NRA convention AR-15 assault style rifle
(AP Photo/Steve Ueckert, File)

The problem, as Joe Biden explained before he was elected president, was that gun manufacturers could comply with the 1994 [‘assault weapons’ ban] by “making minor modifications to their products” that left them “just as deadly.” Removing the prohibited features did not affect the essential properties of semi-automatic rifles, which still fired the same ammunition at the same rate with the same muzzle velocity.

Biden nevertheless is proud of backing the 1994 ban, which he contradictorily (and implausibly) claims reduced mass-shooting deaths. He thinks fiddling with the language can correct the essential weakness of that law, which by his own account left many equally deadly firearms on the market. But that weakness is inherent in the puzzling distinctions drawn by this sort of law.

If anything, H.R. 1808 underlines the arbitrariness of those distinctions. It includes a 94-page list of firearms that are explicitly exempted from the ban. The Iver Johnson M1 carbine, for example, is allowed, provided it does not have a folding stock, a feature that has no impact on the gun’s lethality. The Ruger Mini-14 Ranch rifle is likewise exempted, as long as it has a fixed stock and does not have a pistol grip. Yet the Ruger Mini-14 Tactical rifle (Model 5888), which is otherwise functionally identical, is prohibited.

For obvious reasons, Democrats did not want to talk about details like those, instead relying on misdirection and misstatements of fact to make the case for the bill. But after decades of legislation based on such dubious distinctions, Americans may be wising up. In a Quinnipiac University poll conducted in early June, just 50 percent of respondents favored “a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons,” while 45 percent were opposed and 5 percent offered no opinion. As Fox News noted, that was “the lowest level of support since February 2013,” when Quinnipiac first posed the question. The results are especially notable because the survey was completed just two weeks after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

— Jacob Sullum in The Dubious and Doomed ‘Assault Weapon’ Ban That the House Approved…May Cost Democrats This Fall

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

77 COMMENTS

  1. They have made certain guns illegal based on the color of their skin, and not on the content of their character.

    • Democrats (communist party USA) have proven over the last three national elections they have the process, the people in place and the money necessary to find all the votes they need to win major elections.

      The major media talking about a “red wave” in November is agitprop aimed at reducing republican turnout.

      Be Prepared for the “final solution” they have planned for conservatives when they finally overthrow the constitution.

  2. “May cost.” That’s cute.
    As if there aren’t thirty five tons of other straws straining that camels back.

  3. Violating their oath of office again.

    The Democrats (and Brian Fitzpatrick & Chris Jacobs) need a course in the US Constitution and the Supreme Court decisions regarding the 2nd Amendment.

    We need to start loudly calling them out for failing to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.

    • Mad Max,

      Politicians don’t care about laws or rules when they can ignore laws and rules with impunity.

      Our politicians do not have a “knowledge” deficit, they have a “desire to comply” deficit.

  4. Because the Democrats are all about appearances, “Look, I am banning baby killing machines” or “Here I am posing for a photo shoot with a gay/TS/minority person”, that they will discard once the photo shoot is over.

    • “Look, I am banning baby killing machines” while at the same time usurping the authority of the Supreme Court in their quest to kill more babies. When Planned Parenthood is nothing more than a footnote in a history book, then they can worry about babies killed by firearms.

  5. “The Problem” is that America has too many tyrants and would-be dictators. People that get elected into positions of power through lies and cheating who then ‘appoint’ other like-minded people that hold positions that help them.

  6. Interesting question. You never know, boobus americanus is a very dumb and statist creature. He really has no lower bound.

    • Actually, it is the subspecies “Democratis Gulliblieus ” that we need to be wary of – through an evolutionary quirk caused by being adopted as domestic pets, they have lost all of the rest of the specie’s reasoning and logic capabilities.
      They will not fare well when they are abandoned by their masters

  7. So, this new bill (which will never pass the Senate) makes many our guns “illegal”, including my Mini 14 Tactical. Coincidentally, Trudeau (Canada) just ordered confiscation mandatory selling to the government of all privately owned scary rifles. Just a coincidence, right? No global World Economic Forum cabal moving for enslavement of the global population.

