On the steps of the Supreme Court Building in Mineola Feb. 23, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy and Senator Charles Schumer launched an "all-out push" to get President George Bush to stand by his word. They publicly urged him to support the re-authorization of the 1994 assault weapons ban, written by then-Congressman Schumer and passed in the wake of the December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting massacre.

Alongside members of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (www.nyagv.org) and the Interfaith Alliance, as well as Long Islanders who lost loved ones in the railroad shooting spree, Congresswoman McCarthy and Senator Schumer made a plea for President Bush to sign the bill, set to expire Sept. 13.

"We are calling on President Bush to stand by his statement that he's for the assault weapons ban and ask [House Majority Leader] Tom DeLay to simply allow a vote on the floor," Senator Schumer said. "If he says he's for it and then whispers to Tom DeLay, 'kill it,' we're not getting a fair shake."

Senator Schumer added that many thought the bill, which passed by a vote of only 218-217, wouldn't do any good. "It has done a world of good. In 1995, 3.5 percent of all crime guns were assault weapons. Today it's 1.2 percent. That shows that this law is working," he said.

Congresswoman McCarthy, who lost her husband to gun-wielding Colin Ferguson, first met Senator Schumer a decade ago when she began her fight to reduce gun violence in this country. "It's amazing that ... after knowing darn well the number of these guns now off the streets, we're hearing, especially in the House, that they won't even allow this bill to come up for a vote," she said.

The congresswoman said she is fighting today to keep the bill in place. "President Bush, during his campaign, said that if the assault weapons bill showed up on his desk, he would sign it," she said. "Well, the president has to do more than that. He has to make sure that at least it be allowed for a vote in the Senate and certainly in the House."

Admitting loopholes in the bill do exist, the congresswoman believes it has been working. "My bill would close those loopholes. I have introduced a bill that would make it stronger, would not allow any more copycat [guns] and would also make it permanent."

Despite widespread public support of the federal assault weapons ban, which took dozens of military-style assault weapons off the streets, some argue that the law impinges on the rights of legitimate gun owners. For years, Congresswoman McCarthy said she's heard from the National Rifle Association (NRA) that passing the ban would hinder people's rights to own guns.

"That argument makes no sense," Senator Schumer said. "No one uses an AK-47 to shoot deer. No one uses an Uzi for self-defense. On both counts, the law has been an overwhelming success in reducing the number of assault weapons in the hands of criminals and in not curbing the rights of legitimate gun owners. There's no reason not to renew it."

According to the NRA (www.nra.org), some say the bill does not just "re-authorize" the federal assault weapons law, it bans millions more guns and begins backdoor registration, which requires "manufacturers of guns, frames, receivers and other parts to report the names of their dealers, requires dealers to report any of the guns and parts they have in stock and bans private sales of the guns and parts."

According to its website, the NRA believes the bill should never have been imposed in the first place and therefore should not be extended and drastically expanded. Contrary to anti-gun lobby claims, the association states, AK-47s and Uzis won't "flood the streets" when the ban expires.

The anti-gun lobby asks, "Who needs an assault weapon?" The association's website states, "The premise of that question is, however, at odds with basic American principles. In a free society, the burden of proof is not upon those who wish to exercise rights it is upon those who wish to restrict rights. Therefore, gun-ban supporters must show why the guns should be banned, and thus far they have not done so. It is clear that the guns are rarely used in crime, and rarely does the criminal's choice of gun determine the outcome of his crime. Assault weapons have the same functional traits, and use the same ammunition, as other guns."

Joyce Gorycki of Mineola, who also lost her husband in the 1993 killing spree, adamantly disagrees. When the tragedy turned her life upside down, she became an activist to stop gun violence in this country. As NYAGV co-chair, Gorycki begged Americans to support Congresswoman McCarthy and Senator Schumer to get this bill passed.

"It's just common sense for all Americans to say, 'we don't want these military weapons on our streets to kill citizens of this country.' You all heard what we went through. Every one of us is at risk if these weapons get back on the streets of America," she said.

Congresswoman McCarthy has been calling the White House to set up a meeting with President Bush to ensure the issue is "on his radar." Although the meeting has yet to occur, the congresswoman said she won't relent. "I will bother the president continuously until he does get involved in this," she said.