Clinton Urged to Stop Import of Assault Guns

Thirty U.S. senators Saturday urged President Clinton to suspend the importation of thousands of assault weapons that have come to symbolize the ineffectiveness of laws designed to staunch the spread of such rapid-fire guns.

In a letter sent to the White House, the senators--all but two of them Democrats--urged Clinton to use his executive authority “to prevent this transfer of arms to American streets on behalf of public safety.”

Specifically, the lawmakers asked Clinton to block the importation from Israel of semiautomatic Uzi and Galil firearms that have been modified to avoid restrictions placed on them and other assault weapons in 1994.

These so-called copycat guns would be sold by an American firm in a deal already approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and detailed in a recent Times series on flaws in state and federal assault weapon laws.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who wrote the letter, said that although the Israeli transaction is a priority, suspensions may need to be considered against 14 other countries possibly exporting to the United States copycat assault weapons.

“We want the president to look at the broad issue,” Feinstein said.

Clinton was in Little Rock, Ark., on Saturday and could not be reached for comment on the senators’ effort. Although aides traveling with him said he had not yet seen the letter, congressional sources said he is aware of the request and is seriously considering it.

Meanwhile, Israeli government spokesman Gadi Baltiansky said the mounting congressional opposition to the weapons deal has triggered a series of high-level discussions involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the nation’s foreign and defense ministries.

“Israel pays a lot of attention to the mood and atmosphere on [Capitol] Hill and, of course, we see as serious the views expressed by such a respected group of senators,” Baltiansky said.

Among those signing the strongly worded letter were Democratic Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, Joseph R. Biden (D-Del.), John Glenn (D-Ohio), Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Republicans John H. Chafee of Rhode Island and James M. Jeffords of Vermont.

Also signing was Sen. Robert G. Torricelli of New Jersey, whose state is no stranger to assault weapon incidents: In April 1995, two Haddon Heights police officers were killed and a third wounded during a routine child welfare investigation when a gunman wielding an AK47 opened fire on them.

A strong supporter of Israel, Torricelli said he never envisioned that he would be part of a campaign critical of that country’s government, which owns the company exporting the contested weapons.

“If there’s any country in the world that should understand the problem of dangerous weapons and the damage they can do in a civil society,” Torricelli said, “it is Israel.”

He said he could not let “an obvious evasion of the law” exist without adding his voice.

Torricelli and several other senators who have urged the president’s intervention said even more needs to be done to stop the proliferation of rapid-fire assault weapons, perhaps including tougher legislation.

As The Times series last month showed, federal restrictions have proved to be easily circumvented by weapons manufacturers who have cosmetically modified their weapons to conform with statutes without diminishing the weapons’ firing capacity and potential for wounding multiple victims.

“This is exactly what we feared when we were writing the law,” Torricelli said, “that manufacturers would make modifications to their weapons . . . so that the law would have no practical effect.”

Torricelli said such problems could be helped by legislating a broader definition of assault weapons instead of the current focus on individual gun characteristics or specific weapons. He and other gun control advocates also favor a strict ban on large-capacity ammunition clips.

The law prohibits the manufacture of clips holding more than 10 bullets. But the statute made an exception for clips manufactured before September 1994. As a result, millions of high-capacity clips and drums--holding as many as 100 rounds--can be legally purchased.

New Jersey approached this problem by outlawing all large capacity clips--a move that Torricelli said could serve as a model for federal legislation.

Also signing the Clinton letter was Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.). His state, too, has seen its share of assault weapon-related tragedies. In March 1995, a rookie Chicago police officer was killed and another wounded by a gang member wielding a TEC-9 semiautomatic assault weapon.

“When you see these weapons, I don’t understand how any rational person cannot see what is happening in this country,” Durbin said. “When foreigners visit our country, one of the most outrageous parts of our culture to them is our passion for guns.”

He said he would support legislation banning all imports of semiautomatic assault weapons. “America doesn’t need 20,000 more Uzis on its streets,” Durbin said. “Israel is not the only country involved.”

The powerful National Rifle Assn. has strongly opposed any restrictions on assault weapons, arguing that the majority of owners are law-abiding citizens and that the problem is largely overstated.

Tanya Metaksa, chief lobbyist for the NRA, said the organization is monitoring closely Washington’s latest effort to crack down on assault weapons. She said the modified Uzis and Galils at the center of the controversy meet all the criteria of the 1994 law, “which Ms. Feinstein and Mr. Clinton take great pleasure in having passed.”

The company scheduled to sell these weapons in the United States is Uzi America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Connecticut-based O. F. Mossberg & Sons Inc.

Jonathan Mossberg, president of Uzi America, said he has carefully followed the law and has received ATF approval each step of the way.

“These guns are no different than many other firearms either imported or produced right here in the country,” Mossberg said. “We are engaging in legal trade.

“If somebody would pick up a copy of the Shotgun News, some people would faint at what they see in there compared to what we’re bringing in.”

He said his firm is being unfairly singled out by reelection-minded lawmakers. “This is obviously a purely political move to get some brownie points.”

Feinstein obtained the signatures last week in an intense series of one-on-one sessions with her Senate colleagues. She said she needed to do it herself because the letter involved not one, but two sensitive topics--assault weapons and Israeli-U.S. relations.

For strategic reasons, she went first to senators who had supported the 1994 assault weapons law, which she championed, and then to new members.

At first, some senators balked, wondering if she was unfairly singling out Israel. Once she assured them that the effort would include scrutiny of weapons from several other countries, she won their support.

Feinstein acknowledged that domestic gun manufacturers also produce copycat assault weapons. But for now, she said, she is focusing on imported weapons because the president has broader authority to act against them.

Although she said she is considering several avenues to close the loopholes in the laws domestically--including possible legislation--she acknowledged that it will be a struggle.

Said Feinstein: “It’s an uphill battle with this issue.”