Clinton Urges Hunters to Back Assault Gun Ban

President Clinton stepped up his campaign to ban assault weapons Saturday, urging hunters in an open letter to help outlaw firearms “designed for the battlefield.”

In his letter, Clinton stressed that he had been a hunter since age 12 and offered assurances that he would “not allow the rights of hunters and sportsmen to be infringed upon.”

But he added: “I know the difference between a firearm used for hunting and target-shooting and a weapon designed to kill people.”

The Senate has approved legislation that would outlaw assault weapons, and a vote is expected in the coming week in the House, where proponents of the measure are still short of support.

Clinton and various Cabinet members have lobbied for the legislation with frequent public appearances. The President is intensifying efforts on behalf of the bill with a White House event Monday, mailings to newspaper editorial boards and individual lobbying of swing lawmakers, aides said.

The legislation at issue would stop the manufacture, sale and new possession of 19 semiautomatic assault-style weapons, bar production of copycat models and limit detachable magazines to 10 rounds.

The assault-weapons ban is being debated as part of a broader anti-crime package in Congress.