Assault weapon

Last updated

The Colt AR-15 carbine is a semi-automatic rifle chambered for fixed centerfire ammunition that fires one round each time the trigger is pulled. The weapon features a pistol grip, a flash suppressor, and an adjustable stock AR-15 Sporter SP1 Carbine.JPG
The Colt AR-15 carbine is a semi-automatic rifle chambered for fixed centerfire ammunition that fires one round each time the trigger is pulled. The weapon features a pistol grip, a flash suppressor, and an adjustable stock

In the United States, assault weapon is a controversial term applied to different kinds of firearms. [1] There is no clear, consistent definition. It can include semi-automatic firearms with a detachable magazine, a pistol grip, and sometimes other features, such as a vertical forward grip, flash suppressor, or barrel shroud. [1] [2] Certain firearms are specified by name in some laws that restrict assault weapons. [3] When the now-defunct Federal Assault Weapons Ban was passed in 1994, the U.S. Department of Justice said, "In general, assault weapons are semiautomatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use." [3] The commonly used definitions of assault weapons are under frequent debate, and have changed over time. [1]

Contents

The origin of the term has been attributed to legislators, the firearms industry, gun control groups, [4] [5] [6] and the media. [7] It is sometimes used interchangeably with the term assault rifle, [8] which refers to selective fire rifles that use intermediate cartridges. [6] This use has been described as incorrect and a misapplication of the term. [8] [9] After the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, many news organizations ran stories about assault weapons, explaining their varying definitions and presenting varying opinions about whether they should be banned again at the federal level. [1] [6] [10]

Definitions and usage

Drawing from federal and state law definitions, the term assault weapon refers primarily to semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns that are able to accept detachable magazines and possess one or more other features. [2] [11] [12] Some jurisdictions define revolving-cylinder shotguns as assault weapons. [13] [14] Legislative definitions do not include fully automatic weapons, which are regulated separately as Title II weapons under federal law. [15] [n 1] A key defining law was the now-defunct Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994. [15] At that time, the United States Department of Justice said, "In general, assault weapons are semiautomatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use." [3]

Common attributes used in legislative definitions of assault weapons include:

Dictionary definitions vary from legal definitions. Dictionary.com defines "assault weapon" as "any of various automatic and semiautomatic military firearms utilizing an intermediate-power cartridge, designed for individual use". [18] The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary's definition is "any of various automatic or semiautomatic firearms; especially: assault rifle". [19]

History of terminology

The origin of the term is not clearly known and is the subject of much debate. In the past, the names of certain military weapons used the phrase, such as the Rifleman's Assault Weapon, a grenade launcher developed in 1977 for use with the M16 assault rifle, [20] or the Shoulder-launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon, a rocket launcher introduced in 1984. [21]

One of the earliest uses of the term, or a similar term, in its current meaning was as part of an advertisement in The Hutchinson News (Kansas) in 1978 for the Valmets-7.62×39, the Colt AR-15, and the Wilkinson Terry carbine. [22] Another was in a bill introduced by Art Agnos in the California State Assembly in April 1985 to ban semi-automatic "assault firearms" capable of using detachable magazines of 20 rounds or more. [23] [24] Speaking to the Assembly Public Safety Committee, Agnos said, "The only use for assault weapons is to shoot people." [23] The measure did not pass when it came up for a vote. [24]

In 2013, The Washington Post , looking into the history of the term, wrote of the term: "Many attribute its popularization to a 1988 paper written by gun-control activist and Violence Policy Center founder Josh Sugarmann and the later reaction to the Cleveland School massacre in Stockton, California, in January 1989." [6] Sugarmann had written:

Assault weapons—just like armor-piercing bullets, machine guns, and plastic firearms—are a new topic. The weapons' menacing looks, coupled with the public's confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons—anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun—can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons. In addition, few people can envision a practical use for these weapons. [25]

Other researchers have found evidence to suggest that the firearms industry itself may have introduced the term "assault weapon" to build interest in new product lines. [26] Phillip Peterson, the author of Gun Digest Buyer's Guide to Assault Weapons (2008) wrote:

