Bush Allows Assault Weapons Ban to Expire, Sides With Gun Lobby; Kerry Crime-Fighting Plan Receives Endorsement of the National Association of Police
Kerry's get-tough-on-crime plan received the endorsement of the National Association of Police Organizations, while Bush has sided with the gun lobby, allowing the Assault Weapons Ban to expire. Here are the details of the 6-point Kerry-Edwards crime fighting plan to keep America's families safe from crime.
Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 16, 2004 -- With the president today
standing with the powerful gun lobby and turning his back on police officers and
families by letting the assault weapons ban expire, Democratic presidential
nominee John Kerry said that George W. Bush has made the wrong choices on crime.
Unveiling the Kerry-Edwards crime prevention plan, Kerry pledged to move the
country in a new direction and keep America’s families safe from
crime.
Kerry’s event in Washington, DC was held on the tenth anniversary
of the 1994 crime bill that put 100,000 more police officers on the street and
gave law enforcement more tools to crack down on crime. But under George W.
Bush, the success of the 1990s is eroding. Murders and gang violence are up, and
the ban on assault weapons will end Monday because President Bush has caved to
special interests and refused to lift a finger to extend it, despite evidence
that al-Qaeda is seeking these weapons.
John Kerry and John Edwards are
committed to keeping America’s communities safe and have a plan that puts the
safety of families and communities first. Their plan will put more cops on the
street, fight crime and make our communities stronger. As a result of this
commitment, Kerry was endorsed Monday by the National Association of Police
Organizations (NAPO).
NAPO is a coalition of police unions and
associations from across the United States.
“Ten years ago today, with
the leadership of police officers all across the country, we passed a tough
crime bill to protect America,” Kerry said. “We made sure that criminals
couldn’t get their hands on assault weapons, and we put 100,000 cops into our
nation’s communities where they could make an impact and stop crimes before they
happen. But then George Bush became president. And when his powerful and
well-connected friends asked for a massive tax cut, he said ‘sure,’ and he’s
paying for it by gutting the COPS program, slashing gang prevention and cutting
enforcement programs that keep drugs like meth off the streets.”
The
president has sought to eliminate more than 80 percent of COPS funding in each
of his budgets even though the program contributed to the largest continuous
drop in crime on record. These cuts have been followed by an increase in murders
of 800 per year. Gang violence and methamphetamine use have also experienced
increases under Bush.
Similarly, after passage of the assault weapons
ban, the number of banned assault weapons traced to crimes declined by 65
percent. But today, the president is caving to the NRA, which is spending
millions to support his campaign, and letting the ban expire
“George Bush
gave police officers his word that he would keep the ban,” Kerry said. “But when
it came time to extend it, Bush’s powerful friends in the gun lobby asked him to
look the other way. He just couldn’t resist, and he said ‘sure.’ He chose to
make the job of terrorists easier and make the job of America’s police officers
harder. That’s wrong. Let me be very clear. I support the Second Amendment. I’ve
been a hunter all my life. But I don’t think we need to make the job of the
terrorists any easier.”
As a former prosecutor, Kerry knows what it
takes to put criminals behind bars and keep America’s streets safe. He helped
lead the fight to put 100,000 police officers on the street, and today, unveiled
a plan, fully paid for, that will:
* Put More Cops on the Street and Give
Them the Support They Need. By restoring full funding for COPS, Kerry and
Edwards will enable America’s police departments to increase the number of cops
on the beat by 10 percent over the next 10 years. They will also support $25
billion in fiscal relief to states and communities, including $15 billion in
unrestricted aid that will help to meet the homeland security needs of our
police departments.
* Keep Guns Out of the
Hands of Criminals and Terrorists. As an avid hunter, Kerry supports the Second
Amendment right to keep and bear arms, but he also understands that hunters
don’t need and don’t use AK-47s, but criminals and terrorists do. Kerry will
reauthorize the assault weapons ban as well as support John McCain’s legislation
to close the gun show loophole. Kerry will also enforce the gun laws on the
books, as George Bush promised and failed to do, and also create new regional
task forces of U.S. Attorneys to battle the interstate trafficking of guns.
* Fight Gang Violence. Kerry and Edwards will
turn around rising gang violence by supporting a proven, two-part strategy.
First, they will crack down on violence by gangs and gang members with a policy
of zero-tolerance. Second, they will show young people the way to productive,
responsible participation in their communities by expanding opportunities for
young people in trouble.
* Fight Methamphetamine
Trafficking in Rural Areas. Kerry and Edwards will strengthen support for
efforts to help sheriffs break up methamphetamine production and sales in “hot
spots” throughout rural America.
* Hire 5,000
New Community Prosecutors and Give Prosecutors the Tools They Need. While George
Bush has sought to eliminate the community prosecutor program, Kerry will
increase support for the program and enable the hiring of 5,000 community
prosecutors over the next five years.
* Reinvent
Probation and Parole. Within the COPS program, John Kerry will fund personnel
and technology to track ex-offenders. With modern technology, police departments
can send electronic notices to every police car about releases and locations for
every parolee.
“George Bush made a choice today,” Kerry said. “He chose
his powerful friends in the gun lobby over the police officers and the families
he promised to protect. The president made the wrong choice. When I am
president, we will set America in a new direction with a plan to fight crime and
keep our communities safer.”
For more information on Senator Kerry's
stand on National Security, Energy Independence, Economy and Jobs, Health Care,
Homeland Security, Education, Environment, Veterans, and Stronger Communities,
read the Kerry-Edwards Plan for America at www.johnkerry.com/issues/ .
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/9/prweb158964.htm