The House Committee and the judiciary will come toto order we can declare recesses at any time we welcome everyone to this mornings hearing on the assault weapons i now recognize myself. Assault weapons have been repeatedly v used for violence on her citizens just the last two years, las vegas, parkland, pittsburgh, vegas, parkland, pittsburgh, mid and odessa. We have seen powerful shootings and Mass Shootings in those communities shattered by violence. But todays hearing is whether america will tolerate weapons but simply put civilian assault weapons or semi automatic versions of military weapons. And now to feel as quickly as possible now to rapidly and repeatedly fire human targets without stopping to reload designed for maximum bloodshed. And then to address the assault weapons estate laws have proven to easy to evade. This is one reason i support a national ban on assault weapons despite californias ban a man could drive across the border into nevada to buy a 75 round highcapacity magazine and use this to kill people and wounded 17 others inzi a matter of minutes at the festival. Gunmen intent on killing one person or many will return to kill others we must talk about how to address this problem the night before the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 was a watershed event and offer and never that guides our efforts today it is the effectiveness of that law has shown mass shooting fatalities are 70 percent less likely to occur then the periods before and after the band. Another study found the band was associated with a 25 percent drop in 40 percent drop of fatalities. But it was not without its shortcomings during the ban putting profits over morality so that they are technically legal. One ak47 and in spite of the assault weapons im sorry Assault Rifle than the highcapacity magazines through the anti gun media and that political incorrectness coming in various forms is flourishing thereov are more models and accessories to choose from than ever before womackof how to evade the law if we address how to address the problem of assault weapons we must examine the loophole of the 1994 law. Although that lethal impact is evident from the Mass Shootings the assault weapons present a far greater problem the daily threat to our communities with those particular instances causing mass casualties to cause bone make national news. The criminals even without causing loss of life on a wide scale have terrorism the response to the daily toll of gun violence in the streets and schools and places of work but that has changed earlier this year this committee reported in the house passed legislation to expand and improve our background checkck system the committee recently approvedys bills to establish systems for extremist protection orders and highcapacity magazines preventing individuals from hate crime misdemeanors from possessing meyer one firearms well see if the Senate Leadership will consider the gun manufacturers are not with this legislation todays hearing continues the taskng of addressing the National Problem of gun violence. Today we will discuss assault daweapons in the options of dealing with these dangerous weapons of war and tomorrow we will conduct a hearing with Community Responses of gun violence in our cities. We must take that comprehensive approach to solve that crisis of gun violence that too long has been ignored by National Leaders we know the American People want us to examine the facts to find solutions and this is an important step toward that goal i would like to recognize the survivors and advocates here today including those who knew parkland and moms demand action i thank you for your tireless advocacy that inspires us all thank you to the witnesses for here today and i look forward to your testimony. Understand the Ranking Member will proceed to witness testimony at this time to recognize the Ranking Member for his Opening Statement. Without objection all Opening Statements will be included in the record i will now introduce todays witnesses. Daytonor of ohio, since the mass shooting this august he has been a leading advocate of gun safety legislation. Before joining city governmentma he served in the Monterey County board of elections and receiving her ba from university of dayton. Nextit the Texas Tech University teaching at el paso and after the shooting and walmart he treated victims of the shooting and received m. D. University of texas school of medicine san antonio. So the chief of to serve 30 years. And serving as chief of police of George WashingtonUniversity Also the first africanamerican woman with that Operations Division and receive a ba and ma from Carnegie Mellon and also with the academy in quantico virginia. Before joining that policy center the council of the consumers union. And from George Washington university. Amy is a senior legal policy analyst at the center for legal and judicial studies at the Heritage Foundation. Previously she held positions at the Lancaster County nebraska public defenders office. She received her bs in criminal justice and jd from university of nebraska. And of the dc project every state to washington dc each year on behalf of gun owners previously sheus served 22 years in the Police Department as well as steve receiving bachelor science criminal justice in Central Missouri and david is a senior policy cadvisor and member of the Firearms Committee chief of police. And serving 25 years special. Gent tobacco firearms and explosives with American University and management from Johns Hopkins we think the witnesses for participating in todays hearing please rise. Raise your right hand. [laughter] do youy swear or affirm under penalty of perjury that just