    The USA stands alone in enshrining the right to keep and bear arms in its Constitution. We will preserve human liberty.

    Maybe I will forestall purchasing a 10mm pistol and shoot for another rifle. Not an AR fan (at least not of the few I have had opportunity to fire), so it is time to do some research. Maybe a Mini 14 in 300Blk. That is what I originally wanted but they became as scarce as dog feathers during the fraudemic.

    • Never say never! They bribed some RINOS to pass the red flag BS last month. Money is a great motivator to RINO scum. Let’s make life hard for traitors🙄

      • That group has been around forever. I bet most will be retiring, so they don’t care. Most of the senators still have over four years left on their term.

        • Actually, only a third have four, a third have two and the rest are up for election in Nov. 1880 won’t pass needs 60 votes with only 4 or 5 RINO Senators stupid enough to vote FOR it and one of them is retiring while two are up for reelection this year.

      • FWW:
        Agree! We need to make life as hard for them as we can, before we have to make it impossible.

    • mandatory selling to the government

      That is a “Mandatory BUYBACK”… Words matter and of course we already know what the compliance level will be.

      • No, it is compensated confiscation. It is not a buyback as it was not the government’s property to begin with.

        • I am merely relating it as it was PRESENTED, that being in TRUDEAUS actual wordage as a Mandatory Government “Buyback”.. I AM fully aware that the reality is “compensated” confiscation and that the Canadian government NEVER actually owned any of those firearms.

    • “Coincidentally, Trudeau (Canada) just ordered confiscation mandatory selling to the government of all privately owned scary rifles.”

      It’ll be real interesting to see what kind of compliance they get with that ‘buyback’.

      Something tells me they will never admit to the actual numbers, seeing as how governments are wont to release data that makes them look like the fools they actually are to the public at large.

      On the upside, I bet sales of metal detectors are about to *explode* in numbers, and magnet fishing as well… 🙂

  8. The Dems have FOUR of the most dangerous people on their side…Hollywood (actors and musicians), the media, The UNIONS, and most of our educators…Basically, similar elements brought the Nazis and the third reich to power…unfortunately they are growing an insane generation of people much faster than us…The future looks bleak…

  9. Those who are not yet gun owners can also join in recognition of the democrats efforts, to show your appreciation of who they are and what they stand for …. go out and buy a semi-auto MSR, at least several standard 30rd magazines (also known as ‘high capacity magazines’), and a lot of bullets because if the democrats keep trying to impose who they are and what they stand for you are probably going to need it.

    • least several standard 30rd magazines

      Why not splurge and grab a few of those ultra-dangerous 40 and 60 round mags, I even have a few of those for my old mini-14.

  10. The problem the fascist left faces is that the vast majority of people in America are gun owners.

    The other problems that the fascist left owns outright is a shattered economy. Fuel, energy and food prices are through the roof. People cannot even get baby food. Shortages are becoming common and will not stop there.

    The fascist left claims to be for the poor and the working class. But the billionaires that own the fascist left are crushing all but the wealthy elites.

    • quote————-The problem the fascist left faces is that the vast majority of people in America are gun owners.———-quote

      Once again our High School Drop out Jethro W.M. flunks out again with his posts.

      But surveys show that gun ownership in America is actually highly concentrated. Only 22 to 31% of Americans adults say they personally own a gun.

      Rates of personal and household gun ownership appear to have declined over the past decades – roughly two-thirds of Americans today say they live in a gun-free household. By contrast, in the late 1970s, the majority of Americans said they lived in a household with guns.

      Also the majority of firearms are owned by only 3% of the population proving that guns in general are not high priority among 97% of the population.

