Resolution Supporting A Comprehensive Federal and State Ban on Assault Weapons and Regulation of Ammunition
RELEASED August 15, 2016
This position statement is available here
WHEREAS, the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers (NABLEO), a 501.c.3 non-profit, is a premier national organization for men and women of color serving in the ranks of criminal justice system professionals, and has been in the forefront of bridging the gap between the community and the police, and;
WHEREAS, gun violence has been escalating for many years, with devastating mass shootings occurring throughout the nation, reaching notoriety at Columbine High School (Colorado), Sandy Hook Elementary School (Connecticut) and Virginia Tech and, more recently, seeming commonplace with occurrences in Aurora, CO; Dallas, TX; Baton Rouge, LA; San Bernadino, CA; Orlando, FL and Newtown, CT; and
WHEREAS, there is a proliferation of and easy access to assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines at gun shows and shops; and
WHEREAS, assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines are often procured without any of the appropriate background checks; and
WHEREAS, assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines have now become a weapon of choice in attacks against law enforcement officers and other first responders; and
WHEREAS, a comprehensive ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines would increase the probability that mass shootings, should they occur, result in far fewer deaths and far less bodily harm; and
WHEREAS, the original designer of the assault weapon had no desire or intent that they be accessible to the common citizen; and
WHEREAS, the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers and its membership stand with the living victims and with the families who have lost loved ones to gun violence:
RESOLVED, that the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers strongly support federal legislation which would place a ban on both assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazine weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines; and
RESOLVED, that the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers and its Membership strongly support legislation which would require a permit for the purchase, acquisition or possession of ammunition and place certain prohibitions on the sale of ammunition, and would place a ban on both assault ammunition and high-capacity magazines.
