september 2004

US assault weapons ban to lapse....Guns like the Kalashnikov were covered by the ban

A ban on military-style assault weapons in the United States is to lapse on Monday, 10 years after it was passed.

The move means that ordinary citizens will be allowed to keep heavy assault weapons in their homes.

The ban needed to be renewed by next week, but President George W Bush's supporters in Congress refused to make time available for a vote to extend it.

The president has said he approves of the ban, but many of his core supporters are opposed to it.

These include the influential National Rifle Association (NRA), a lobby group with close ties to his Republican Party.

Several police chiefs have expressed concern about the move.

The Democratic Party's presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry, says he will make it an issue in the November elections and hold the president accountable for betraying police officers.

The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says Mr Kerry, who is falling behind in the polls, has seized on the issue as a possible vote-winner.

The ban on 19 different types of military assault weapon was approved in 1994 during Bill Clinton's presidency, after a series of high-profile shootings.

It covers weapons such as AK-47, Kalashnikov and Uzi rifles, as well as high-capacity ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds.

In order to get the measure through Congress, Mr Clinton agreed to demands for a vote to be held 10 years later to confirm the ban.

However, Republicans, who now control both houses of Congress, have refused to schedule such a vote.

Gun firms pay out over US dealer : firearms, negligent distribution of weapons, "the settlement is historic."
By Daniela Relph
BBC correspondent, Washington

Victims of the sniper shootings in Washington DC and their families have settled a lawsuit they brought against a gun company and a gun dealer.

They had sued the two companies for negligent distribution of weapons.

Lawyers representing the victims' families described the settlement as historic. They believe it could change practices across the firearms industry.

Bull's Eye Shooter Supply, who sold the rifle used in the shootings, agreed to pay the families $2m.

Bushmaster Firearms, who made the gun, settled on a half-a-million dollar payout.

The deal with Bushmaster is the first time a gun manufacturer in the United States has agreed to pay damages for negligent distribution of weapons.

The sniper shootings terrorised areas around Washington DC two years ago.

Ten people were shot dead with a Bushmaster rifle.

John Allen Muhammad and his teenage accomplice, Lee Malvo, have so far been found guilty on one count of murder.

Lawyers representing Bushmaster said they had decided to settle to avoid rising legal costs and stressed there was no admission of liability on their part.

But as part of the settlement, the company has agreed to educate its dealers on gun safety.