      And the Far Right have always been considered Fascist’s not the Left.

      https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/15/the-gun-numbers-just-3-of-american-adults-own-a-collective-133m-firearms

      • Surveys, like you, are bogus. 3%? That’s the biggest load of road apples you’ve ever dropped here, liar boy. I live in the liberal bay area and the ranges and gun stores are full of people every time I go.

        The left, bought by billionaire corporations has been driven so far to the left they are now the far right. The Fascist Left. And you, retard boy, are one of their foot soldiers and you are just too stupid to realize it.

      • And Ken Burns in his special on PBS draws parallels between the German Nazi’s burning books and the Republican present day Nazi’s burning books as well.

        • Book burnings? You the one that wants to label things you don’t agree with ‘hate speech’ and ban them.

          You and those Nazi’s are one and the same.

        • Your comment is awaiting moderation
          So uhhhhh yeah, how about a history lesson dacian The Nazi book burnings were a campaign conducted by the German Student Union to ceremonially burn books in Nazi Germany and Austria in the 1930s. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representing ideologies opposed to Nazism. These included books written by Jewish, communist, socialist, anarchist, liberal, pacifist, and sexologist authors among others. The initial books burned were those of Karl Marx and Karl Kautsky, but came to include very many authors, including Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, writers in French and English, and effectively any book that was not ardent in its support of Nazism. The books that American PARENTS want banned from SCHOOL libraries are flat out PORNOGRAPHY!! Books that parents were not even permitted to read from in front of the school board because they are so fucking GRAPHIC!! You might think that material is suitable for elementary school aged children AND if you do that puts you right in the middle of the sick fucking pedophiles of MAMBLA and other twisted groups that have no business wasting oxygen that normal people could be using. You really are a warped fuck.. PBS is just another libtard media outlet so yeah I could see why you would use it as a reference.

        • Ken Burnsis a “Nancy-Boi” a low testosterone Leftist eagerl awaiting his SRS surgery, his productions are more than Leni Reifensthal retreads.

      • dacian: “Only 22 to 31% of Americans adults say they personally own a gun”.

        331,000,000 Americans counted in last census, 258,000,000 adults (18 and over), @31% of AMERICANS that ADMIT to owning guns would be 102,600,000 add another 20% for people like me who feel that what I own is no one’s business but mine and toss in the 30% that won’t even answer the phone for or respond to surveys and you are STARTING to get closer to the actual number of guns/gun owners in the US (americangunfacts.com says 41% of adults own a gun). A 9-point spread in an ACTUAL survey? Funny thing, they didn’t contact me, any members of my family OR anyone I’ve spoken to in the past couple of days so WHERE did “THE GUARDIAN” conduct their survey? Must have called Prince Albert and his ilk. As far as 3% owning the majority of guns? More bogus bullshit. With 38.5 million hunting licenses issued in 2021 (hunters normally are multi-gun owners) that alone is nearly 15% of the adult population and there are potentially that many more unlicensed hunters (in FL residents over 65 do not require hunting/fishing license). Is this a flawed survey? YES, yes it is. Estimates are 400 million guns in America with over 393 million in the hands of civilians or 120 guns for every 100 citizens or about 152 guns per 100 ADULTS in America. Schools out, you are welcome, thanks for playing.

  11. Founders knew that violence would again be only solution. Do you SERIOUSLY believe they’d not have begun shooting yet?

    • The current impediment is that we must wait for the tyranny to be so egregious that we can predict which side the standing military will come down on.

      Until the point is reached where we can be certain of who our allies will be the risk is too great and in such a fight, for the safety of the entire world, we cannot afford to lose because we lashed out too soon.

      Soap box, ballot box, ammo box. Remember the sequence.