The popularly held idea that the term 'assault weapon' originated with anti-gun activists is wrong. The term was first adopted by manufacturers, wholesalers, importers and dealers in the American firearms industry to stimulate sales of certain firearms that did not have an appearance that was familiar to many firearms owners. The manufacturers and gun writers of the day needed a catchy name to identify this new type of gun. [5]

Meanwhile, many gun rights activists have put forward that the term was popularized by the media or gun control activists. Conservative writer Rich Lowry said that assault weapon is a "manufactured term". [27] Joseph P. Tartaro of the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) wrote in 1994: "One of the key elements of the anti-gun strategy to gull the public into supporting bans on the so-called 'assault weapons' is to foster confusion. As stated previously, the public does not know the difference between a full automatic and a semi-automatic firearm." [4] Robert Crook, executive director of the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen, said "the term 'assault weapon,' as used by the media, is a media invention." [7] [28] [29] Gun control supporters use the term while gun rights supporters generally do not use the term.[ citation needed ]

Differing state law definitions

Seven states have assault weapon bans with different definitions and characteristics. [30]

In Illinois, proposed legislation in 2013 would have defined the term "semi-automatic assault weapon" as any semi-automatic firearm able to accept a detachable magazine, but it was never brought to a vote. [39] [40] The Illinois State Rifle Association said most of the state's firearms owners owned one or more guns that would have been banned under the proposal. [41] The NRA said the proposal would have restricted about 75 percent of handguns and 50 percent of long guns in circulation. [41] As municipalities, Chicago and Cook County bans certain firearms defined as assault weapons and have no provision for legal possession of firearms owned before their laws were passed. [42] [43] Minnesota also defines certain firearms as assault weapons and regulates their sales. [33] The State of Washington defines any semi-automatic rifle (except antiques), regardless of features, caliber, or magazine type, as a "semiautomatic assault rifle". [44]

Distinction from assault rifles

The term "assault rifle" is frequently used interchangeably with the term "assault weapon" but this use has been described as incorrect and a misapplication of the term. [8] The AP Stylebook suggests that newsrooms avoid the terms "assault weapon" and "assault rifle" instead using the term "semi-automatic rifle". [45] Part of the definition of "assault rifle", according to the Encyclopædia Britannica, is that it is selective-fire, which means that it is capable of both semiautomatic and fully automatic fire. [46] Civilian ownership of machine guns, including selective-fire rifles, has been tightly regulated since 1934 under the National Firearms Act and since 1986 under the Firearm Owners Protection Act. [12]

Cosmetic features

Gun control advocates and gun rights advocates have referred to at least some of the features outlined in assault weapons bans as "cosmetic". The NRA Institute for Legislative Action and the Violence Policy Center both used the term in 2004 when the federal ban expired. [47] [48] In May 2012, the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence said, "the inclusion in the list of features that were purely cosmetic in nature created a loophole that allowed manufacturers to successfully circumvent the law by making minor modifications to the weapons they already produced." [49] Some reporters used the term in stories after the 2012 shootings in Aurora, Colorado, and Newtown, Connecticut. [50] [51]

Assault weapons, also sometimes called "black guns" or "black rifles", [52] are no more powerful than many other semi-automatic rifles legally used for hunting throughout the United States; they do not shoot faster or have greater range. [53]

Two scholars have written: "One problem inherent in the study of [assault weapons (AW)] is that the classifications of AW are based on cosmetic features of firearms... For instance, the Colt AR-15 series of semi-automatic rifles—the civilian version of the fully automatic M-16 rifle issued to U.S. soldiers—was subject to the 1994 AW restrictions, but the Ruger Mini-14 rifle was not banned. Yet, the Mini-14 is the same caliber, has a similar barrel length, the same semi-automatic action, and can use magazines that hold 30 rounds of ammunition. The only real meaningful difference between the two firearms is cosmetic: The AR-15 rifle looks more dangerous." [54]

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry trade group, states that the term assault weapon has been misapplied to many semi-automatic firearms because of their appearance and not their use in crime. [55]

Political and legislative issues

U.S. states and territories that have enacted assault weapons bans .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Long guns and handguns Handguns only US assault weapons bans.svg
U.S. states and territories that have enacted assault weapons bans
  Long guns and handguns
  Handguns only

As of 2021, there are an estimated 16–44 million rifles from just the AR-15 family of rifles in civilian use in the United States. [56] [57]

