granger.......................... TX...................... Darin....................... 17-Jun................. R Patrick Tiberi....................... OH...................... Adam (LD)................... 17-Jun................. R X Ed Royce............................. CA...................... Darin Schrader.............. 17-Jun................. R Ander Crenshaw....................... FL...................... Francis..................... 17-Jun................. R Paul Gillmor......................... OH...................... Andrew Beck................. 18-Jun................. R Joseph Knollenberg................... MI...................... Kelly Haskin................ 20-Jun................. R Michael Bilirakis.................... FL...................... Jerry White................. 20-Jun................. R Jerry Lewis.......................... CA...................... Arlene...................... 20-Jun................. R Lincoln Diaz-Balart.................. FL...................... Ceaser Gonzo................ 22-Jun................. R John Shadegg......................... AZ...................... Stephen Prather............. 22-Jun................. R Elton Gallegly....................... CA...................... Michelle M.................. 22-Jun................. R Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.................. FL...................... ............................ 6-Jul.................. R X Howard Coble......................... NC...................... Anna Sagley................. 15-Jul................. R Jim Kolbe............................ AZ...................... ............................ ....................... R Judy Biggert......................... IL...................... ............................ ....................... R Micheal Turner....................... OH...................... ............................ 8-Jul.................. R X Michael Oxley........................ OH...................... ............................ 21-Jul................. R Peter Hoekstra....................... MI...................... ............................ 21-Jul................. R Rob Portman.......................... OH...................... ............................ ....................... R Ralph Regula......................... OH...................... ............................ ....................... R --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Washington for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the so-called District of Columbia Personal Protection Act and to this closed rule.

Mr. Speaker, today the Republican leadership is, once again, letting the American people down by considering the wrong bill at the wrong time under the wrong circumstances. Once again, we are considering legislation in the shadow of the November elections. With 5 weeks to go until Election Day, the Republican leadership has put the country's agenda on hold in order to force an unnecessary vote on a bad and stupid bill. Once again, the Republican leadership is catering to the special interests at the expense of the public good; and once again, the Republican leadership is squandering the House's very limited time with this foolish, misguided, election-year legislation.

Mr. Speaker, we are just one day away from the end of the fiscal year, and only one, and I repeat, one, appropriation bill has been sent to the White House. Not only are the remaining 12 appropriations bills left on the table, not only has the House failed to complete consideration of all of the appropriations bills, but the Republican leadership, which controls both Houses of Congress, cannot even agree upon a budget.

Mr. Speaker, the Republican leadership cannot get its act together on the highway bill, a bill that would create thousands of good-paying jobs. The Republican leadership cannot find the time to work on a bill to increase the minimum wage, even though wages are stagnant and over 4 million Americans have fallen out of the middle class and into poverty since George Bush became President. And the Republican leadership cannot even get its act together on the Department of Defense authorization or the FSC/ETI bill, each of which has languished in conference for months.

Mr. Speaker, as the House takes up this frivolous legislation today, the Republican leadership has yet to act on the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission report.

Although the other body is working on legislation to implement the 9/ 11 report and the Democratic leader of this

House has introduced legislation that addresses the report's recommendations, here we are today wasting precious time that could be used to debate the 9/11 report's recommendations. Will it take another September 11 anniversary before the Republican leadership will act? Will we see the Republican leaders' bill before the election? Will we have to wait until after November for the necessary reforms that will help make our country and our citizens safer against terror?

Mr. Speaker, if the American people want real leadership on real issues facing the Nation, they certainly should not look to this House of Representatives. Under this Republican leadership, this House has become a place where trivial issues are debated casually, and serious and important ones not at all.

In fact, today, we are debating H.R. 3193, a bill that would overturn Washington, D.C.'s laws and restrictions on the possession of firearms. Among its provisions, H.R. 3193 repeals the District's ban on semi- automatic assault weapons, its gun registration requirements and its ban on cop-killer ammunition.

