1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban

If you own a firearm in New York State you know about the secure ammunition and firearms enforcement act or SAFE act for short. What you may not know about it though is much more important. What most people don’t realize is that this law is under more opposition than any other law in the state’s history “As of 3/11/2013, we've had 127,715 people sign the petition!” (New York senator Kathleen Marchione). There are many explanations why. What I am here to ask is should assault be legal and unrestricted in the state of New York, and is it legal to restrict them the way that the legislators of the state have?

July 20th, 2012, twelve are killed and fifty-eight are injured at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. The man who killed them used a semi-automatic rifle with a one hundred round magazine. An automatic weapon has no use in the United States because all sporting events, and activities with guns can be accomplished without automatic weapons. It is important because it limits the possibilities of events like the shooting at the Sandusky school in Ohio. Some would say they are a good for shooting range activity and most people don’t commit crimes with them, getting rid of automatic weapons would get rid of the crimes committed with them overall. People die because of the actions taken with with assault rifles. Automatic weapons should be banned in the US because they are not needed for self defense, and they have almost no use in recreational activities.

The issue of banning assault weapons and large capacity magazines has been debated for years, but has never been discussed with such urgency as it is now. The issue is the banning of assault weapons in our society. Are we the kind of country that allows and encourages its citizens to own weapons of mass destruction? The moral issue we face is banning ownership of these weapons to ordinary citizens while protecting their rights under the second amendment of our Constitution. Considering the bloodshed and death that assault weapons cause in the hands of citizens and criminals, it seems to me that assault weapons do not have a place in our homes and society.

Assault weapons started being attacked by politicians and lawmakers’ in1989. In Gun Control: The Pros and Cons,I Tom Streissguth says that the

“Guns don’t kill people, people do.” This is a well known statement that is oftentimes considered true. However, it is not completely true. Someone who is mentally ill may be unable to make logical decisions and the perception they receive of reality may be tainted by the illness. Gun laws pertaining to those suffering mental illnesses should be more restrictive. Weapons such as guns make committing an act of violence, especially when there are multiple victims, much easier. It is difficult to assess the probability of a person to commit a violent act that harms anyone including himself/herself. Therefore, gun laws need be monitored very closely and made more consistent throughout each state in order to prevent violence that could

The National firearm act of 1934 regulating only fully automatic firearms like sub-machine guns is approved by Congress. Then Roosevelt wins approval of the National Firearms Act of 1938, which requires the licensing of interstate gun dealers, who must record their sales. It prohibits sales to individuals under accusation or convicted of crimes of violence. The Gun Control Act of 1968 was passed for the purpose of keeping firearms out of the hands of those not legally permitted to possess them because of age, criminal background, or incompetence. In 1972 the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms is created listing as part of its mission the control of illegal use and sale of firearms and the enforcement of Federal firearms laws. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act enforces a five-day waiting period on the purchase of a handgun and requires that local law enforcement agencies conduct background checks on purchasers of handguns. Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 band all sale, manufacture, importation, or possession of a number of specific types of assault weapons. Given this information you

The mounting deaths and associated trauma from mass shootings should motivate us to take action to make needed reforms to our gun laws, focus law enforcement resources on combating illegal gun possession and invest in prevention initiatives proven to reduce gun violence. Assault weapons cause more harm than good when they are able to purchased and owned by private citizens. And while most who do own and use these powerful weapons for harmless, recreational activities or a sense of protection, the fact is that when they fall into the hands of individuals who are not mentally sound enough to possess something of such force, the result is one of horrific tragedy. The government must take into consideration the hundreds of innocent people who have lost their lives as a result of these dangerous weapons, and work on ways to prevent

The ban acts to take advantage of key clauses of the federal gun law. The clause allows semi-automatic rifles to be imported only when its usage is suitable for shooting sports and didn’t impose a ban on domestically manufactured semi-automatic rifles. Although, originally no law was expected, it was decided that a rifle import ban be put into action after a (B.A.T.F) panel study was conducted without curtailing hunters and sportsmen’s rights. The (B.A.T.F) panel decided that imported semi-automatic rifles, primarily AK-47’s and AKS’s as well as others would be banned due to not meeting certain

It seems that gunmen can walk freely in schools at present. Too many murders with assault rifles and pistols happened in campus. The Americans laying down under gunfire are not troopers patrolling in Middle East threating by terrorism, but children having classes and playing with friends in campus. Every police officer and nurse cannot forget the tears left on faces of who can never see the sun of tomorrow and even celebrate their 10-year birthdays. Arguments about an old topic of limiting guns and weapons are now rising again; but this time, parents turn to be main supporting force of such prohibition. Emphasizing the right of owning weapons, which is protected by US Constitution, or at least, an amendment, some people are still the resisting power against any forms of restriction of firearms. However, even ignoring the fact that related laws are actually outdated, some actions seem to be necessary for protecting children away from malice of weapon keepers. Therefore, the restrictions of assault weapons should be considered to put onto the agenda due to the excessive power of assault weapons, the obsolete background check system helping proliferation of firearms, and erroneous interpretation of constitution of private arms by opponents.

In 1934, a law called the National Firearms Act, had been set in motion to successfully ban automatic weapons from citizens so that the only ones allowed to have automatic weapons were the police, military, and people with written

The United States of America is a nation of massacres by military-type assault weapons. Aware of the deadliness of these weapons and due to public safety concerns clearly outweighing the benefits of personal ownership of military-type assault weapons, the United States passed the 1994 Federal Ban on military-type assault weapons. This ban was notably effective during the 10 years it was in effect. However, the Ban automatically expired in 2004. Since that time, the number of U. S. mass murders has markedly increased. Attempts to reinstate the Ban, most recently the stricter 2013 Ban, have all failed. Nevertheless, the less restrictive 1994 Ban did pass the Senate and House of Representatives at one point and was successful. Therefore, the 1994 Federal Ban on military-type assault weapons should be reinstated.

To help apply restrictions, the Gun Control Act of 1968, which was the first gun law, was passed in the wake of the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy earlier that year (“Restricting” par. 4). The 1968 Gun Control Act established categories of prohibited gun purchasers and possessors, including convicted felons, fugitives from justice, minors, individuals with a history of

If there was some type of ban on assault weapons, many lives could be saved. Assault weapons are becoming very attractive to criminals because of their capacity, “an assault weapon is generally considered to be a semiautomatic weapon with a detachable ammunition magazine and some type of advanced feature typically used in military-grade weapons.”(Assault Weapons) For example, most military-style weapons have high capacity of ammunition, meaning they can kill a lot of people in a very short time. Implementing

Guns have been used throughout history for war, hunting, and protection. Since then, the killing capacity and speed of guns has improved dramatically. Guns have been a part of American culture from its roots. However, as times have changed and guns are no longer a necessity, gun control has become increasingly urgent to prevent unnecessary crime and killings. Guns should be banned for everyone but the law enforcement and military. Guns should be banned to prevent mass shootings and lower crime rates, while being supported by history and the constitution.

Shootings in the United States have rose and assault rifles are not helping those numbers go down. Out of the the top 4 deadliest shootings in United States history 3 of the shooters have used assault rifles in their attacks totaling 134 deaths including children. While some think otherwise these numbers do not constitute owning an assault rifle for the fun of owning one. Assault rifle bans have proven to work by taking these weapons out of civilians hands “The percent of weapons seized by Virginia police that were high-capacity fell from 16 to 9 percent. In the years after the ban expired, the percent of high-capacity seizures rose rapidly to 20 percent by 2010”( Christopher Ingraham). These number help to prove that assault rifle bans have done good to prevent these