Defunct U.S. Federal Assault Weapons Ban

The Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act of 1994, more commonly known as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, expired in 2004. It banned the manufacture or importation of certain semi-automatic firearms that it defined as "semiautomatic assault weapons", commonly known as assault weapons. Any firearms so defined that were already possessed at the time the law took effect were grandfathered in, and could be legally owned or transferred. Another aspect of the law banned the manufacture or importation of magazines that could hold more than ten rounds of ammunition, with existing magazines grandfathered in as legal. [15]

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 defined certain firearms as assault weapons based on the features they possessed. This included semi-automatic rifles with a detachable magazine and at least two of these features: a pistol grip, a folding or telescoping stock, a flash suppressor or threaded barrel, a bayonet mount, or a muzzle-mounted grenade launcher. It included semi-automatic pistols with a detachable magazine and at least two of these features: a magazine that attaches outside the pistol grip, a threaded barrel, a barrel shroud, or an unloaded weight of 50 ounces or more. Additionally defined as assault weapons were semi-automatic shotguns with a rotating cylinder, or with at least two of these features: a pistol grip, a folding or telescoping stock, a detachable magazine, or a fixed magazine that can hold more than five rounds. [12] [15]

The ban also prohibited 19 specifically named models of firearms, as well as copies of those guns. These included the AK-47, Uzi, Galil, AR-15, FN FAL, MAC-10, Steyr AUG, TEC-9, and Armsel Striker. [12] [15]

Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 bill

On December 16, 2012, two days after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Senator Dianne Feinstein said she would introduce a new assault weapons ban on the first day of Congress. [58] Five days later, on December 21, Wayne LaPierre, chief executive of the National Rifle Association, held a news conference repeating the NRA's opposition to additional gun laws. [59] [60] Feinstein and Senator Richard Blumenthal held a separate news conference in response. [61] There, Feinstein said that it seemed to her "prudent" to register grandfathered assault weapons under the National Firearms Act (NFA). [62] A two-page bill summary on the senator's web site also mentioned registering grandfathered assault weapons under the NFA, [63] but the text of the bill introduced to the Senate did not include that provision.

On January 24, 2013, Feinstein introduced S. 150, the "Assault Weapons Ban of 2013". [64] The bill was similar to the 1994 ban, but differed in that it used a one-feature test for a firearm to qualify as an assault weapon rather than the two-feature test of the 1994 ban. On April 17, 2013, it failed on a Senate vote of 60 to 40. [65]

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. ↑ Title II weapons are heavily regulated by the National Firearms Act (NFA) of June 26, 1934, passed in response to infamous Prohibition era use of Thompson submachine guns and M1918 Browning Automatic Rifles. [16]
  2. ↑ United States firearms expert Robert E. Walker says the term "assault pistol" is difficult to define and may be based on perceived "paramilitary or nonsporting application, appearance, or configuration." [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firearm</span> Gun for an individual

A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semi-automatic rifle</span> Type of autoloading rifle

A semi-automatic rifle is an auto-loading rifle that fires a single cartridge with each pull of the trigger. It uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and automatically loads another cartridge into its chamber. This is in contrast to bolt-action or lever-action rifles, which require the user to manually chamber a new round before they can fire again, and fully automatic rifles, which fire continuously until the trigger is released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt AR-15</span> Autoloading rifle

The Colt AR-15 is a product line of magazine-fed, gas-operated, autoloading rifle manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company ("Colt") in many configurations. The rifle is a derivative of its predecessor, the lightweight ArmaLite AR-15, an automatic rifle designed by Eugene Stoner and other engineers at ArmaLite in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automatic firearm</span> Firearm that fires continuously while the trigger is depressed

An automatic firearm or fully automatic firearm is a self-loading firearm that continuously chambers and fires rounds when the trigger mechanism is actuated. The action of an automatic firearm is capable of harvesting the excess energy released from a previous discharge to feed a new ammunition round into the chamber, and then igniting the propellant and discharging the projectile by delivering a hammer or striker impact on the primer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magazine (firearms)</span> Ammunition feeding device of a firearm