That is right, Mr. Speaker, this bill puts cop-killer ammunition on the streets of our Nation's capital. Simply put, this legislation makes the Nation's capital a more dangerous place to be a police officer.

As D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams wrote to the congressional leadership, ``It is unthinkable that, while the Nation's capital is under alert, Congress should take action to expose more than half a million residents, almost 200,000 Federal workers and 20 million tourists to greater danger.''

It is unthinkable, Mr. Speaker, to put our officers at greater risk at a time when Capitol Police expect $20 million in additional unbudgeted expenditures to secure the Capitol Building for this year. The last thing they need to hear is that semi-automatic weapons can now be carried on the National Mall or cop-killer bullets are legal in the District of Columbia.

While the bill changes the law to allow District of Columbia residents to carry pistols, open or concealed, in their homes and places of business, it does not repeal another District of Columbia gun law. The law we will not repeal today is the provision outlawing people carrying or having readily access to firearms ``upon the United States grounds or within the Capitol Buildings.''

So we will vote to approve guns in another person's workplace in the District but not in our offices.

It is unthinkable that only 2 years after the Washington area was terrorized by snipers who killed ten people in the region and while the Nation's capital is still under terrorist alert, Congress would take action to expose more than half a million District residents, almost 200,000 Federal workers and 20 million tourists to greater danger.

This bill will make the District of Columbia a more dangerous place to live, to work and to study.

Although Members of this body may disagree on gun issues, surely, we can all agree that the citizens of the District of Columbia should not have to face fully-loaded assault weapons on their streets, in their neighborhoods and around their schools.

But, Mr. Speaker, this bill and this rule did not have to be so lousy. Last night, the Committee on Rules had the chance to make this a better bill and a better process. Instead, the leadership of the Committee on Rules decided to pass a rule that makes a mockery of the deliberative process Congress is supposed to follow when we consider bills.

First of all, the Republican leadership brought this bill to the floor without consideration by the committee of jurisdiction, the Committee on Government Reform. Then, last night, when members from both parties brought amendments to our committee, the Committee on Rules rejected them all. The rule does not make in order the gentlewoman from California's (Mrs. Bono) and the gentlewoman from New York's (Mrs. McCarthy) amendment addressing the fact that this bill repeals the ban on cop-killer bullets. This closed rule guarantees that this bill would emerge from this House with no real debate or consideration. This House floor has become a ``legislation-free zone.''

Mr. Speaker, this issue is about more than guns. This issue is about how the residents of Washington, D.C., are treated. Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that the Members of Congress from Indiana or Texas or Massachusetts have a monopoly on wisdom when it comes to local laws, and I would not presume to impose on the citizens and elected officials of the District of Columbia something that would never, never, never be allowed or accepted by my own city council or State legislature.

Mr. Speaker, not one constituent of any voting Member of Congress will benefit by today's action. As the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette stated in an editorial published just last week on September 21, 2004, ``This page believes Washington should be able to set its own gun- control laws but acknowledges that honest people can disagree regarding the city's second amendment rights. But there is little doubt that, right now, Souder's bill is simply a waste of Congress' time and does nothing to improve good government or help his constituents in Indiana.''

Mr. Speaker, let us follow what the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette wrote and address the real needs of our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am a little bit baffled by the previous speaker to imply that somehow the passage of this bill would make the residents of D.C. safer. If this bill is enacted, the following weapons would be lawful to possess:

The AK-47, the Israeli Semiautomatic Uzi Carbine, the Bushmaster X- 15, which was used by the D.C. area snipers to kill 10 people in 2002; the Barrett M82 A-1 50-caliber sniper weapon, which has the range of about 1 mile and is used by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and worldwide to penetrate bunkers, to disable armored personnel carriers, and to take down enemy aircraft. This bill would allow fully-loaded assault weapons to be carried in public. This bill would allow armor- piercing ammunition, including cop-killing bullets. This bill would eliminate the District's registration program even for assault weapons. This bill would allow individuals to carry concealed hand guns in their places of business and property.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe that anybody can say with a straight face that this will make the residents of D.C. and this country safer.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. Speaker, how much time remains on both sides?

