by KYW's David Madden

A move to reinstate a federal ban on assault weapons now has a new co-sponsor on Capitol Hill, and he says last week’s murder of Philadelphia police officer Stephen Liczbinski is what prompted him to act.

Suburban US congressman Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) admits that the plan has been in the pipeline for  months, and concedes that its chances for passage this term are slim. But Sestak (in file photo above) insists that the Liczbinski slaying merely prompted him to act on a measure he’s always supported:

"There’s no need to have our law enforcement officers having to feel like they’re going into downtown Baghdad. This is one where we want them to feel safe -- relatively safe."

Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) was one of about five dozen members who co-sponsored the measure shortly after its introduction more than a year ago, by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY). It would reinstate the ban on 19 assault weapons that was approved in the '90s but allowed to expire four years ago. It’s currently in committee.