New Assault Weapon Manufacturer�Vulcan Armament�Brags "The Guns of the Special Forces Are Now on Sale in America!"

Minnesota Gunmaker Offers Widest Range of "Copycat" Assault Weapons�including AK-47s, AR-15s, MAC-10s, Galils, and MP5s�of any Manufacturer in America, Illustrates Need to Strengthen Federal Assault Weapons Ban

Washington, DC�A Minnesota gunmaker, Vulcan Armament, Inc. of Inver Grove Heights (www.vulcanarmament.com), offers the widest range of new "copycat" assault weapon models of any firearms manufacturer in America, the Violence Policy Center (VPC) reported today.

The company's 2004 catalog promises civilian buyers "the world's finest battle rifles" and states that "from Panama to Afghanistan to Iraq, the guns of the special forces are now on sale in America!" Labeling its product line the "arsenal of freedom," its catalog boasts "the world's finest battle rifles now available in civilian legal semi auto!" Assault weapons featured in the catalog include semiautomatic AK-47s, AR-15s, MAC-10s, Galils, and MP5s. [Follow this link for selected graphics taken from the catalog.]

Virtually all of the weapons are banned by name in the 1994 federal assault weapons ban. The law is scheduled to expire on September 13, 2004. Gunmakers have easily evaded the law by making slight, cosmetic changes to banned guns and continued their sale unimpeded. These "copycat" guns�which are virtually indistinguishable from their banned counterparts and possess the same firepower�will be unaffected if the assault weapons ban is merely renewed.

Kristen Rand, VPC legislative director states, "Americans mistakenly believe that assault weapons are banned. They aren't. To actually ban assault weapons, the 1994 law must be significantly strengthened, not just renewed. Vulcan Armament's extensive line of `special forces' weapons is just the latest proof."

The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America, conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease firearm-related death and injury.