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a letter from Mayor Anthony Williams and a letter from the Chief of Police, Charles Ramsey, in strong opposition to this legislation.

We have heard from the gentleman from Oklahoma and we have heard from the gentleman from Georgia who think they know everything about what the people of the District of Columbia need and deserve; how about listening to the mayor of this city and to the police chief of this city who say this is a bad bill which will make the streets of this city more dangerous?

Washington, DC, September 16, 2004.

Hon. Tom DeLay,

Majority Leader, House of Representatives,

Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Representative DeLay: Princess Hansen. James

Richardson. Chelsea Cromartie. Myesha Lowe. These are the

names of four children who will never see adulthood. These

are the names of four children whose parents are devastated

by grief. These are the names of four children out of 14 who

were killed by illegal guns in the District since January.

On behalf of the residents of the nation's capital, I am

writing to express strong displeasure upon learning that

federal legislation to repeal the city's gun control laws

could shortly come to a vote in the House of Representatives.

The District of Columbia Personal Protection Act of 2004 is

not just a step back in our efforts to control crime--it is a

couple of football fields back.

I take sharp exception to this wholly inappropriate

intrusion into what is clearly a local matter. On behalf of

the residents of the District of Columbia, I urgently ask you

to take no further action on this legislation. It is

unthinkable that while the nation's capital is under alert,

Congress would take action to expose more than a half a

million District residents, almost 200,000 federal workers

and 20 million tourists to greater danger.

The District of Columbia has been governed by an elected

Mayor and thirteen elected Council members since 1975. During

the Council's first legislative session in 1976, the District

passed legislation that restricted the possession, use and

transfer of handguns and semiautomatic weapons. The courts

have upheld the constitutionality of this law and no bill has

been passed in the District to water down our gun-control

laws since.

District leaders have enacted gun safety legislation based

on our citizens' view that any increase in the number of guns

in the District increases the likelihood that crimes will be

committed with those guns. We have made significant progress

in reducing crime, although we still have work to do. This

year alone, District residents have witnessed a 24 percent

reduction in homicides and a 13 percent decrease in overall

crime. There is no way to argue that lifting our weapons bans

will not jeopardize this progress. My administration has

worked very hard to produce these results and I ask you to

respect our efforts by leaving one of our most important

anti-crime tools in place. My greatest frustration is that in

spite of the significant reduction in homicides, 14 children,

the largest number in five years, have been killed by guns

this year. These killings, some by children, are reason

enough to do no more harm by allowing more guns in our city.

Our residents know all too well the human costs exacted by

guns and violence. Eighty percent of all homicides in the

District last year were committed with guns, all of which

were brought into the city illegally. Because of the porous

nature of our borders, we can never rely on laws alone to

keep guns out of our city, but these laws are indispensable

local tools to combat crime. Our ability to reduce homicides

would be severely compromised if--in addition to confiscating

guns brought in from other jurisdictions--we were required to

combat gun violence from weapons maintained, carried and

bought within the District.

We are taking aggressive measures to further reduce

homicides and violent crime in the city by increasing the

number of sworn officers to 3,800, restructuring our Patrol

Service Areas, strengthening our investigative capacity, and

improving 911 response times.

For Princess Hansen. For James Richardson. For Chelsea

Cromartie. For Myesha Lowe. I implore you to take no further

action on the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act of

2004. The citizens of the District of Columbia want nothing

more than other American citizens would demand and get--the

right to make our own decisions about our public safety.

Sincerely yours,

Anthony A. Williams,

Mayor.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Wynn).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, let me begin by reading a ``Dear Colleague'' letter from the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the ranking member, and the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Tom Davis) entitled Please ``Oppose

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am compelled to begin by noting the ludicrous logic on which this debate has already begun. The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder), the prime sponsor, has just argued that gun safety laws cause murders by arguing the fallacious notion of causation. I am embarrassed for the statement.

