H.R. 1022, a renewal of the old Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, has recently been introduced by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy. It is my sincere hope that you will oppose this bill.
As I am sure you know, the original AWB was a dismal failure. It had absolutely no impact on crime, yet caused no end of inconvenience for law-abiding citizens. The ban focused on cosmetic features, that have no affect on functionality, but simply make the firearm look scary, whatever that means. Further, the manufacturers easily modified their products to dodge the ban. Many groups claimed these modifications were “exploiting a loophole,” but in reality it was something called “obeying the law.”
The AWB insured that otherwise uncommon weapons became the most desired guns on the block, and everyone had to have one just to keep up with the Jones’s. I’d bet $10 that a detailed analysis of the firearms market would show that the 1994 AWB sold more guns than anything else in American History. Before the ban the AR-15, AK-47 and their clones were uncommon, and generally sneered at. The AR-15 is now the one of the most popular rifles on the market with over 30 manufacturers making copies, and dozens more marketing accessories. There are internet forums with over 40,000 members focused solely on the AR-15 platform.
The objective of the bill is to remove efficient killing machines from the hands of criminals, which is a laudable goal, but the unintended consequence will be to sell millions more onto the commercial market.
This is a bill, that by it's very proposal is defeating it own purpose. Please oppose H.R. 1022.