10 year ban on assault weapons ends

[jeepnut]

Originally Posted by Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho - The expiration Monday of a 10-year federal ban on assault weapons means firearms like AK-47s, Uzis and TEC-9s can now be legally bought — a development that has critics upset and gun owners pleased.

The 1994 ban, signed by President Clinton (news - web sites), outlawed 19 types of military-style assault weapons. A clause directed that the ban expire unless Congress specifically reauthorized it, which it did not.

Studies done by pro- and antigun groups as well as the Justice Department (news - web sites) show conflicting results on whether the ban helped reduce crime. Loopholes allowed manufacturers to keep many weapons on the market simply by changing their names or altering some of their features or accessories.

Gun shop owners said the expiration of the ban will have little effect on the types of guns and accessories that are typically sold and traded across their counters every day.

At the Boise Gun Co., gunsmith Justin Davis last week grabbed up a black plastic rifle resembling the U.S. military's standard issue M-16 from a row of more than a dozen similar weapons stacked against a wall.

The civilian version of the gun, a Colt AR-15 manufactured before 1994, could be sold last week just as easily as it can be sold this week. "It shoots exactly the same ammo at exactly the same rate of fire," said Davis.

Many states — including California, Massachusetts, New York and Hawaii — have passed their own laws curbing the use of assault weapons. Some of those are more stringent than the federal ban.

U.S. Rep. Butch Otter, R-Idaho, trumpeted the end of the federal law.

"President Clinton's so-called 'assault weapons' ban was nothing more than a sop to antigun liberals," Otter said Friday in a written statement. "It provided only the illusion of reducing gun violence, but it did real damage to our liberties."

But advocates for the ban, including the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, point to some particularly vicious shootings in which military-style weapons were used — including the 10 killings in the sniper shooting spree that terrorized residents in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., in 2002.

National police organizations such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers and the Fraternal Order of Police all support the renewal of the ban. President Bush (news - web sites) has said he would sign such a bill if Congress passed it.

Idaho State Police spokesman Rick Ohnsman said troopers have had no significant problems with assault style weapons and his agency has not taken a position for or against the federal legislation.

"Of course, the legitimate owners of guns register them. Unfortunately, whether there is a ban or not, some individuals will find ways to get weapons that are illegal."

The expiration of the assault weapons ban does not mean the end of federal background checks. The 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act is separate legislation from the assault weapons ban, said Daniel Wells, chief of the FBI (news - web sites) unit charged with overseeing the background checks system.

"The change in law relating to assault weapons has no impact on the Brady Law," Wells said.

Davis predicted the biggest change in his business will be the ability of manufacturers and importers to market higher capacity ammunition magazines — the removable "clip" that holds and feeds bullets through guns.

Under the 1994 ban, the maximum capacity of a magazine was set at 10 rounds. That sent the price of high-capacity magazines through the roof, Davis said, even though magazines manufactured before the ban were protected by a "grandfather" provision and could still be sold.

Now, some gun manufacturers are planning to give away high-capacity magazines as bonuses for buying their weapons. Sales of formerly banned gun accessories, such as flash suppressors and folding stocks, are also expected to take off.

Well, what do we think? I don't see any reason to need an assault weapon so this isn't exactly good news from my viewpoint. Of course, according to the article, it doesn't sound like it did much.

[dropCGCF]

Guns aren't the problem. Ammo is.

[DimHalo]

I have a hard time really caring too much (at the moment). I don't live in Idaho and I have more pressing concerns... like finding a recommendation for grad school by the wed deadline.

[Jonbo298]

Gee golly, time for me to go buy an Uzi and a ton of other Assault Weapons for NO ****ING REASON

[The Germanator]

Well, I don't even think handguns should be legal, so you can tell what I think about this...I think it sucks.

[thatmariolover]

Originally Posted by The Germanator

Well, I don't even think handguns should be legal, so you can tell what I think about this...I think it sucks.

I'm totally with you man. If their weren't any guns, there generally wouldn't be any need for them.

[Canyarion]

In Holland (I'm not bragging... just telling) all guns are illegal. There is far less crime here. Or perhaps people get beat up instead of shot through the head...

No guns = good.

[Bube]

Firearms are illegal over here as well. Getting a license to carry one is very hard (except for army personnel and police).

People who buy one without a license keep it at home. Then we see their kids in the newspapers, shooting themselves with their father's unlicensed guns...

[Dyne]

I wonder about Canada's law on this now. There probably is a ban on Automatics up here, still, but, I've never cared to check.

[GameMaster]

I don't really mind if it's uplifted or not as long as violence and crime doesn't increase but if it does then we should ban them again.

[dropCGCF]

I don't care if people have guns. We need them to hunt today's superanimals, such as the electric eel.
Societies can be responsible even with assault waepons as long as people are trained and proven to be responsible.

[Professor S]

Well, I'm a long time gun owner and have grown up with them all my life. I have 2 circa 1942 M1 Carbines, a 30/6 (I used to hunt) and a 357 half snub...

And I'm all for the ban on assault weapons. Honestly, there is really no reason for people to own them, outside of the reason that there is no reason for them NOT to have them if they don't use them illegally.

Its just better off for people and if someone's penis is so small that they need a rediculous gun to shoot, the government should just pay for an enlargement.

With that said, legal guns aren't the reason why there is so much violence in this country. People don't kill people just because the have a weapon in their hands. There is something behind it and if we ban all weapons Americans would be killing each other with baseball bats. The big reason that may be hard to find and impossible to fix is still unanswered.

[Typhoid]

Canada has a ban on all guns without a permit i believe. And i think in urban areas, it has to be for hunting only, so it has to be a hunting gun. I have no idea, but guns are illegal, im pretty sure of it.

And the only reason you would need an AK-47 or an Uzi is to protect yourself from someone else shooting at you with an AK-47 or an Uzi. Do you see a problem with that?

I think this will highly raise gang violence and crime.

[Happydude]

i think everybody with an illegal gun should be shot ..........jk

serioulsy though, i think all the countries in the world should have a very strict policy about owning weapons or ammo or whatever...or just stop manufacturing ammo...if the prices of ammo went up not many people would be able to afford to pay $50/bullet...so i say just stop manufacturing them outside of military bases and such.

[Jason1]

Originally Posted by thatmariolover

I'm totally with you man. If their weren't any guns, there generally wouldn't be any need for them.

I'll agree with you and Germy on this one...