Mr. Speaker, in my nearly 14 years in Congress, I have come to regard Members not only as colleagues but as friends. At the same time, I have seen various Members of Congress try to do some low-down, dirty, mean things to the people of the District of Columbia, all to promote their own political agendas against the will of the people who live here.

This bill to repeal the city's gun safety laws, when child gun killings have sharply increased, scrapes the bottom of the lowest level yet. As citizens, we in the District of Columbia do not take attacks on our all-American right to self-government lying down. I am grateful that these attacks occur less frequently today, and am particularly grateful to the appropriators who have

discouraged the use of the D.C. appropriation for such attacks.

Congress has seen that we are prepared to fight and fight hard, with D.C. appropriation fights in the past sometimes lasting 8 to 10 hours, with vetoes of our appropriation that we encourage to compel changes. And Congress has seen that we are always prepared to take the fight to the home district of a Member to let his own constituents know that their Member is taking time from their concerns to mettle in the local business of a local jurisdiction far from home.

Notwithstanding prior fights on D.C. matters, the attempt to repeal our gun safety laws is a brand new low for this body. That we are here discussing this matter is yet a new low. Repeal shows special contempt for the people who live here because the city has sharply reduced its homicide rate, now at a 20-year low, down almost 25 percent this year alone, and down 55 percent since the assault weapon ban and the Brady bill were passed in 1994. At the same time, the city is heartbroken that 16 children have been killed by gunfire, more than in any recent year.

Repeal advocates claim they want guns here to help people protect themselves. Can repeal help the children killed by guns in increasing numbers here in the Nation's Capital to protect themselves?

Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the 16 names of the children killed by gunfire this year, and an article on Chelsea Cromartie, the youngest of these children.

More Guns Mean More Children Dying

Robert Adams, 16; Chelsea Cromartie, 8; Devaun Drayton, 17;

Javon Gaskins, 16; Timothy Hamilton, 15; Jahkema Hansen, 14;

Antoine Holroyd, 16; Myesha Lowe, 15; David McMorris, 16;

James Richardson, 17; Michael Simms, 17; Franklin Smith, 17;

Wardell Smith, 17; Michael Swann, 13; Roderick Valentine, 16

and Ashley Walker, 16.

D.C. Homicides Down 24% this year but, more children slain

by guns in the first 5 months of this year than in all of

last year and more than in any recent years.

Save Our Children.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the ranking member of the full committee with jurisdiction over this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I take the gentleman's suggestion that we can scare criminals away by yelling ``gun'' but not that we have guns in our own homes fully assembled, loaded and ready to go.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman).

Mr. Speaker, for the information of the gentlewoman, 100,000 guns are registered in the District of Columbia. We encourage people to use rifles for sports.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\3/4\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), chairman of the Committee on Government Reform.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

My law-abiding citizens in the southeast and everywhere else in the District of Columbia have not elected this Member but only the Member before him. So I would appreciate the courtesy of his not telling me what the law-abiding citizens of the southeast want or need. They will get rid of me if I am doing the wrong thing today. They cannot touch him, unfortunately, if he does the wrong thing.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, in all deference to the gentleman from Arkansas, handguns in homes in this town are not used by people. Those guns, according to the police chief, quickly make their way to the streets and do not stay at home. At home, however, they are overwhelmingly used for domestic violence.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on the District of Columbia of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record an article on al Qaeda seeking ties to local gangs that appeared in the Washington Times.

[From the Washington Times, Sept. 28, 2004]

Al Qaeda Seeks Tie to Local Gangs

(By Jerry Seper)

A top al Qaeda lieutenant has met with leaders of a violent

Salvadoran criminal gang with roots in Mexico and the United

States--including a stronghold in the Washington area--in an

effort by the terrorist network to seek help infiltrating the

U.S.-Mexico border, law enforcement authorities said.