A magazine, often simply called a mag, is an ammunition storage and feeding device for a repeating firearm, either integral within the gun or externally attached. The magazine functions by holding several cartridges within itself and sequentially pushing each one into a position where it may be readily loaded into the barrel chamber by the firearm's moving action. The detachable magazine is sometimes colloquially referred to as a "clip", although this is technically inaccurate since a clip is actually an accessory device used to help load ammunition into a magazine or cylinder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WASR-series rifles</span> Semi-automatic rifle

Wassenaar Arrangement Semi-automatic Rifles are a line of Romanian-designed gas-operated semi-automatic rifles sold in the United States by Century International Arms. The rifles are manufactured in Romania by the Cugir Arms Factory and are a semi-automatic variant of the Pistol Mitralieră model 1963/1965, a Romanian licensed derivative of the Soviet AKM assault rifle. Century imports them and modifies them in order to comply with national legislation before sale to the general public via licensed traders. The WASR series takes its name from the 1996 Wassenaar Arrangement, a multilateral export control regime to monitor and limit the proliferation of certain conventional weapons and dual-use technologies.

The gun laws of New Zealand are contained in the Arms Act 1983 statute, which includes multiple amendments including those that were passed subsequent to the 1990 Aramoana massacre and the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.

Military-style semi-automatic firearms in New Zealand are those semi-automatic firearms known in the United States as "assault weapons". The phrase is often abbreviated as military-style semi-automatic (MSSA). A New Zealand firearms licence-holder requires an E Category endorsement on their licence before they can possess this type of firearm, and a police-issued permit to procure each firearm is required. Arriving at a clear definition and common understanding of which semi-automatic firearms have a military-style configuration has dominated debate about gun-control legislation in New Zealand since 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun laws in California</span>

Gun laws in California regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the state of California in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assault rifle</span> Self-loading rifle that fires an intermediate-power rifle cartridge

An assault rifle is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate-rifle cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles were first put into mass production and accepted into widespread service during World War II. The first assault rifle to see major usage was the German StG 44, a development of the earlier Mkb 42. While immediately after World War II, NATO countries were equipped with battle rifles, the development of the M16 rifle during the Vietnam War prompted the adoption of assault rifles by the rest of NATO. By the end of the 20th century, assault rifles had become the standard weapon in most of the world's armies, replacing full-powered rifles and submachine guns in most roles. The two most successful modern assault rifles are the AK-47 and the M16 designs and their derivatives.

The Roberti–Roos Assault Weapons Control Act of 1989 (AWCA) is a California law that bans the ownership and transfer of over 50 specific brands and models of firearms, which were classified as assault weapons. Most were rifles, but some were pistols and shotguns. The law was amended in 1999 to classify assault weapons by features of the firearm. Firearms that were legally owned at the time the law was passed were grandfathered if they were registered with the California Department of Justice. The law was overturned in June 2021 in Miller v. Bonta; the ruling is stayed pending appeal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun laws in New York</span>

Gun laws in New York regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the U.S. state of New York, outside of New York City which has separate licensing regulations. New York's gun laws are among the most restrictive in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun laws in Maryland</span>

Gun laws in Maryland regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the U.S. state of Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun laws in New Jersey</span>

Gun laws in New Jersey regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the U.S. state of New Jersey. New Jersey's firearms laws are among the most restrictive in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AR-15–style rifle</span> Class of semi-automatic rifles

An AR-15–style rifle is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on or similar to the Colt AR-15 design. The Colt model removed the selective fire feature of its predecessor, the original ArmaLite AR-15, which is a scaled-down derivative of the AR-10 design. It is closely related to the military M16 rifle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Assault Weapons Ban</span> United States federal law

The Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, popularly known as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, was subtitle A of title XI of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a United States federal law which included a prohibition on the manufacture for civilian use of certain semi-automatic firearms that were defined as assault weapons as well as certain ammunition magazines that were defined as large capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assault weapons legislation in the United States</span>

Assault weapons legislation in the United States refers to bills and laws that define and restrict or make illegal the manufacture, transfer, and possession of assault weapons. How these firearms are defined and regulated varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; generally, this constitutes a list of specific firearms and combinations of features on semiautomatic firearms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-capacity magazine ban</span> Law restricting magazine capacity in firearms

