The Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) provision was signed into law in 1994. The 10 year ban, expiring in 2004, is currently undergoing an inspection of effectiveness and a reinstitution bill in the House of Representatives.
A provision to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the 10 year Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) attempted to broadly define 'assault weapons' and create more effective restrictions on their production and distribution. The bill was signed into law by President Clinton on 13 September 1994 and expired in 2004. The states of New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and California all have independent assault weapons bans.
The effectiveness of the provision is still being debated. Proponents of strict gun control point to the fact that now, with the expiration of the ban, law officers face a mass resurgence of assault weapons in everything from robberies to basic traffic stops. In a 2004 report (link) examining the effects of the ban, it was shown that out of 1.4 million guns involved in crime, assault weapons made up only 1.61%, a drop off 66% from the pre-ban rate; this translated into 60,000 prevented assault weapon crimes over the 10 year ban period.
Opponents of the ban, however, insist that it is too early to get an accurate picture of the AWB effectiveness and that it could very well have had a minimal impact on crime.
In China, firearm possession is not protected in any constitutional sense. Weapons, which includes all firearms, are divided into four categories that carry penalties for possession and concealment. Only citizens who are members of hunting and shooting sports clubs may obtain licenses for weapons.
In February 2007 a bill sponsored by Representative Carolyn McCarthy was introduced that would cut in half the classification requirements of 'assault weapons' thus broadening the reach of the law. The bill, referred to the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security on March 19, 2007, currently has 51 co-sponsors.
| Stance | Person | Profession |
|---|---|---|
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Joe Biden (D) | 47th Vice President of the United States |
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Sam Brownback (R) | Senator |
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Hillary Clinton (D) | Secretary of State |
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John Herman Cox (R) | Author & Politician |
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Chris Dodd (D) | Senator |
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John Edwards (D) | Attorney and Former Presidential Candidate |
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Rudy Giuliani (R) | Fmr. NYC Mayor |
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Mike Huckabee (R) | Fmr. Governor & Minister |
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Duncan Hunter (R) | Congressman |
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Dennis Kucinich (D) | Congressman |
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John McCain (R) | Senator & Retired Naval Captain |
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Barack Obama (D) | 44th President of the United States |
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Ron Paul (R) | Congressman and Physician |
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Bill Richardson (D) | Secretary of Commerce designate (Obama Administration) |
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Mitt Romney (R) | CEO & Former Governor |
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Tom Tancredo (R) | U.S. Representative |
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Tommy Thompson (R) | Former Wisconsin governor and Secretary of Health and Human Serivces |
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George W. Bush (R) | 43rd President of the United States |
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Fred Thompson (R) | Presidential Candidate, Lawyer, Lobbyist, Actor, and Former Senator |
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Lew Rockwell |
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ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN MAKES NO SENSE!
>> started by CrAzYeLiTe22, views since Dec 22, 2008 |
shawninMo >> Updated 2 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes ago |
Assault Weapons Ban |
128
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guns
>> started by TexasPatriot67, views since Jul 5, 2008 |
shawninMo >> Updated 17 days, 7 hours, 52 minutes ago |
Assault Weapons Ban |
28
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guns and liberties
>> started by Totally Infected, views since Nov 2, 2007 |
why >> Updated 18 days, 9 hours, 31 minutes ago |
Assault Weapons Ban |
33
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Assult Weapon Control
>> started by sam, views since Oct 11, 2007 |
greatamerica95 >> Updated 128 days, 4 hours, 22 minutes ago |
Assault Weapons Ban |
148
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REGARDING THE SUPREME COURT RULING
>> started by bataillian, views since Mar 18, 2008 |
shawninMo >> Updated 232 days, 5 hours, 51 minutes ago |
Assault Weapons Ban |
20
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| shawninMo posted on the Assault Weapons Ban forum - (Why this doesnt make sense) | |
| ronaldvandevender posted on the Assault Weapons Ban forum - (Why this doesnt make sense) | |
| HopeNation posted on the Assault Weapons Ban forum - (Why this doesnt make sense) | |
| shawninMo posted on the Assault Weapons Ban forum - (Why this doesnt make sense) | |
| shawninMo posted on the Assault Weapons Ban forum - (Why this doesnt make sense) |