Adnan G. El Shukrijumah, a key al Qaeda cell leader for

whom the U.S. government has offered a $5 million reward, was

spotted in July in Honduras meeting with leaders of El

Salvador's notorious Mara Salvatrucha gang, which immigration

officials said has smuggled hundreds of Central and South

Americans--mostly gang members--into the United States.

Although they are actively involved in alien, drug and

weapons smuggling, Mara Salvatrucha members in America also

have been tied to numerous killings, robberies, burglaries,

carjackings, extortions, rapes and aggravated assaults--

including at least seven killings in Virginia and a machete

attack on a 16-year-old in Alexandria that severely mutilated

his hands.

The Salvadoran gang, known to law enforcement authorities

as MS-13 because many members identify themselves with

tattoos of the number 13, is thought to have established a

major smuggling center in Matamoros, Mexico, just south of

Brownsville, Texas, from where it has arranged to bring

illegal aliens from countries other than Mexico into the

United States.

Authorities said al Qaeda terrorists hope to take advantage

of a lack of detention space within the Department of

Homeland Security that has forced immigration officials to

release non-Mexican illegal aliens back into the United

States, rather than return them to their home countries.

Less than 15 percent of those released appear for

immigration hearings. Nearly 60,000 illegal aliens designated

as other-than-Mexican, or OTMs, were detained last year along

the U.S.-Mexico border.

El Shukrijumah, born in Saudi Arabia but thought to be a

Yemen national, was spotted in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in

July, having crossed the border illegally from Nicaragua

after a stay in Panama. U.S. authorities said al Qaeda

operatives have been in Tegucigalpa planning attacks against

British, Spanish and U.S. embassies.

Known to carry passports from Saudi Arabia, Trinidad,

Guyana and Canada, El Shukrijumah had sought meetings with

the Mara Salvatrucha gang leaders who control alien-smuggling

routes through Mexico and into the United States.

El Shukrijumah, 29, who authorities said was in Canada last

year looking for nuclear material for a so-called ``dirty

bomb'' and reportedly has family members in Guyana, was named

in a March 2003 material-witness arrest warrant by federal

prosecutors in Northern Virginia, where U.S. Attorney Paul J.

McNulty said he is sought in connection with potential

terrorist threats against the United States.

A former southern Florida resident and pilot thought to

have helped plan the September 11 attacks, El Shukrijumah was

among seven suspected al Qaeda operatives identified in May

by Attorney General John Ashcroft as being involved in plans

to strike new targets in the United States.

Citing ``credible intelligence from multiple sources,'' Mr.

Ashcroft said at the time that El Shukrijumah posed ``a clear

and present danger to America.'' In August, an FBI alert

described him as ``armed and dangerous'' and a major threat

to homeland security.

Earlier this month, Mr. Ashcroft confirmed that U.S. border

agents and inspectors had ramped up efforts to find El

Shukrijumah amid reports that the al Qaeda leader was thought

to be seeking entry routes into the United States along the

U.S.-Mexico border.

Mr. Ashcroft noted that increased enforcement efforts were

under way in the wake of a rise of arrests of border jumpers

from Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan,

the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

Authorities said Mara Salvatrucha gang members moved into

the Los Angeles area in the 1980s and developed a reputation

for being organized and extremely violent. The gang since has

expanded into the Washington area, including Virginia and

Maryland, and into Oregon, Alaska, Texas, Nevada, Utah,

Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Georgia and Florida.

More than 3,000 Mara Salvatrucha gang members are thought

to be in the Washington area, with a major operation in

Northern Virginia. Other gang centers, authorities said,

include Montgomery and Prince George's counties and the

Hispanic neighborhoods of Washington.

