Bill To Ban Assault Weapons Introduced In Senate Gains Support

WASHINGTON, DC — A bill to ban assault weapons introduced Wednesday in the U.S. Senate after the mass shootings in Sutherland Springs, Texas, has the backing of both of Maryland's senators. Sen. Diane Feinstein of California proposed the legislation just three days after a lone gunman's rampage left 26 dead and some 10 others injured at a rural church. The deadly attack comes on the heels of the nation's worst mass killing when nearly 60 people were shot to death at a country music festival in Las Vegas.

Congress had enacted an assault weapons ban in 1994 that expired in 2004. The legislation pushed by Senate Democrats would make it illegal to deliver, sell, purchase or possess assault weapons, high-capacity magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition and "bump stocks" that modify semi-automatic weapons to mimic the firing speed of fully automatic weapons.

The bill would require a background check on any future trade or sale of an assault weapon covered by the legislation, require any guns grandfathered under the bill to be securely stored and prohibit transferring high-capacity magazines. Owners would be allowed to keep existing weapons under the bill, The Hill reports.

A similar assault weapons ban in Maryland was recently upheld by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "Assault weapons and large-capacity magazines are not protected by the Second Amendment," the court said in its ruling.

Legislators in Maryland passed the ban on semiautomatic, military-style guns after the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. Observers expect that the case will go before the Supreme Court.

Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen both announced their support for the new bill.

“The safety of our children and communities should never be put at risk by partisan gridlock,” said Senator Cardin in a news release. “I am sympathetic to the interests of legitimate hunters and collectors, but the federal assault weapons ban never should have been allowed to expire. As lawmakers, we cannot stand idle after each deadly shooting, failing to take action. We know that we won’t be able to stop every tragedy, but we absolutely can save lives.”

Not acting makes lawmakers complicit in gun violence, Van Hollen said.

“Congress must act to confront the rising death toll from gun violence – from the day-to-day crime in our neighborhoods, to mass-shootings like those we’ve seen in Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs,” said Senator Van Hollen in a news release. “Assault weapons are becoming the weapon of choice for mass shooters and this common-sense bill will help get dangerous weapons off our streets and save lives.”

Key Provisions of the Bill:

• Bans the sale, manufacture, transfer and importation of 205 military-style assault weapons by name. Owners can keep existing weapons.
• Bans any assault weapon that accepts a detachable ammunition magazine and has one or more military characteristics, including a pistol grip, a forward grip, a barrel shroud, a threaded barrel or a folding or telescoping stock. Owners can keep existing weapons.
• Bans magazines and other ammunition feeding devices that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, which allow shooters to quickly fire many rounds without needing to reload. Owners can keep existing magazines.

Exemptions to the Bill:

• The bill exempts by name more than 2,200 guns for hunting, household defense or recreational purposes. This list will be updated to include additional weapons.
• The bill includes a grandfather clause that exempts all weapons lawfully possessed at the date of enactment.

Other Provisions:

• Requires a background check on any future sale, trade or gifting of an assault weapon covered by the bill.
• Requires that grandfathered assault weapons are stored using a secure gun storage or safety device like a trigger lock.
• Prohibits the transfer of high-capacity ammunition magazines.
• Bans bump-fire stocks and other devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire at fully automatic rates.

Photo credit: Jake Guild