Thank you for contacting my office regarding the 1994 semiautomatic weapons ban.
I appreciate the opportunity to hear your thoughts on this matter.
On September 13, 2004, the semiautomatic assault weapons ban passed by Congress
in 1994 expired. The law prohibited the manufacture and possession of certain
semiautomatic firearms and high-capacity magazines that were not legally owned
at the time it went into effect. Eighteen models and variations were banned by
name, as well as other weapons featuring two or more military-style components
such as bayonet mounts or flash suppressors.
I have consistently opposed the assault weapons ban because it was primarily
cosmetic and did little to reduce crime in the United States. Many of the guns
banned by the law are functionally no different than other semiautomatic
firearms that remained legal. Before and after the ban, these weapons were used
in a very small fraction of violent crimes.
This ban limited personal freedom by assuming that law-abiding citizens could
not own semiautomatic firearms. A ban on the possession of certain
semiautomatic weapons, regardless of whether the owner uses the weapon legally,
punishes the citizen along with the criminal. It excuses the criminal by
blaming the gun and, in the process, criminalizes law-abiding citizens.
I believe there are important steps we can take to ensure gun safety without
infringing on the rights guaranteed to American citizens in the U.S.
Constitution. A more effective method of "gun control" is to provide
appropriate resources to ensure individuals who commit crimes with guns are
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, as opposed to arbitrarily limiting
the rights of law-abiding citizens to purchase firearms.
Once again, thank you for your correspondence.
Pete
