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Report: Senators seek ban on Israeli guns
September 28, 1997
Web posted at: 2:55 p.m. EDT (1855 GMT)WASHINGTON (Reuter) -- Thirty members of the Senate asked President Clinton Saturday to block the importation from Israel of thousands of semi-automatic weapons altered to meet American requirements, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.
The senators made their plea in a letter to the White House. The letter was written by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and all but two of the signers were Democrats, the Times reported.
Originally these guns were automatic weapons, but they have been altered to fire one bullet with each pull of the trigger -- making them semi-automatic.
The weapons were modified to avoid restrictions outlined in an assault weapons ban in 1994.
The Uzi and Guilil weapons from Israel "would be sold by an American firm in a deal already approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms...," the Times reported.
Feinstein said "while the Israeli transaction is a top priority, suspensions may also need to be considered against 14 other countries possibly exporting to the United States copycat assault weapons," the Times reported.
The Times reported that federal restrictions have proved to be easily circumvented by weapons manufacturers who have cosmetically modified their weapons to conform with statutes without diminishing the weapons' firing capacity and potential for wounding multiple victims.
Copyright 1997 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Related stories:
- Gun control foes take Brady complaints to Supreme Court - December 2, 1996
- House shoots down ban on assault weapons; veto likely - March 22, 1996
Related sites:
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- Assault Weapons Ban - Senator Diane Feinstein
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
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