Rep. Jack Brooks (D-TX), then chair of the House Judiciary Committee, tried unsuccessfully to remove the assault weapons ban section from the crime bill.[12] The National Rifle Association (NRA) opposed the ban. In November 1993, NRA spokesman Bill McIntyre said that assault weapons "are used in only 1 percent of all crimes".[13] The low usage statistic was supported in a 1999 Department of Justice brief.[9] The legislation passed in September 1994 with the assault weapon ban section expiring in 2004 due to its sunset provision.