Conferees Endorse Ban on 19 Kinds of Assault Weapons for Crime Bill

A joint congressional committee approved Wednesday a ban on 19 types of semiautomatic assault weapons as part of a sweeping crime bill.

The conference committee of representatives and senators is trying to resolve differences over crime bills the Senate passed last November and the House approved in April.

House members of the conference voted, 6 to 4, to include the gun ban in the crime bill. Senate conference members had approved the ban, 5 to 4, on Tuesday.

“These assault weapons do not belong on our streets. They were made for one purpose, to kill as many people as possible,” said Rep. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).

But Rep. Jack Brooks (D-Tex.) said the ban would do little to reduce violent crime. “The bad guys will continue to procure these weapons,” he said.

President Clinton strongly supports the ban, but the National Rifle Assn. opposes the measure.

The final version of the bill as approved by the conference must pass both the House and Senate. Rep. James F. Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) said the gun ban might kill the entire bill by prompting a filibuster in the Senate.

The Senate had included the ban as part of its version of the bill, while the House passed it as a separate bill by a two-vote margin.

The bill includes the “three strikes and you’re out” mandatory life sentence after three convictions for violent crimes.