| | It amazes me how ignorant people are about the "Assault Weapons
Ban." First of all, the media coined the phrase "assault
weapon." There is no such thing as an "assault weapon" in
firearms terminology. There is such a thing as an "assault
rifle," but these are classified as select fire i.e. capable of fully
automatic fire. The media is purposely deceiving the public when
it comes to this law. It does not cover automatic weapons.
The law banned the further manufacture of magazines holding more than
10 rounds for civilian use, and it banned the further manufacture of
rifles that have more than two of the following features:
1. pistol grip
2. detachable magazine
3. flash hider
4. collapsible/folding stock
5. bayonet lug
It also limited the number of rounds that a pistol gripped shotgun can hold to five.
It did not ban the importation of magazines that were made before
1994. It did not ban magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds
that were made prior to 1994 either. It did not ban rifles that
were made before 1994 that possessed more than 2 of the "evil"
features. The rifles in question are still made, but now, they
lack some of the features - namely a flashhider, bayonet lug, and a
folding/collapsible stock. When's the last time you heard of a
crime being committed with a bayonet? When's the last time you
heard of a crime where the police couldn't locate a shooter because the
shooter had a flash hider on his rifle? And even if this law did
cover automatic weapons, it should still be allowed to sunset. I
believe only one or two legally owned automatic weapons have been used
in a crime since the passage of the 1934 National Firearms Act, and one
of them was by a police officer!
The Department of Justice released a study saying that the effects of
the AWB are "uncertain," and this was under the Clinton
Administration. This law has had no effect on crime because
criminals, by definition, don't follow the law. Mere ownership of
a firearm is a victimless crime, and ultimately, these laws erode
property rights. The DC Sniper obtained his Bushmaster AR-15
illegally. The Columbine kids obtained their firearms illegally,
and I believe the North Hollywood shootout guys obtained theirs
illegally also.
Come next Monday, this law will be dead in the water and rightfully so.
/rant mode off
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| | Posted 9/10/2004 11:06 AM - 5 comments
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