when youre about to give was correct and best to your knowledge and belief so help you god . May be seated let the record show the witnesses answered in the affirmative greet written statement would be entered into the record in its entirety and ask you summarize your testimony in fiveny minutes there is a timing light on your table when heyellow you have one minute to conclude your testimony. You may begin. Spin i thank you chairman on auh at 1 00 oclock a. M. The district was bustling like it usually is with a Diverse Group of friends and neighbors enjoying a a night out people hopped between bars and restaurantsch as last call approach others waited in line at a popular taco truck for a late night snack but that change in an instant. One oh 5 00 a. M. The young man with the ar 15 walked down the alley between the two bars and began spraying high velocity rounds into the crowd. He then turned down a crowded street as people try to run for safety. Friends pulled each other into doorways to escape bullets one man through his girlfriend to the ground and covered her body with his own. People literally ran out of their shoes. Less than one minute later nine people were dead and 17 others were shot. Dozens more injured in the commotion. Thirtytwo seconds. In just 32 seconds, 26 people shot, nine families lost loved ones and dozens more will never be the same. The entire incident was over in half as much time that i have been speaking to you so far today. Seconds the weapon did exactly what it was designed to do, kill or injure as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time. A weapon designed to inflict maximum damage to human beings leaving a trail of destruction not on a battlefield but historic street in dayton ohio. I visitedim the crime scene the morning after the shooting. The thing i remember the most clearly is the smell of bleach a street sweeper was used to try to clean the road and then men in hazmat suits were scrubbing the sidewalk. The meat was still on the grill of the taco truck the little yellow packard showing where bullet casings were found were scattered. I was inmp a place that was both completely familiar and foreign. The shooting occurred nearly two months ago but our sidewalks are still stained even after numerous power rushes, buildings and street signs still have holes in them. These are just the physical scars left by the shooting. Young people who are in the district that night talk about the new fear of crowd crowds, bartenders are consumed with anxiety neighbors dread the sound of fireworks after being awakened by gunfire. The whole city is hurting because a young man with a history of violentasld ideas cod get his hands on a weapon capable of suchuc destruction. And yet we are lucky just 32 seconds after the shootingng began Dayton Police neutralize the gun man. He was killed as he attempted to enter a bar were hundreds hiding. E were if hes shot 26 people on the street and 32 seconds what could he have done in that bar cracks we are so lucky seven Police Officers were less than a block away when the shooting began we are so lucky they relied on training and courage and ran directly into the gunfire. And with that impossible situation that confronted them widely asked them to face down weapons that could do so much damage and so little time . And to honor these heroes the white house is honor these heroes. But if we are serious about thanking our brave firstre responders felicia not confront a weapon that kills nine people and 32 seconds. No one should. The evening after the shooting thousands of people gathered for a vigil on the same street were night neighbors died hours earlier. Into take the stage hundreds of people shouted in frustration do something. Do something. And those across the country that it demands a response that a young person and those on patrol have to face down weapons capable of so much distraction. N. I am here on behalf of the citizens of dayton and mayors across the country to keep weapons like this off of your street and asking you to do something. Thank you chairman. Ranking member collins and House Judiciary Committee dig you for the opportunity i have been a trauma surgeon at the University MedicalCenter El Paso the past two years on a saturday morning august 3rd i finished a typical 30 hour shift at the hospital picked up mcdonalds on the way home to get some sleep until sunday morning i do it again. And then i received a text message from a chairman of surgery he was out of town. I didnt think much of it. The active shooter of alert one month earlier there was only one victim. Surely they could handle this but two minutes later everybody go to the hospital and active shooter we will get four or five victims. Now a little later it was over and it was 20 minutes. More than 20 were killed more than 20 were injured. I ran red lights to get to the hospital as trying to coordinate would be there to operate by the time i arrived each patient needed surgery. One that drew my attention was a patient with cpr in projects one process was talking a few minutes before now lifeless. And began cardiac impressions. Blood immediately spilled to the floor after working for severald minutes the efforts were futile and we had to pronounce time of death. At this point i could not process this would work to do. Im not a military surgeon but what i saw our gunshot wounds in the legs and other areas and exit wounds larger than a grapefruit. What could create this type of destruction . And damage control then they were sowing those close when there are more patients to be addressed so with that dressing the wounds and then a kept addressing numerous and on injuries. I treated countless