A high-capacity magazine ban is a law which bans or otherwise restricts detachable firearm magazines that can hold more than a certain number of rounds of ammunition. For example, in the United States, the now-expired Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 included limits regarding magazines that could hold more than ten rounds. As of 2022, twelve U.S. states, and a number of local governments, ban or regulate magazines that they have legally defined as high-capacity. The majority of states do not ban or regulate any magazines on the basis of capacity. States that do have large capacity magazine bans or restrictions typically do not apply to firearms with fixed magazines whose capacity would otherwise exceed the large capacity threshold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullet button</span> Device used to remove a magazine in a semi-automatic rifle

A bullet button is a device used to remove a magazine in a semi-automatic rifle, replacing the magazine release with a block which forces the user to remove the magazine by using a tool rather than the magazine release button. This allows the rifle to comply with parts of California's firearms laws. The name came about in relation to a 1999 California law which said that a "bullet or ammunition cartridge is considered a tool."

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Goode, Erica (January 16, 2013). "Even Defining 'Assault Rifles' Is Complicated". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Babay, Emily (December 22, 2012). "Confusion abounds: Just what is an 'assault weapon'?". Philadelphia Media Network. Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Levs, Josh (January 31, 2013). "Loaded language poisons gun debate". CNN. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Tartaro, Joseph P. (1995). "The Great Assault Weapon Hoax". University of Dayton Law Review. p. 557. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Peterson, Phillip (2008). Gun Digest Buyer's Guide to Assault Weapons. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 11. ISBN   978-0896896802.[ dead link ]
  6. 1 2 3 4 Blake, Aaron (January 17, 2013). "Is It Fair to Call Them 'Assault Weapons'?". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  7. 1 2 Kauffman, Matthew (December 18, 2012). "In State with 'Assault Weapons' Ban, Lanza's Rifle Still Legal". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. Retrieved January 2, 2013. The term 'assault weapon,' as used by the media, is a media invention. These are semi-automatic firearms that have military cosmetic characteristics. They look like our military firearms, but they're not.
  8. 1 2 3 Poole, Helen (2021). Firearms: Global Perspectives on Consequences, Crime and Control. Routledge. p. 21.
  9. ↑ Lord, Debbie (May 26, 2022). "Assault Weapon vs. Assault Rifle: What Is the Difference?". WOKV-FM . Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  10. ↑ Lallanilla, Marc (January 17, 2013). "What Is an Assault Weapon?". Fox News Channel. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Banning Assault Weapons: A Legal Primer for State and Local Action" (PDF). Legal Community Against Violence. April 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2012. Assault weapons are semiautomatic firearms designed with military features to allow rapid and accurate spray firing.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Koerner, Brendan (September 16, 2004). "What Is an Assault Weapon? At last, you can get a semiautomatic rifle with a bayonet". Slate. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  13. 1 2 "Senate Bill 23 Assault Weapon Characteristics". oag.ca.gov. California DOJ. 2000. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  14. 1 2 "Assault weapon". Connecticut Law About Firearms. Connecticut General Statutes. September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 103rd Congress (1994). "Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, H.R.3355" (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. pp. 201–15. Retrieved January 27, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ Ballou, James L. (2000). Rock in a Hard Place: The Browning Automatic Rifle. Collector Grade Publications Inc. pp. 77–79. ISBN   978-0-88935-263-6.
  17. ↑ Adams, Bob (November 12, 2004). "Gun Control Debate". CQ Researcher. 14 (40): 949–72. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  18. ↑ Definition of "assault weapon", Dictionary.com. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  19. ↑ Definition of "assault weapon". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  20. ↑ Jane's Infantry Weapons 1995–96, p. 219.
  21. ↑ "Marine Corps Fact File: Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW)". About.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Assault weapon" . Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press.(Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  23. 1 2 Ingram, Carl (April 9, 1985). "Restricting of Assault-Type Guns Okd by Assembly Unit". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2013.