      • As long as they own the MSM it will be virtually impossible to turn popular sentiment in favor of such upheaval. Too many Americans (natural born citizens) have grown fat and lazy, a large part of the populace came here to escape civil wars and the rest want what the Progressives are selling but the real problem will be the power struggles within the rebelling factions and a lack of cohesive training. Without a large portion of the military on our side any armed rebellion is doomed, and Obama made sure he got rid of any “problematic” General staff across the board leaving only puzzys like “I wanna understand white rage and I’M white” Gen “Mildred” Milley…

        • The military is conducting a soft purge with their vax requirements and woke indoctrination. Some of the ads for new recruits are changing as well. Ads are always for a target audience. Instead of the Army running ads during an MMA match showing rugged people in extreme training situations, they’re running ads on CNN with a female recruit talking about her two mothers. It’s intentional. The same thing has been happening at the CIA for years. They want to recruit people that are down with the cause.

        • Dude,

          Same happened under Peanut Carter, a purge, but back then they claimed budget woes, once Ronnie was elected many went back enlisted and officer alike …with a boost in rank, when “The Don” reascends his rightful place his soldiers will flock back into the ranks.

    • It took more than a decade to get from the Stamp Act to the signing of the Declaration of Independence – really not all that well understood these days as the history of the American Revolution (when it is not being described as just another instance of white supremacy, as all things American must be anymore) is taught as if those two events were separated by a couple years at most.

      In reality there was a long period of simmering tensions growing hotter with each new offense – the “long train of abuses and usurpations” mentioned in the DoI – before the dam broke, and that final catalyst was of course the attempted confiscation of militia arms at Lexington and Concord.

      This attempt to ban future sales of civilian militia arms is unconstitutional but not confiscation, not yet (certainly that’s the long term goal), so I think we’re still in our “suffering evil while it is sufferable” phase. But the fuse is lit and continues its inexorable march towards the powder keg.

    • More and more people are starting to realize they have been played. Just had a conversation with a relative a week ago who is starting to question, and this is a person who has suckled at the teat of the old gray lady for decades. Starting to see similar cracks in a couple of other people I know.

      If you remain open to communication, you might have similar experiences. I suggest that you be patient, be supportive, and be gentle. Don’t rush them, and don’t react if they periodically revert. Coming to a full understanding that you have been duped is difficult and painful. The vast majority of people who vote for leftists are not malevolent, they are misled, but it’s hard to have this kind of communication if you are talking civil war.

  12. The Democrats (and Brian Fitzpatrick & Chris Jacobs) need a course in the US Constitution

    I recall when Obamacare was being debated one Democrat Congressman was asked if he was concerned that parts of it were unconstitutional, he replied “I don’t know about the Constitution, we don’t worry about what is or what is NOT Constitutional we just write bills and pass laws, that is for the courts to decide.”

    • They know it isn’t Constitutional. They don’t care. They only have contempt for the Constitution and anything that prohibits them from absolute power.

      • That is 100% absolutely correct, they used to view the Constitution as a roadblock now it’s seen only as a nuisance.

  13. Let us see, number of deaths in America due to scary looking rifles in any give year are less than 150 (at most). Lots of hang wringing and laws. Deaths from Chinese made and Mexican cartel imported fentanyl? More than 70,000. And, crickets. Follow the money?

  14. The issue is we let any idiot (right OR left) who is elected draft legislation despite the fact half these fools would wash out of law school first term. Then they blame us for their idiotically written laws. If you actually knew how to properly draft legislation there wouldn’t be any of these “loopholes” that you created 100% due to your own ignorance.

    • The dirty little secret is that elected officials don’t draft the complicated legislation full of those loopholes you’re referring to. That legislation is provided to legislatures by lobbyists. Legislatures just combine the various pieces provided by lobbyists and vote on it. I’m not talking about the rather simple AR ban bill.

      • “OMG, that was great! Everyone in that situation should do that.”

        Interesting TV movie, but I’ll wait for the book. Highly unlikely the feds will put up with this, but the retaliation will not be reported on the nightly news.

