Thank you for contacting me regarding the federal regulation of firearms and ammunition. I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter.

 

I have been truly saddened to hear of the cruel and deadly acts of violence committed against innocent victims across our country. The shootings in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, 2011; Aurora, Colorado on July 20, 2012; Oak Creek, Wisconsin on August 5, 2012; and the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012, have all deeply affected our nation.

 

In the immediate aftermath of the Newtown shooting, President Obama pledged to use the power of his office to engage all of us in an effort to prevent more of these tragedies. On December 19, 2012, the President established a task force headed by Vice President Biden to come up with proposals to address gun violence. On January 16, 2013, the President unveiled the task force's recommendations, which included 23 Executive Actions that President Obama has already begun initiating. These actions do not require congressional approval.

 

Included in the President's plan is a comprehensive set of proposals to require background checks for every gun sale, to ban assault weapons, to make schools safer, and to increase access to mental health services. To learn more about the President's proposals, please visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/preventing-gun-violence#what-we-can-do.

 

While President Obama has made progress on this important issue, he can't do everything that needs to be done to prevent gun violence. Congress must act as well. One of the President's proposals that requires congressional action is to reinstate and strengthen the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. This federal law was in effect from 1994 to 2004. Under this law, the use of high capacity ammunition magazines like the ones used in recent shootings in Tucson and Newtown would have been banned. In an effort to keep high capacity ammunition magazines like these off our streets, I was proud to join 20 of my colleagues in the Senate in support of S. 150, the Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2013. S. 150 would ban semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices. The bill was introduced by Senator Feinstein (D-CA) on January 24, 2013. I am also a cosponsor of S. 2, the Sandy Hook Elementary School Violence Reduction Act which was introduced by Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) on January 23, 2013. This bill expresses the Senate's support for President Obama's efforts and indicates that Congress should act to address gun violence in a broader, more holistic fashion including improving access to mental health services and providing the necessary tools to identify individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others. Both of these measures have been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, of which I am a member. I will work with my colleagues to see these measures advanced.

 

While reinstating and strengthening the assault weapons ban is an important step in helping to reduce gun violence, there is still much more to be done. On January 30, 2013, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held its first hearing of the 113th Congress to gather information and hear testimony on this important issue. During the hearing, I raised the issue of improving our mental health services by ensuring our schools have enough psychologists, counselors, and social services personnel to help identify and treat mental illness. You can view the testimony and video of the hearing at http://www.judiciary.senate.gov.

 

Addressing gun violence will require robust debate. Effective legislation should balance the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens with the need to protect our communities. While we may not agree on every approach to this important issue, I believe that all voices should be heard and considered. This is a debate whose time has come and I look forward to working with all my colleagues to develop legislation that we can all be proud of.

 

Please be assured that I will keep your views in mind as the Senate Committee on the Judiciary continues its work to develop balanced, effective legislation on this important issue.

 

Again, thank you for contacting me. If you would like to stay in touch with me on this or other issues of importance to you, please visit my website at http://www.hirono.senate.gov. Please do not hesitate to contact me again in the future if I may be of assistance to you in any way.

Aloha,
 
Mazie K. Hirono
United States Senator

I was going to start another thread but I'll just post this here. This is the response to my email to her requesting her not to support any time of bans

Thats the exact email I recieved.