-- On anniversary of massacre involving military-style assault weapons, elected officials & advocates call on the President and Congress to save and strengthen weapons ban --

(White Plains, NY) New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV) was joined by Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano, Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, and Jackie Hilly of the Westchester Children's Association to commemorate the five-year anniversary of the Columbine High School Massacre; as they called for renewal and strengthening of the federal assault weapons ban that will expire September 13, 2004. The teen killers at Columbine used different weapons, including a military-style TEC-DC9 assault pistol in the April 20, 1999 school shooting that left 13 dead and 23 wounded. President Bush and Congress must renew and strengthen the federal ban on military-style assault weapons to help ensure that similar massacres never happen again.

Semi-automatic assault weapons are civilian clones of military weapons whose only purpose is to kill large numbers of people. Assault weapons are used to kill police officers and continue to be prized by a variety of criminals. A recent analysis of FBI data found that between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2001 one out of five law enforcement officers slain in the line of duty was killed by an assault weapon.

President Bush pledged his support for the ban during the 2000 election and Attorney General Ashcroft stated in testimony before Congress his support of the ban on assault weapons. Yet, the ban will expire in less than five months and there has not been action from Washington to ensure that these weapons of war are kept off of our streets.

"We as a nation cannot continue to stand by and watch as these "anti-personnel" weapons wreak havoc in our neighborhoods and threaten our security" Andy Pelosi, Executive Director of NYAGV said today. "Have we not learned a lesson from Columbine and the Washington DC area sniper case where 10 people were killed and three injured by a copy cat, post ban assault weapon; or will we allow these weapons of war to be readily available for the next angry teen and homicidal adult"?

Jackie Kuhls, Public Policy Director of NYAGV added, "At a time when the safety of law enforcement personnel and our fellow residents must be a top priority, Washington has let us all down by catering to the gun lobby instead of passing a law that will ensure that military weapons are only available to members of the armed forces and not on the streets of America".

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