Quigley Joins Fight to Remove Weapons of War from Our Communities

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) joined U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline (RI-01) and other gun violence prevention advocates to introduce the Assault Weapons Ban of 2015, which prohibits the sale, transfer, production, and importation of new military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines.

“In the 10 years since the Assault Weapons Ban lapsed, these firearms were used in more than half of all mass shootings. The shooters in San Bernardino, Colorado Springs, Sandy Hook Elementary School, Aurora, and Roseburg, Oregon all had high-capacity weapons and ammunition. Congress cannot continue to stand by as these weapons of war are bought and sold freely,” said Rep. Quigley. “I’m proud to be an original co-sponsor of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2015. It is time we enact laws that effectively address the public’s safety and keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.”  

The Assault Weapons Ban of 2015 will prohibit the sale, transfer, production, and importation of:

• Semi-automatic rifles and handguns with a military-style feature that can accept a detachable magazine;
• Semi-automatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can hold more than 10 rounds;
• Semi-automatic shotguns with a  military-style feature;
• Any ammunition feeding device that can hold more than 10 rounds;
• And 157 specifically-named and listed firearms.

The bill also sets new standards to prevent “default proceeds” – the standard that allows firearms dealers to complete a sale if a buyer’s background check is not completed within three days. Under the proposed law, the background check period will be extended to 14 days for the sale or transfer of an existing assault weapon. If it is determined that a gun was sold to a prohibited individual, the FBI will be required to notify federal, state, and local law enforcement so the weapon can be retrieved as quickly as possible and the buyer can be held accountable for violating federal law.

Rep. Quigley helped introduce the Assault Weapons Ban of 2015 at the U.S. Capitol Building.

“More than half of all mass shooters who killed four or more people used an assault weapon. That’s because the sole purpose of an assault weapon is to inflict as much damage as possible in as short an amount of time as possible,” added Rep. Cicilline. “This bill is an important first step that will restore some sanity to the way we treat guns in the United States.”

Assault weapons were used in attacks last month in San Bernardino and Colorado Springs. Shooters also used them to commit mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, and a community college in Roseburg, Oregon. When an assault weapon or a high-capacity magazine is used in a shooting, the number of victims who are killed increases by 63 percent.

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Quigley has called on Congress to stand up to the gun lobby in America. Most recently, he co-authored a bipartisan background check bill that expands the existing background check system to cover all commercial firearm sales. He also introduced the Good Neighbor Gun Act, which would require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a voluntary code of conduct for licensed gun dealers and create a national “Good Neighbor” certification for gun dealers who abide by a certain set of requirements. His signature legislation, the TRACE Act, cracks down on the illegal gun market by improving gun tracking data and provides law enforcement the tools it needs to enforce current gun laws. Rep. Quigley believes Chicago’s gun violence epidemic demands a federal response. He has led bills to increase funding to public safety and combat gun violence in the Chicago area, and is an original sponsor of the Buyback Our Safety Act to bolster gun buyback initiatives.

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