Mr. McNulty, whose office has prosecuted Mara Salvatrucha

gang members, has described the organization as the ``gang of

greatest interest'' to law enforcement authorities. He said

gang members are recruited predominantly from Hispanic

communities and typically among juveniles, some as young as

13. Recruits are ``jumped'' into the gang by being beaten by

members while others count to 13, he said.

Gang rules, he said, are indoctrinated into new recruits

and ruthlessly enforced. Those who cooperate with law

enforcement are given the ``green light,'' he said, meaning

that the gang had approved their killing.

In March, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office filed an

injunction against Mara Salvatrucha, charging that the gang's

criminal activity constituted a ``public nuisance'' based on

the number of killings, robberies and drug crimes. The

injunction requires gang members, under public nuisance

statutes, to follow curfew rules and regulations and

prohibits them from associating, driving or appearing

together in designated areas of the city.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), a member of the full committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).

(Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

In closing, I would just like to give the Members a sense of what this bill would do. If it passes, it would allow someone to carry a 50- caliber sniper rifle in one hand, armor-piercing ammunition, and incendiary combination ammunition in the other, and go into our Metro, so long as he, and let me read this to my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, as long as he was on his way to an informal target practice or a dog obedience training class.

Mr. Speaker, this is sheer lunacy. Save yourself from embarrassment. Save our children. Save our Nation. Save this Congress from looking like idiots and fools in the middle of an orange alert by bringing more guns into the Nation's capital. Vote ``no'' on H.R. 3193.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, when this law was first introduced, it was simply regarded as another absurd piece of legislation. There are lots of them during a session of Congress. When we moved toward a vote on this law, it left the realm of the absurd and entered the realm of the truly reckless, particularly reckless and callous at a time when 16 of our children are dead from guns in this city, far more than in any recent year; and at a time when, to their credit, the mayor of the city and the police chief of the city have reduced adult homicides by 25 percent.

I am on the floor this morning largely because this repeal will largely affect kids in the District of Columbia, and I cannot believe that that is the will of the great majority of the people of this House. There could not be a more wrong time or a more wrong place, a more wrong city, a more wrong region. This region still has not recovered from the sniper attack of 2002, which left 10 people in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia dead, 5 more injured from a Bushmaster assault weapon that would now be legal to have in your homes, to have in your businesses, to have in your workplaces in the District of Columbia, in the Nation's Capital, which is now under an orange alert.

This bill did not move anyplace, Mr. Speaker. It was referred to the Committee on Government Reform, on which the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) and I both serve. He is the primary sponsor of this bill. There was no interest in the committee in this bill. The committee is deep into matters affecting Iraq and Homeland Security and Federal reorganization in the DOD, in the Department of Homeland Security, and even in the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources, which I am pleased to serve on with the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder).

Of course, this bill had to leap over every subcommittee and leap over the committee, because it never got a hearing, because there was no interest and there was no view that this is the kind of bill, particularly after 9/11, that any self-respecting Member of Congress would want to bring to the floor of the House. Yet here it has come, courtesy of the leadership of this House.

Moreover, this matter was considered a settled matter, if ever any matter is. The one group of local matters most prized as local in our country are criminal justice matters. And this matter has been settled by the people who

will be overwhelmingly affected if you vote for repeal today. It has been settled by the people of the District of Columbia, who alone have the right to make decisions as to how to safeguard their lives.

Thank you very much, you of the paternalistic variety who are going to tell us how to safeguard our lives. I am not going to tell you I do not expect you to tell my mayor, I do not expect you to tell my unanimous city council, I do not expect you to tell me, that is to say, if you still believe this is a Federal Government and you believe that we are as much citizens of the United States as you are, and we are.

When this bill came to the floor, with no opportunity to make any changes, of course, the only thing you can do is to go to the Committee on Rules. There we found a hostile attitude toward amendments, except amendments from one Member. Members came forward from both sides. This is a matter of compelling interest to the entire country. And the only Member to in fact get an amendment in order was the sponsor of the bill. He happens to be a Republican. No partisanship there, of course.

