Should Congress renew the ban on assault weapons? Unless renewed, the ban will expire in September. A Senator who voted for the 1994 ban, and one who voted against it, debate its value.

YES The assault-weapons ban of 1994 outlawed the manufacture and importation of military-style weapons designed for one purpose--killing people. But if Congress does not take action, the ban will expire in September.

Recent data show that the assault-weapons ban is working. According to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the proportion of crimes committed with banned assault weapons has dropped 65.8 percent since 1995.

Renewing the assault-weapons ban would accomplish two important goals. First, this bill would make the 1994 ban permanent, prohibiting the manufacture of 19 types of military-style semiautomatic assault weapons. The bill would also protect the use of 670 hunting and recreational rifles and would preserve the right of law-enforcement officials to use and obtain semiautomatic assault weapons.

Second, the legislation would close a loophole in the 1994 law: Although the production of high-capacity ammunition clips is prohibited in the U.S., Americans can now import ones that are made abroad by foreign companies, which this legislation would prohibit.

The assault-weapons ban is supported by a broad coalition, including police organizations, over 100 mayors, teachers' unions, religious groups, and several major gun-safety advocacy organizations.

In October 2003, a poll found that 77 percent of likely voters supported renewing the ban. Let's pass this legislation mad ensure that military-style assault weapons are not allowed back on the streets of America.

--Senator Dianne Feinstein 

Democrat of California

NO If a law is ineffective, should we make a special effort to keep it alive, or just let it die?

That's the question Congress will have to decide about renewing the assault-weapons ban. Although supporters of the ban want to renew and expand it to ban more guns, a congressionally mandated study found it has not reduced violent crime.

This is mainly because the banned firearms were never involved in more than a tiny fraction of those crimes in the first place. Statistics from around the nation show that fewer than 2 percent of guns used in crimes are semiautomatics. Even if the law banned all semiautomatic firearms (and it does not), it wouldn't put a dent in crime.

Another reason why the ban does not curb crime is that criminals don't obey laws, including gun bans. They can and do access black markets for tools to commit crimes. And in this case, enforcing an ineffective gun ban wastes scarce police resources that are desperately needed elsewhere.

Some think the ban keeps particularly bad guns away from everyone. But these guns don't fire any faster or meaner than others. They aren't machine guns; they fire one bullet at a time. In fact, the size, weight, and ease of loading these kinds of weapons historically made them the self-defense choice for many homeowners. Furthermore, there are national and international sport-shooting competitions using semiautomatic firearms.

The assault-weapons ban does no good and can actually do harm by diverting police resources and burdening law abiding citizens. Let's allow it to expire permanently.

--Senator Larry Craig

Republican of Idaho