What to know about a possible assault rifle ban
With all the COVID-19 pandemic news making the headlines daily, we should shift the focus to another topic that we have seen on the rise in these last few months.
That is the subject of mass shootings. There are tragedies every day in the newspaper or the media.
When horrible problems occur, our commander in chief has a lot to face as far as putting an end to all of these younger people dying or killing one another.
Biden’s Stance on the Ban
U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in (not pictured) hold a joint news conference after a day of meetings at the White House, in Washington, U.S. May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
President Joe Biden wants to place a federal ban on assault weapons due to these tragedies that happened. In March, a gunman in Colorado shot ten people in a grocery store with an AR-556 pistol.
The type of gun was an assault rifle, which has gotten the communities’ attention and the White House. President Biden wants to ban assault rifles altogether. Here’s the information we have on what you should know about a possible assault rifle ban.
There may be some of you who are avid hunters, like shooting for sport, or just like guns in general. If you have an idea about what to know about a possible assault rifle ban, this may help you get some clear facts about if this event does occur.
Assault rifles and assault-style rifles have been a topic of debate in the United States. Gun safety is very important, and gun violence is something we are no strangers to.
Earlier this month, President Biden began discussing the assault rifle ban. Except there are growing calls for a federal assault weapons ban on assault rifles. Biden is all aboard this train as well.
President Joe Biden recently discussed new measures of gun violence prevention. Biden wants to reinstate the federal assault weapons ban that he got passed as a senator. This was in the 90s.
Federal Assault Weapon Bill
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about jobs and the economy at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 7, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
This bill changed the federal criminal code, and it prohibited the manufacture, transfer, or possession of a semiautomatic assault weapon.
This bill had over 12 different firearms and various features that could not be added to the guns. Many of the guns listed were used still and legally.
The ban became law in 1994, President Bill Clinton signed it, and it was designed to last ten years. It was supposed to ban the sale of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines to regular citizens.
The bill was very flawed, and many mistakes took place with this bill. Now, however, there are different meanings for the term assault rifle. The bill also banned firearms by names or certain features.
The gun makers realized that they could build around the bill to make their guns still. Firearms were modified to be unrecognizable to law enforcement. This bill expired when George W. Bush was in office in 2004.
President Biden and other leaders, such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein, want to resurrect this bill. Last year 8.4 million people became new gun owners.
Out of this gun ownership, many of them bought machine guns or assault-style weapons.
Are assault rifles banned in the US?
In most states in the United States, assault rifles are not banned in the US and are legal. However, the president and the House are working very hard on getting the ban to pass.
Biden feels that the first bill he designed passed into law. Why not bring that one back into play and see if it passes this time too.
That law was about violent crime control and included banning assault weapons and semiautomatic assault weapons plus large-capacity magazines that could shoot over ten rounds.
The ban would expand background checks to private sales, such as gun shows and online gun selling websites. This ban would also ban the future sales of assault rifles.
He promised to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
Now some many gun rights advocates see this ban as ineffective and very destructive. Critics argue that the first ban did not work, so why to try another one.
That bill was supposed to ban the sale of these guns when in reality, the sales increased heavily. Mass shootings, deaths, and school shootings are still happening, which is what the scary part is.
Some critics debate that the assault rifle ban can ruin the US. They feel if someone wants a gun, they will do whatever they need to protect themselves.
What exactly is an assault rifle?
Assault rifle is a military term that describes those weapons that are used in combat. During the 1980s, there were many different versions of these military weapons made.
Assault weapons are just one word for assault rifles. Assault rifles have specific parts or features to make them a certain type of gun.
They are a type of machine gun that fires more than one round of bullets every time the trigger is pulled. According to many critics, AR-15s are not assault rifles.
When the ban was signed in 1994, everyone believed that this would cut down the sales of these guns. It did no such thing since the gun makers learned how to make similar weapons and did not include certain features.
In 1994, the number of Americans who owned an AR-15 was 400,000. Today there are 20 million people who own AR-15 style rifles or something close to that.
President Joe Biden is primarily concerned about the “ghost guns.” These guns are firearms that do not have any serial numbers on them. They are assembled at home and in privacy from anyone knowing about them.
Besides the serial number missing on these guns, they are made of different pieces added to the gun as its being made. One of the attachments may have a serial number, but there are no identifying numbers on these homemade guns.
This is what Biden’s concern is as well. Having guns without serial numbers could be bad for the United States, gun makers, and civilians if gotten into the wrong hands.
Summary
If there is an assault rifle ban, we would see fewer mass shootings when the ban occurred. However, the last assault rifle ban bill did not include some assault weapons that were already circulating.
The president and others who want to ban assault rifles should make sure that loopholes and other flaws from the previous bill are edited and adjusted accordingly.
There is a slight issue with the banning of weapons. It’s called the second amendment. An assault rifle ban bill would violate the second amendment. The right to bear arms is a right that was given to civilians.
Gun owners and advocates will not be pleased if their guns were taken away from them. In some cities, the population has to own a gun.
Those cities see fewer crimes. These gun owners are worried about their rights being violated and oppose this ban. As of now, in the House, there has yet to be an assault rifle/weapon ban bill passed. Several other bills are about gun safety, but those focus on stricter background checks for gun sales.
However, we do not have an assault rifle ban in the U.S. who knows what tomorrow will bring. If there is any more on this issue, you will be the first to know.