  24. 1 2 Kavey, Fred (November 1, 1985). "California: gun control's primary target". Guns & Ammo Magazine.
  25. ↑ Sugarmann, Josh (1988). "Assault Weapons and Accessories in America". Violence Policy Center . Retrieved February 26, 2005.
  26. ↑ Richman, Josh (January 18, 2013). "Assault Weapons: What Are They, and Should They Be Banned?". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved January 19, 2013. In fact, the term was introduced by the gun industry itself to boost interest in new lines of firearms.
  27. ↑ Lowry, Richard (2003). Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years . Regnery Publishing. p.  96. ISBN   978-0-89526-049-9.
  28. ↑ Blake, Aaron. "Is it fair to call them 'assault weapons'?". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  29. ↑ Daniels, Jeff (February 22, 2018). "Definition of what's actually an 'assault weapon' is a highly contentious issue". CNBC. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  30. ↑ Nahmias, Laura (December 22, 2012). "Cuomo for Gun Laws". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 26, 2012. New York is one of only seven states that have assault-weapons bans in place, according to the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence.
  31. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions: What is considered an assault weapon under California law?". California Department of Justice. December 16, 2011. There are three categories of assault weapons under California law. The first category is firearms listed on the original Roberti-Roos assault weapons list (Penal Code section 12276, subds (a), (b), and (c)). The second category of assault weapons is AK and AR-15 series weapons, pdf (Penal Code sections 12276 (e) and (f)). The third category of assault weapons is defined by specific generic characteristics (PC section 12276.1, SB 23).
  32. ↑ Walker, Robert E. (2013). Cartridges and Firearm Identification. CRC Press. pp. 192–93. ISBN   978-1-4665-8881-3.
  33. 1 2 3 Mantel, Barbara (March 8, 2013). "Gun Control". CQ Researcher. 23 (10): 233–256. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Maryland – MD Code". State Laws and Published Ordinances – Firearms (31st ed.). ATF.gov. January 2011. pp. 219–220. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  35. ↑ "General Laws: Title XX, Chapter 140, Section 121". Massachusetts Laws. The 188th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  36. ↑ "N.Y. ADC. LAW § 10-301 : NY Code – Section 10-301: Control and regulation of the disposition, purchase and possession of firearms, rifles, shotguns and assault weapons" . Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  37. 1 2 Cuomo, Andrew M. (January 16, 2013). "Governor Cuomo Signs NY Safe Act in Rochester" (Press release). Rochester, New York: Governor's Press Office. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  38. ↑ Berger, Judson (January 18, 2013). "NY Guv Looks to Clarify Gun Law After Concern About Exemption for Police". Fox News Channel. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  39. ↑ Acevedo, Edward J. (January 4, 2013). Amendment to Senate Bill 2899, Illinois General Assembly web site. Retrieved January 18, 2013. "In this Section: "Semi-automatic assault weapon" means: ... (C-2) a semi-automatic rifle or a pistol with the capacity to accept a detachable magazine, a muzzle brake, or muzzle compensator..."
  40. ↑ "Illinois Assault Weapons Ban Fails Again, Votes Not There For Passage In Lame-Duck Session". The Huffington Post. January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013. State Rep. Brandon Phelps, a Harrisburg Democrat, called the bill "too broad" as it applied to too many different types of guns, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
  41. 1 2 Chakraborty, Barnini (January 3, 2013). "Firearms Groups Fight Sweeping Illinois Gun Ban, Dems Weigh Options". Fox News Channel. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  42. ↑ "Municipal Code of Chicago – Title 8, Chapter 8-20, Article III., Section 170 – Unregisterable firearms". American Legal Publishing Corporation. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  43. ↑ "Cook County, Illinois, Code of Ordinances – Part I, Chapter 54, Article III, Division 4 – Blair Holt Assault Weapons Ban". Library.municode.com. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  44. ↑ "RCW 9.41.010: Definitions. (Effective until January 1, 2025.)". app.leg.wa.gov.
  45. ↑ "What's new in the AP Stylebook, 55th Edition?". APStylebook.com. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  46. ↑ "assault rifle | Definition, Examples, Facts, & History | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  47. ↑ "Finally, the End of a Sad Era—Clinton Gun Ban Stricken from Books!". Fairfax, Virginia: National Rifle Association, Institute for Legislative Action. September 13, 2004. Law-abiding citizens, however, will once again be free to purchase semi-automatic firearms, regardless of their cosmetic features, for target shooting, shooting competitions, hunting, collecting, and most importantly, self-defense.