patients with gunshot wounds from the firearms sometimes its even difficult to find the whole endocrine cut that could even look like a pencil but this is not so but in the span of 34 minutes those patients that came in the other main hospital in town received 117 others went straight to the or and some had to return to the operating room several more times that in the next few months the multiple procedures would have to be performed and in the aftermath that day we did save 13 out of those 14 that arrived to us but that last patient haunts me every night i looked at the autopsy recently to get closure she was protecting her child was actually shot in the back she had a hole the size of a baseball on top of her long the vessels were nonexistent if it was by a small firearm she would have had a chance of survival but theres nothing i could do to fix that type of injury i hope she know she died protecting her child. Thank you. Community chairman and Ranking Member and from the judiciary on behalf of the executive board the National Organization i am a member of noble and chief of police for the charlottesville Police Department in charlottesville virginia. It is an honor to provide sawritten testimony from assault weapons. Them is concerned about the level of gun violence in the United States and specifically the correlation between violence and proliferation of assault weapons of highcapacity ammunition magazines. It is our organizations opinionli that particularly gun violence is a health issue and as with all issues demands a comprehensive nonjudgmental pragmatic evidenced of based on based approach to reducing injury. No others those that prevent gun violence of which we are a member is committed to addressing the pervasive nature of gun violence. With his terrific on horrific impact across america. Specifically those to include homicide, suicide and accidental shootings involving assault weapons is unacceptable. And to be clear noble defines assault weapons a semi automatic guns with a highcapacity ammunition magazine designed for military use. We advocate for limiting high capacity magazines at ten rounds and those semi automatic assault weapons. In 2016 it accounted in one out of four Police Officers killed in the line of duty to gun violence. And then to support the recreational safety firearms o use or the federal assault weapons ban and also the reauthorization act of 2004. We currently support hr eight which is a bipartisan act for all americans. Assault weapons have been used in the tree of life synagogue shooting and we believe the level of gun violence directed at Police Officers and our community required an organized and aggressive response from policymakers at the federal and state and local level. Elected officials must commit to the current regulatory system of those of other prohibitive persons to access firearms and those that allow the trafficking of illegal guns. Law enforcement plays a ctitical role to solve crime the effective strategies concerning the illegal possession of trafficking in criminal use of firearms are vital and we need to be supported by Data Research and training andnd practices. Publicsa health and safety they must have resources sufficient of officers in communities the crisis of gun violence necessitates a sustained uncoordinated and collaborative effort with the citizens and elected officials and Law Enforcement and the entire criminal Justice System prick on behalf of leaders of noble thank you for the ability to maintain Public Safety while continuing to address the issue of gun violence or member stand ready to meet the needs of ourha committee and the nation we thank you for the opportunity for you to do the same. Thank you very much. Thank you mister chairman and members of theuc committee and National Education organization. Generally semi automatic assault weapons are civilian versions of military assault weaponsar they look the same as their military counterpart they are identical save for one feature it is a machine gun fully capable of fire they dont just happen but well defined combat needs that functional design feature to have that ammunition magazine the gun industry introducesin semi automatic versions to create and exploit new civilian markets the gun industry aggressively markets assault weapons in the 1980s and although the gun lobby today argues there is no such thing and now euphemistically referring to them the industry of gun magazines enthusiastically describe that version as Assault Rifle and weapons to boost civilian sales throughout the eighties. The industrys marketing assault weapons have intensifiedke through the traditional hunting and sporting today is miller tries gun industry has focused primarily on developing increasingly lethal assault weapons the gun Industry Marketing Campaign stresses the ought semi automatic that is available to the equivalent of associates by the military the marketing material i will just give you one example of the 2019 catalog firearms are the stuff of legend it is in the battlefront built for the home front. Public Mass Shootings directly coincide with the increasing availability of highcapacity magazines and assault weapons. Prior to the eighties, the united u states very rarely experienced the trauma of a public mass shooting that began to changeeg in 1984 when James Huberty decided he wanted to go hunting for humans at a mcdonalds in california. He wielded a carbine to kill 21 and wounded 19 now they are coming with increasing frequency and higher death tolls. The impact of the focus of the military style firearms from those weapons chosen by the mass shooters like the shooter whod killed mine and wounded 27 chose the ar type