  16. “That is why our masters in Washington are so anxious to disarm us. They are not afraid of criminals. They are afraid of a populace which cannot be subdued by tyrants. ” – late Col Jeff Cooper, USMC. founder of Gunsite, handgun expert.

    “One of the notable aspects of the democratic process is that one need not know anything about a subject in order to pass laws about it.” – yeah, Jeffy again.

    Politicians with laws never stop bad guys with guns.
    They only control the good guys, which is their true agenda.

  17. “History and the Culture are Not on the Side of Democrats Who Voted for a New ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban”

    And this is a problem for Dims and Leftists?

  18. HR 1808 if ever past in the future will probably have to be amended to include ALL semi-auto rifles in order to be effective. The ones not banned would have to go on the NFA list. Its as simple as that.

    Time grows short for the American people to save their democracy because of the alarming rate in the rise of the Far Right elements of the Republican Party which threaten to destroy democracy and turn the U.S. into a Nazi one party dictatorship as witnessed on Jan 6th. DO NOT MISS Ken Burns September PBS special on the rise of the jackbooted Far Right in America and how it parallels the rise of Nazim in Germany in the 1930’s. History is repeating itself and Ken Burns shows the Germans were no more susceptible to authoritarianism that anyone else, including America, which now is under great peril of being destroyed by the rise of the radical far right jackbooted Republican fanatics. Disarming them is a mandatory first step in saving democracy in America. Nut case far right groups like the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, KKK and other jackbooted vermin must be disarmed.

    https://www.rawstory.com/the-road-down-authoritarianism-what-ken-burns-holocaust-documentary-can-teach-americans-in-2022/?utm_source=123456&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10925

    • Man. Wrong again derr fuhrer herr dacian. What we need is a Nuremberg 2.0 for you Fascist Left members that have committed crimes against humanity and violated peoples civil rights.

      It’s coming and you’re just too damn stupid to see. But then so where all your ss buddies in ww2.

      I guess you could probably make a good argument that you’re too mentally ill to be responsible for your actions. Might be all that saves you.

    • Hmmmmmm, I believe the KKK belongs to your guys along with Antifa, BLM, DEMOCRATIC Soshullists, Communist Party USA, black bloc, Youth Liberation Front, Jane’s Revenge, Animal Liberation Front, Youth Liberation Front, Independent Media Center AND gun ownership is a central characteristic of far-left groups such as the John Brown Gun Club and Redneck Revolt, which believe they must arm themselves for protection from the far right. I think I’ll take the Proud Boys and The Oathkeepers.

    • The time will come, Americans will eventually deal with the likes of Dacian and others of his ilk, patriots will “go ‘Francisco Franco'” upon their oppressors.

    • Ken Burns also points out that the Republicans burning of books mirror’s that of the German Nazi’s of WWII

      • You’re the book burner, der fuhrer herr dacian. You want to silence any body that opposes you. Label it hate speech and burn it.

      • Did they burn porn books in children’s libraries? Then I agree with them. It’s hilarious how they frame that trash corrupting children as freedom of speech as they ban actual facts being presented to the public because they’re “conspiracy theories.” And the sheep keep falling for it.

        Lil d: Everyone I don’t like is a Not Z.

      • Did you forget you already posted that or is it past your bedtime and you start repeating yourself when you are tired.

  19. So they passed the 1994 ban, it expired. History and the culture was SO not on their side that the House just did it again – weeks after the Supreme Court said such a thing was not Constitutional.

    I like how people never understand that tyrants do not care what anyone thinks.

    • “Coincidentally, Trudeau (Canada) just ordered confiscation mandatory selling to the government of all privately owned scary rifles.”

      The only way the ’94 AWB got passed in the first place was because of that 10-year ‘sunset’ provision. It would not have passed without it.

      In their complete and total arrogance, they expected to occupy the White House in 2004. We dodged that bullet by about 385 votes in Florida.

      We got lucky that time, but don’t expect that kind of luck going forward…

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