  48. ↑ "Violence Policy Center Issues Statement on Expiration of Federal Assault Weapons Ban" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: Violence Policy Center. September 13, 2004. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013. Soon after its passage in 1994, the gun industry made a mockery of the federal assault weapons ban, manufacturing 'post-ban' assault weapons with only slight, cosmetic differences from their banned counterparts.
  49. ↑ "Assault Weapons Policy Summary". San Francisco, California: Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. May 21, 2012.
  50. ↑ Seitz-Wald, Alex (February 6, 2013). "Don't mourn the assault weapons ban's impending demise". Salon. [The National Rifle Association] says the ban created an artificial distinction between 'assault weapons' and other semi-automatic weapons, based almost entirely on cosmetic features. This is largely true.
  51. ↑ More cosmetic sources:
    • McArdle, Megan (November 12, 2012). "Just Say No to Dumb Gun Laws". The Daily Beast. ... 'assault weapon' is a largely cosmetic rather than functional description.
    • Kopel, David (December 17, 2012). "Guns, Mental Illness and Newtown". The Wall Street Journal. None of the guns that the Newtown murderer used was an assault weapon under Connecticut law. This illustrates the uselessness of bans on so-called assault weapons, since those bans concentrate on guns' cosmetics, such as whether the gun has a bayonet lug, rather than their function.
    • Yager, Jordy (January 16, 2013). "The problem with 'assault weapons'". The Hill. Gun companies quickly realized they could stay within the law and continue to make rifles with high-capacity magazine clips if they steered away from the cosmetic features mentioned in the law.
    • Sullum, Jacob (January 30, 2013). "What's an Assault Weapon?". Reason. The distinguishing characteristics of 'assault weapons' are mainly cosmetic and have little or no functional significance in the context of mass shootings or ordinary gun crimes.
  52. ↑ Roth, Alex; Prada, Paulo; Dade, Corey (March 13, 2009). "New Calls for Assault-Gun Ban". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 28, 2012. People seeking to stock up on the types of weapons that would likely be targeted by any ban—semiautomatic weapons, sometimes known as 'black guns' or 'black rifles'—have flocked to purchase them.
  53. ↑ Harrison, Laird (December 20, 2012). "4 Myths About Assault Weapons". KQED. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2012. But these guns are no more powerful than many semiautomatic rifles legally used for hunting in California and throughout the United States. They don't shoot farther, faster or with more power. In order to create an 'assault weapon' ban, legislators had to list specific models of guns or characteristics such as pistol grips on rifles, flash hiders, folding rifle stocks and threaded barrels for attaching silencers.
  54. ↑ Decker, Scott; Ruddell, Rick (May 1, 2005). "Kids and Assault Weapons: Social Problem or Social Construction?" . Criminal Justice Review. 30 (1): 53. doi:10.1177/0734016805275679. S2CID   56076954.
  55. ↑ "Background Information on So-Called 'Assault Weapons'". National Shooting Sports Foundation. December 2011. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  56. ↑ Sullum, Jacob (September 9, 2022). "The largest-ever survey of American gun owners finds that defensive use of firearms is common". Reason.com. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  57. ↑ Frankel, Todd C.; Boburg, Shawn; Dawsey, Josh; Parker, Ashley; Horton, Alex. "How the AR-15 became a powerful political, cultural symbol in America". Washington Post. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  58. ↑ Jamieson, Dave (December 16, 2012). "Dianne Feinstein To Introduce Assault Weapons Ban On First Day Of Congress". The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  59. ↑ Gold, Matea (December 21, 2012). "A defiant NRA calls for armed guards in every school". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  60. ↑ Ekins, Emily (January 30, 2013). "Just 27 Percent of Americans Say the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban Would Have Helped Avoid the Sandy Hook Shooting". Reason.
  61. ↑ Feinstein, Dianne and Richard Blumenthal (December 21, 2012). Senators Feinstein and Blumenthal React to NRA. Washington, D.C.: C-SPAN. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  62. ↑ Feinstein, Dianne and Richard Blumenthal (December 21, 2012). Senators Feinstein and Blumenthal React to NRA. Washington, D.C.: C-SPAN. Event occurs at 12:16. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  63. ↑ "Summary of 2013 Feinstein Assault Weapons Legislation" (PDF). December 26, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  64. ↑ S. 150
  65. ↑ Simon, Richard (April 17, 2013). "Senate votes down Feinstein's assault weapons ban". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.