WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder said Friday that President Barack Obama’s proposals to ban high-capacity magazines and assault weapons are “essential” to any effort to combat gun attacks.
Holder called on Congress to swiftly pass an expansion of the background-check system for gun purchases and pushed lawmakers to vote for Obama’s other gun proposals as well.
“These measures represent essential parts of any serious, comprehensive effort to eradicate violence,” Holder said at a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington.
A month after the shooting that killed 20 students and six educators at a Connecticut elementary school, Obama this week laid out proposals to regulate guns. He asked Congress to pass legislation to reinstate a ban on sales of assault weapons, limit high-capacity ammunition clips, and mandate background checks for all gun buyers.
Lawmakers, in the midst of dealing with deadlines to fund the government, prevent across-the-board cuts to defense spending and raise the debt ceiling, have given mixed reviews to the Obama proposals. While some Democrats in both chambers have embraced the push and planned legislation and hearings, Republicans, who control the House, and Senate Democrats facing re-election have taken a more reluctant approach and voiced concern about the proposals threatening individuals’ rights.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a proponent of tougher gun laws and co-chairman of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, also urged city leaders to press Congress to pass Obama’s proposals. The measures would reduce gun crimes and suicides, he said.
After Colorado expanded its background-check requirements, fewer guns from the state turned up at crime scenes in other states, he said. The 1994 assault-weapon ban also lessened their use in crimes before it was allowed to expire in 2004, he said.
“We need to tell our members of Congress that they’ve got to stand up for sensible gun laws and if they do that, we will stand up for them,” Bloomberg said at the mayors’ meeting. “And if they don’t, we will stand up for whoever runs against them - because that’s exactly what the NRA is tryingto do.”
Holder acknowledged the difficulty some lawmakers face in voting to tighten regulations on guns as they prepare for 2014 re-election races. He asked them to support the proposal despite the risk.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 01/19/2013