HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES-2004-066 Requesting Congress & President of the USA to Reauthorize the Assault Weapon Ban~ES•~~~`~-d ~~
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMIVIISSIONERS q - ~ ! ~ o~d 0~
la 0.-
RESOLUTION REQUESTING CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT. OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA TO REAUTHORIZE THE FEDERAL ASSAULT WEAPON BAN
WHEREAS, assault weapons are military-style firearms designed to allow rapid and accurate spray
firing to kill a large number of people in a short period of time; and
WHEREAS, assault weapons are the firearms of choice for criminals and terrorists, at a time when
terrorist threats and deeds have compromised the security of the citizens of the United States; and
WHEREAS, the judgment of our lawmakers is in question in making it easier to acquire assault
weapons; and
WHEREAS, assault weapons have been used in mass shootings including the Apri120, 1999
massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, which left 13 dead and 23 wounded and also the
2002 sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C. area, which left 10 dead and three wounded; and
WHEREAS, the Orange County Sheriff s Department supports the ban, acknowledging assault
weapons threaten the safety of America's law enforcement officers, having been used to kill one in
five officers slain in the line of duty between 1998 and 2001, according the FBI statistics; and
WHEREAS, the federal assault weapon ban (18 U.S.C. - 921 et seq.), which expired on September
13, 2004, prohibited the manufacture, transfer and possession of semi-automatic assault weapons
and the transfer and possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices (i.e., those capable of
holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition) and any semi-automatic firearm with at least two
specific military features including flash suppressors and folding stocks and the ability to accept a
detachable magazine; and
WHEREAS, assault-style firearms banned under the 19941aw, which has expired, include several
versions of assault pistols based on the MAC-10, Street Sweeper-revolving cylinder semiautomatic
shotgun, and the AR-15 based on the U.S. military's M-16; and
WHEREAS, the federal ban does not affect firearms designed for hunting and legitimate sporting
uses;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Orange County Board of Commissioners
urges Congress and President Bush to reauthorize a Federal Assault Weapon Ban.
This 215` day of September 2004.
Barry Jacobs, Chau•
Orange County Board of Commissioners