November, 19 2009, 12:46pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Mandy Wimmer, Violence Policy Center, 202-822-8200 x110, mwimmer@vpc.org;
Peter Hamm, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, 202-898-0792, phamm@bradymail.org
Gun Violence Prevention Organizations Call on President Obama to Use Executive Authority to Ban Import of Armor-Piercing Pistol Used in Fort Hood Attack
WASHINGTON
In a letter sent today to the White
House, America's six national gun violence prevention (GVP)
organizations--the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Violence Policy
Center, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Freedom States Alliance, Legal
Community Against Violence, and States United to Prevent Gun Violence--as well
as 21 state and regional GVP groups strongly urged President Barack Obama to
use his executive powers to ban the import into the U.S. of the FN Herstal
Five-seveN armor-piercing semiautomatic pistol. [See https://www.vpc.org/obamaletter.pdf
for a copy of the letter.] A Five-seveN was used in the Fort Hood
attack earlier this month that left 13 dead and 34 wounded. The
Belgian-made weapon, widely available on the U.S. civilian market, is also a
favorite of Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs), who refer to it as
the "mata policia," or "cop killer."
In the letter, the 27 organizations state:
"While we urge you to join us in pushing for other much-needed
policy changes to help reduce America's epidemic of gun violence that were also
relevant to the Fort Hood shooting, such as gaps in the federal background
check system that allow suspected terrorists to legally buy guns and the ready
availability of high-capacity magazines (including the 20-round magazines used
by the Fort Hood shooter), preventing the importation of any more Five-seveN
handguns is an important step that can be accomplished immediately through
administrative action by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives (ATF)--without the need for any action by Congress.
"Under longstanding federal law, ATF has the clear
authority to prohibit the importation of any firearm or ammunition unless it is
'generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable
to sporting purposes.' This provision of the 1968 Gun Control Act
has historically been used to exclude from import many non-sporting firearms,
including so-called 'Saturday Night Special' handguns,
'Street Sweeper' shotguns, and many foreign-made assault
weapons. The FN Five-seveN handgun is clearly the type of firearm to
which Congress intended the import restrictions to apply."
The letter details the fact that despite a voluntary agreement
between FN Herstal and ATF to restrict the civilian sale of potentially
armor-piercing ammunition for the pistol, "a quick search of the Internet
identifies several sources for supposedly banned
ammunition."
Noting that when "the Five-SeveN's availability
is combined with the easy accessibility of complementary armor-piercing
ammunition it becomes not only a direct threat to law enforcement, but a
potential national security threat as well," the organizations urge that
the President "act today to prohibit the importation of the FN Five-seveN
handgun as well as any 5.7X28mm ammunition that has armor-piercing
capabilities...."
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Amnesty International on Thursday called for a war crimes investigation into recent Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon that killed dozens of civilians, as well as a suspension of arms transfers to Israel as it attacks Gaza, the West Bank, and Syria.
In a briefing paper titled The Sky Rained Missiles, Amnesty "documented four illustrative cases in which unlawful Israeli strikes killed at least 49 civilians" in Lebanon in September and October amid an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) campaign of invasion and bombardment that Lebanese officials say has killed or wounded more than 20,000 people.
"Amnesty International found that Israeli forces unlawfully struck residential buildings in the village of al-Ain in northern Bekaa on September 29, the village of Aitou in northern Lebanon on October 14, and in Baalbeck city on October 21," the rights group said. "Israeli forces also unlawfully attacked the municipal headquarters in Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on October 16."
Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty's senior director for research, advocacy, policy, and campaigns, said in a statement that "these four attacks are emblematic of Israel's shocking disregard for civilian lives in Lebanon and their willingness to flout international law."
The September 29 attack "destroyed the house of the Syrian al-Shaar family, killing all nine members of the family who were sleeping inside," the report states.
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In the deadliest single strike detailed in the Amnesty report, IDF bombardment believed to be targeting a suspected Hezbollah member killed 23 civilians forcibly displaced from southern Lebanon in Aitou on October 14.
"The youngest casualty was Aline, a 5-month-old baby who was flung from the house into a pickup truck nearby and was found by rescue workers the day after the strike," Amnesty said.
Survivor Jinane Hijazi told Amnesty: "I've lost everything; my entire family, my parents, my siblings, my daughter. I wish I had died that day too."
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A fragment of the munition found at the site of the attack was analyzed by an Amnesty International weapons expert and based upon its size, shape, and the scalloped edges of the heavy metal casing, identified as most likely a MK-80 series aerial bomb, which would mean it was at least a 500-pound bomb. The United States is the primary supplier of these types of munitions to Israel.
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Guevara Rosas said: "These attacks must be investigated as war crimes. The Lebanese government must urgently call for a special session at the U.N. Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative mechanism into the alleged violations and crimes committed by all parties in this conflict. It must also grant the International Criminal Court jurisdiction over Rome Statute crimes committed on Lebanese territory."
"Israel has an appalling track record of carrying out unlawful airstrikes in Gaza and past wars in Lebanon taking a devastating toll on civilians."
Last month, the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with Israel's 433-day Gaza onslaught, which has left more than 162,000 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing in the embattled enclave.
The tribunal also issued a warrant for the arrest of Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri for alleged crimes committed during and after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, in which more than 1,100 people were killed and over 240 others were kidnapped.
Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice is weighing a genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel. Last week, Amnesty published a report accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
The United States—which provides Israel with tens of billions of dollars in military aid and diplomatic cover—has also been accused of complicity in Israeli war crimes in Palestine and Lebanon.
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