Assault Weapons Ban of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding.

There is a motion to recommit that I would like to offer. If we adopt the motion to recommit, we will instruct the House Committee on the Judiciary to consider the amendment to H.R. 1808 which excludes Active Duty and retired military from the ban on assault weapons.

I, therefore, ask unanimous consent to include the text of the amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

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Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, just imagine a 17-year-old makes a decision to enlist in the Army, the Marine Corps, or the Navy. And then that 17-year-old goes through 8 weeks of basic combat training at one of the basic training centers in Fort Jackson or Fort Knox or Fort Benning. Then they are given a service weapon, an M16 typically, and then they are taught to assemble and disassemble that weapon down to the bolt.

They will go through training with a drill sergeant on a range and they are taught how to fire their service weapon in live-fire exercises. Then the 17-year-old will go on to AIT to be taught their specialty and continue to be on Active Duty or the Reserves or in the National Guard and then potentially deployed.

What this bill seeks to do is prevent this member of the military who comes home, either to the Reserve unit or National Guard unit or on Active Duty, from purchasing a rifle that they can use on their own.

My colleagues who support the bill are saying: We trusted you to join the service. We encouraged you to join the service. But then when it comes down to it, we really don't trust you to go out and purchase that weapon.

It makes no sense.

If the majority is going to snub every veteran in this country by saying: We don't trust you. Then how can the U.S. Government ask someone to enlist when they don't trust them to have the same responsibility with their own personal weapon?

Mr. Speaker, if we adopt the motion to recommit, we will instruct the Committee on the Judiciary to consider my amendment to H.R. 1808 to ensure that the Nation's Active Duty members and veterans will be trusted.

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Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, it is so amazing to me that the majority rejected this in the Judiciary Committee. They talk a good game when it comes to veterans, but when it comes right down to it, they don't trust them.

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Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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