Actually, that fact, the one amendment coming from the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder), the sponsor, is the front end of the partisanship of this bill. This bill is not about whether it will pass or fail. It comes a month before election, for reasons that the Members have not even tried to deny: Close to the election, let us hold up the Democrats, especially the Democrats from rural areas, from southern areas, from western areas. Let us dare them to vote for home rule, as they usually do. Let us take them down with NRA ads if they do. Everybody gets it. That is the only reason Democrats are on this bill. They saw Democrats taken out by NRA distortions of their positions on weapons just a few years ago.

The Souder amendment is really an amendment to wipe the red off the sponsor's face because he had sent a Dear Colleague, advising that a previous Dear Colleague saying that the bill would allow fully-loaded assault weapons to be carried in public was a matter of scare tactics. I can understand why the gentleman from Indiana made the mistake. It is not his law, it is not his business, he does not know what he is talking about, and he made the kind of mistake I would make if I tried to mess in the business of his jurisdiction. I am not familiar with what they do. He made a straight-out error. He said, oh, no, we were wrong; he was right.

Then, of course, he comes forward with an amendment, which is a mea culpa that admits that he was wrong. Actually, his amendment does not help very much, because it assumes an assault weapon, a Bushmaster, a loaded handgun which you could keep in your home, in your business, that somehow they are going to be contained in your homes, in your businesses, in your workplaces. Everybody knows that once you have a gun there, it stays there. That is, unless you have the experience of running the District of Columbia or living in the District of Columbia. And as our police chief says, there would be a moment, a moment in time before weapons in people's homes would find their ways to the streets to settle domestic violence matters, acquaintance quarrels, kids settling matters among themselves.

And, Mr. Speaker, we have even seen some of that when guns have gotten into kids' hands. We know what would happen with those guns because we live here and we know our people. They would make their way into Ward Six, where I live, which is close to the Capitol, and they would surely make their way to the streets in the poorest wards of the city, across the Anacostia River, where most of the killings of residents, and particularly of children, have taken place.

The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) does not know any better, and I can forgive him that. What I cannot forgive him is introducing and pressing this bill at a time when we have child killings at a record we have not seen in many years. Why in the world would anybody want to make laws for somebody else's jurisdiction?

So I said, well, if I could do only one amendment, what would I do? Because I knew that you would not want to put in a great many amendments to a bill that was being put forward for transparently political reasons. And I said, I know the one I would do, because I know what I have heard from my police chief. I would put in an amendment to say at least if you are going to have ammunition, let there be no cop killers' ammunition. And I came forward with an amendment that was aimed chiefly at doing whatever little we could do to protect our police officers and our children, the two categories of people most vulnerable because they are the disproportionate victims.

This amendment, however, like every Democratic amendment, was not made in order. I think it goes without saying that most Members would prefer not to have armor-piercing incendiary ammunition floating around their districts. The fact is that the kind of ammunition that my amendment would bar are not barred by Federal law. In fact, Congress, in fiscal year 2001, fiscal year 2002, and fiscal year 2003, in the DOD appropriation, actually added to the appropriation language that barred armor-piercing incendiary ammunition being transferred from DOD to private parties.

In the name of my children and police officers, I thought maybe they will throw me this sop. There are no sops to be thrown here. This bill not only is brought forward for political purposes, this bill is brought forward in callous disregard of these children. Their parents have been to the Hill, begging to have this vote rescinded. Our mayor, our new superintendent of schools, and our police chief were here yesterday to say this is exactly what we do not need.

I ask you to respect the people who know best, the people who will have to pay the price, the people who have had to go to the funerals. I ask you to defeat this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule and this bill. The rule before us is a closed rule allowing only 60 minutes of debate and prohibits consideration of all the Democratic amendments offered to the Rules Committee.

Mr. Speaker, this bill repeals District of Columbia's laws that ban the sale and possession of handguns and semiautomatic weapons that have been in effect for over three decades.

