Guns

At the request of members, the Special Investigations Division of the minority staff and the Office of Special Investigations of the General Accounting Office have investigated several gun-related issues.

Chronology

Monday, September 27, 2004
H.R. 3193, the Assault Weapons in DC Act
On Sept. 29, the House will consider H.R. 3193 -- legislation that would make it legal to carry fully loaded assault weapons and possess armor-piercing ammunition in the nation’s capital city. Members of Congress, the D.C. City Council, and others have spoken out against the measure.
- Rep. Waxman's Statement
- Fact Sheet
- Letter to the President
- Dear Colleague: Reps. Waxman and Tom Davis
- Dear Colleague: Rep. Conyers
- Dear Colleague: Rep. Norton on DC Businesses
- Dear Colleague: Rep. Waxman on Mayor Williams and Chief Ramsey
- Dear Colleague: Reps. Norton and McCarthy
- Letter from the D.C. City Council
- Letter from the Violence Policy Center

Thursday, April 18, 2002
GAO Report Shows Criminals Easily Fake Gun Licenses and Buy Firearms
A GAO report reveals significant problems with the regulation of gun dealers and demonstrates the surprising ease with which criminals can use fake gun dealer licenses to bypass background checks and obtain large numbers of firearms. Rep. Waxman has written Treasury Secretary O'Neill to urge him to take action to prevent these abuses.
- Letter to Secretary O'Neill

Tuesday, November 06, 2001
Criticism of DOJ Gun Records Policy
Rep. Waxman participated in a press conference in which he criticized Attorney General John Ashcroft for refusing the FBI's requests to investigate the gun records of suspected terrorists.
- Rep. Waxman's Statement

Wednesday, March 21, 2001
Investigation Finds Loopholes in Gun Background Checks
At the request of Rep. Waxman, the Special Investigations Division and GAO examined the effectiveness of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). As part of this investigation, GAO agents used off-the-shelf software to make counterfeit drivers licenses and then used these false IDs to buy guns in five states: Virginia, West Virginia, Montana, New Mexico, and Arizona. The agents were successful in all five states. As part of the investigation, GAO issued its own report concluding that the instant background check system cannot ensure that prospective purchasers are not felons or others ineligible to buy guns.
- Rep. Waxman's Statement
- Briefing Transcript
- GAO Report
- The Report

Tuesday, June 13, 2000
Legislation Relating to Fifty Caliber Rifles
At the urging of Reps. Blagojevich and Waxman and other members, Congress enacted one important piece of legislation in 1999 relating to fifty caliber sniper weapons as part of the Department of Defense appropriations bill (Pub. L. No. 106-259). This law prohibits the Department of Defense from selling armor-piercing ammunition for fifty caliber weapons to civilians through its demilitarization program. Other Important Pieces of Legislationrelating to fifty caliber sniper weapons have been introduced by Reps. Blagojevich and Waxman, but not enacted into law. In 1999, Reps. Blagojevich and Waxman introduced the Military Sniper Weapon Regulation Act (H.R. 2127) to regulate these weapons under the restrictive standards utilized for machine guns and other dangerous weapons. In 1999, Reps. Blagojevich and Waxman also introduced the Law Enforcement Official Protection and Officer John C. Knight Memorial Act (H.R. 2421) to regulate the sale and manufacture of armor piercing and incendiary ammunition.
- Bill Text: H.R. 2127
- Bill Text: H.R. 2421
- Relevant Provisions of Pub. L. NO. 106-259

Tuesday, August 17, 1999
Suspect Organizations and Individuals Possessing Long-Range Fifty Caliber Sniper Weapons
At the request of Reps. Blagojevich and Waxman, the Special Investigations Division and the Office of Special Investigations of GAO investigated criminal organizations that use fifty caliber sniper weapons. This investigation found numerous instances in which these weapons were involved in serious crime, including the use of fifty caliber weapons by Branch Davidions at Waco, during multiple homicides at a shopping center in Colorado, and in a foiled assassination attempt against Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
- About the Report

Friday, June 18, 1999
Civilian Access to Military Armor Piercing Ammunition
At the request of Reps. Blagojevich and Waxman, the Special Investigations Division in conjunction with the Office of Special Investigations of GAO worked to reveal how the Department of Defense indirectly armed citizens with some of the most powerful and destructive ammunition available. Armor piercing ammunition for fifty caliber weapons can pierce armored vehicles and bulletproof glass when fired at a distance of over a mile. Until Congress acted in response to the investigation (see section below on "Legislation Relating to Fifty Caliber Rifles"), military surplus fifty caliber armor piercing ammunition was readily available in the U.S. civilian market as a result of a little-known Department of Defense demilitarization program.
- The Report