Rep. Adam Schiff said in a statement Tuesday that an Assault Weapons Ban should be reinstated in light of the Colorado shooting where suspect James Holmes allegedly shot 71 people within 90 seconds using an assault rifle.
Schiff is one of few Democrats who has spoken out on guns after the tragedy.
The federal Assault Weapons Ban, which prohibited the manufacturing of certain semi-automatic firearms for civilian use, expired in 2004.
Here's what Schiff has to say:
“I was deeply saddened by the tragic and senseless shooting at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater. Our priority must be aiding and comforting the victims and their families. I also believe we should take this moment to examine our laws and determine how we can prevent horrendous acts like this one in the future. We will never be able to stop all senseless acts of violence – there will always be those, who, for reasons unfathomable to us all, decide to take the lives of innocent people around them. But there are some common sense steps we can take to make these types of shootings more rare and less destructive.
"First, my colleague Senator Feinstein led the charge almost twenty years ago to pass the Assault Weapons Ban, but it has since been allowed to expire. It is past time to put that law, which would have outlawed the type of gun used by the shooter, back in place. Second, we should pass the Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act sponsored by Congresswoman McCarthy, which would prohibit the sale of ammunition magazines that can hold more than ten rounds at a time. The ability to fire 30 or even 100 shots without reloading increases the destructive capacity of shooters while serving no legitimate purpose. Third, we must also examine legislation to close the gun show loopholes and crack down on straw purchasing, both of which help divert guns out of legal channels and into black markets where they are easily obtained by criminals and the mentally ill.
“I realize, of course, these steps will not stop all mass killings, or even all mass shootings. As the Governor of Colorado pointed out, if this killer didn't have access to the weapons and ammunition he used, he might have built a bomb instead. But it is also true that we do not need to make such killing easy, and I do not believe that anything in the Second Amendment, or any desire to hunt or for self-protection requires ready access to assault weapons with extended ammunition clips."
Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, who represents part of Monrovia, spoke out strongly against placing any additional restrictions on gun ownership the day after the Colorado shooting.
"Unless you are on scene, and armed, there is al...most nothing that we can do about deranged killers like this guy in Colorado; there is no need to further restrict gun rights because it will have no effect other than to make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens from exercising their right to defend themselves, and Gov't has already done enough damage!," Donnelly wrote on his Facebook page.
So what say you? Should we bring back the assault weapons ban? Take our poll, and let us know your thoughts in comments below.