Our constituents expect us to work on issues of national concern.

They expect us to complete the annual appropriations process and avoid a government

shutdown. Yet, today, with the end of the fiscal year 2 days away, Congress has only managed to complete one appropriation bill.

They expect us to continue to provide States with Federal assistance to build and maintain the Nation's highways. However, Congress has not acted to renew authorization for billions of dollars for critical surface transportation projects that expire on Friday. They expect us to take up the 9/11 Commission's recommendations to make America safer. They expect us to enact legislation to create new jobs and address the plight of the unemployed.

They do not expect us to waste the little time remaining on a bill that the chief sponsor in the other body has all but abandoned hope of getting to the President.

Why on earth is this body squandering the little time remaining in this session on this bill? One word. Politics. Brazen, election-year politics.

With only 7 legislative days left in this Congress, I know that my constituents sent me here to vote on bills of more importance to their lives.

H.R. 3193 repeals several District of Columbia firearms laws and limits the authority of the District to enact new firearms legislation.

Specifically, the bill repeals the District's ban on the sale and possession of handguns, handgun ammunition and semiautomatic weapons.

Mr. Speaker, I do not know where to begin in expressing my outrage about the legislation before us today.

The rule before us blocks consideration of meritorious amendments offered by my colleagues at Rules last night. These amendments would have reinstated the District's ban on semiautomatic assault weapons, reinstated the Federal ban on semiautomatic assault weapons, and reinstated the District's prohibition on the sale of armor-piercing bullets--the so-called ``cop-killer'' bullets.

I think the majority of our constituents would be appalled to learn that this bill exempts semiautomatic weapons that fire 12 or more shots without manual reload from the District's ``machine gun'' restrictions.

We should be here considering legislation to renew the national assault weapons ban that unceremoniously expired a couple of weeks ago--not making a mockery of DC's restrictions on semi-automatic weapons.

As DC Mayor Anthony Williams wrote to congressional leadership, ``It is unthinkable that while the Nation's capital is under alert, Congress should take action to expose more than half a million residents, almost 200,000 federal workers and 20 million tourists to greater danger.''

It is unthinkable to put our officers at greater risk at a time when Capitol Police--alone--are asking for $20 million to secure the Capitol Building for this year. The last thing they need to hear is that semi- automatic weapons can now be carried on the National Mall or cop-killer bullets are legal in the District.

It is worth pointing out the hypocrisy of my colleagues who support this bill by arguing that the District's gun laws infringe on DC citizens' second amendment right to bear arms.

While the bill changes the law to allow DC residents to carry pistols, open or concealed, in their homes and places of business, it does not repeal another DC gun law. The law we will not repeal today is the provision outlawing people from carrying or having readily access to a firearm ``upon the United States Grounds or within the Capital Buildings.''

So we will vote to approve guns in another person's workplace in DC, but not in our offices.

It is unthinkable that only 2 years after the Washington area was terrorized by snipers who killed 10 people in the region, and while the Nation's capital is still under a terrorist alert, Congress would take action on this bill.

We must not lose sight of the innocent victims of gun violence.

Yesterday, the front page of the Washington Post reported that a 13- year-old boy was fatally shot inside his apartment, the 21st child killed this year in DC.

When we voted on this same issue in the aftermath of the Columbine shootings, it failed by a vote of 175 to 250. I hope my colleagues remember their outrage to that senseless killing and recognize that this bill and the recent lapse of the 1994 Federal ban on semi- automatic weapons place our children in more danger.

So, Mr. Speaker, to recap, we are not considering bills to create jobs, we are not passing the budgets for Federal agencies and services, and we are not improving our homeland security. No, today we are debating legislation to allow more lethal guns and ammunition to be on the streets of our Nation's capital--in the hands of would-be terrorists, gang members, and other violent criminals.

Mr. Speaker, again, I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this closed rule and to vote against the underlying bill.