Washington, DC – Today the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) sent a letter to the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jerry Nadler (D-NY) commending him for scheduling a committee vote this week on H.R. 1808, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2021. The bill, authored by Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), would make it illegal to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon or large capacity ammunition feeding device. This is in line with long-standing official policy of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the letter from USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran urges all Committee members to support the legislation.
You can read the full letter to Chairman Nadler here. It reads, in part:
“For too many years we have seen the damage these weapons have done, the carnage left in their wake, most recently in Highland Park, Uvalde and Buffalo. They have no place among the civilian population of our nation. And neither do bumpstocks or large capacity feeding devices. America’s mayors know these are weapons of mass destruction and they are destroying our communities, our streets and our families.
“The U.S. Conference of Mayors has been calling for sensible gun laws to protect the public for more than 50 years. Our call for a ban on assault weapons dates back to 1991. Mayors and police chiefs from cities of all sizes have worked together in this effort over these years.
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“Neither our police officers nor our residents, especially our children, should be confronted with these weapons on the streets of our cities, in our schools, in our movie theaters, in our grocery stores, in our places of worship, at a July 4th parade, or in other civilian settings. America’s mayors pledge to work with you and Representative Cicilline and others to enact the Assault Weapons Ban.”