General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTime magazine op-ed: President Bill Clinton: Reinstate the Assault Weapons Ban Now
It pains me to see people in the culture I grew up in buy into the argument that banning weapons of war threatens the Second Amendment and their way of life. As the 1994 assault-weapons ban shows, deaths from mass shootings fell while the number of hunting licenses actually increased. No one has to give up their culture to save the lives of innocent people, so many of them very young.
The gun lobby often invokes the Democratic losses in the 1994 midterm elections after passing the assault-weapons ban and the Brady background-check bill to try to scare lawmakers of both parties into maintaining the status quo. Those who lost their seats in that election did cast brave votes to make our country safer and give our children the chance to grow up and live their dreams. The 2018 elections, thanks to the passionate activism of citizen groups across the country, proved that its a different world now. Today members of Congress will be supported if they reinstate the assault-weapons and large-ammunition magazine bans, and if the Senate passes the universal-background-check law already passed by the House of Representatives.
You can read the rest here.
https://time.com/5647319/bill-clinton-assault-weapons-column/?utm_source=Clinton+Foundation&utm_campaign=b5e55c96db-20190809Oped&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3e0b4430e6-b5e55c96db-256067913
malaise
(269,212 posts)So where is that Bush fellow?
lapucelle
(18,358 posts)Is he out of the country?
Hekate
(90,859 posts)still_one
(92,451 posts)weapons decreased significantly.
The republicans refused to extend the Assault Weapon Ban 10 years later.
While background checks, and other tools are also necessary, why wasn't the Assault Weapon Ban extended?
aikoaiko
(34,185 posts)https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/aug/07/bill-clinton/did-mass-shooting-deaths-fall-under-1994-assault-w/
If anything, the AWB ended up making AR15s and the like more popular after it ended.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Your link indicates that the coddling of gunners -- by exempting rifles that should have fallen within the banned weapons -- impeded the bans' effectiveness.
Let's not make that same mistake, no matter how loudly gunners whine.
lapucelle
(18,358 posts)https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/aug/07/bill-clinton/did-mass-shooting-deaths-fall-under-1994-assault-w/
Concerning your post hoc ergo propter hoc speculative conclusion:
By then, military-style weapons were becoming a more common sight in America, due largely to the response to the 9/11 attacks. Anti-terror police forces began patrolling cities and transportation hubs, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were covered intimately. That higher visibility seemingly fed a desire among gun owners to get what the troops and cops were using.
With encouragement from the gun industry, the AR-15 grew popular not only among people who enjoyed owning the latest tactical gear, but also among recreational and competitive target shooters, and hunters. Many saw it as a pinnacle of firearms engineering ergonomic, accurate, reliable.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/america-s-rifle-why-so-many-people-love-ar-15-n831171
I salute Bill Clinton and all our allies in this fight.
As for all the rest pushing anti-AWB talking points, thoughts, prayers, and a very emphatic, "Well bless your heart!"
still_one
(92,451 posts)BannonsLiver
(16,506 posts)Calm down. Relax.
George II
(67,782 posts)....because it was prohibited, but people had no access to the AR15.
aikoaiko
(34,185 posts)The only differences from the ones I bought then and the ones I buy now were that in 2002 I didn't have a flash suppressor or a bayonet lug. And I can get collapsible stocks, too. There were plenty of used 30-round magazines.
[IMG][/IMG]
The AWB promoted the hell out of AR-15s and other banned rifles.
lapucelle
(18,358 posts)Dang! If you had waited for a "no ban" weapon (2004-present), you could have had one with the collapsible stocks, a flash suppressor, a bayonet lug, and the muzzle mounted rifle-grenade.
aikoaiko
(34,185 posts)lapucelle
(18,358 posts)Interesting.
Please don't tell me whether or not I should worry about folks having plenty of "no ban rifles" and/or assault weapons.
aikoaiko
(34,185 posts)still_one
(92,451 posts)modify them so they can potentially even more kill things more efficiently
That speaks volumes to me about their mindset
lapucelle
(18,358 posts)George II
(67,782 posts)aikoaiko
(34,185 posts)And, sadly yes, murder, too.
They have a lot going for them. They are modular and that explains their lasting presence. You can swap parts easily to customize your AR.
It's cheap and easy to swap barrels for longer or shorter ones. You can even switch barrels to shoot different ammo. I have 2 ARs set up to shoot 9mm. The pistol grip is ergonomic compared to classic rifles stocks. The collapsible stock helps it fit differently sized people. Kept clean and lubed they function very well. Its easy to attach different sights, optics, and lights, to ARs.
The only thing that makes it really different from a lot of semiauto rifles is the detachable magazines.
For those who only see or hear about AR15s in the context of mass shootings, I'm sure all of that seems absurd, but mass shootings aside, they are effective rifles.
George II
(67,782 posts)Effective rifles? Hooboy!
So recreation and "competition" are more important to some than the precious lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans.
Sorry, I've lost words beyond that to respond.
lapucelle
(18,358 posts)They seem pretty effective for mass shootings as well.
hack89
(39,171 posts)Once the manufacturers made the necessary cosmetic changes to their rifles. Adam Lanza's rifle was legal during the AWB.
mcar
(42,402 posts)aikoaiko
(34,185 posts)aikoaiko
(34,185 posts)Ten years of advertising the normally configured AR-15 as too dangerous to own because of its "fire power" followed by 15 years of no restrictions in most places was a double whammy.
lapucelle
(18,358 posts)George II
(67,782 posts)aikoaiko
(34,185 posts)Its really not surprising.
jmg257
(11,996 posts)[link:|
This ban-legal AR is still a very deadly weapon.
NickB79
(19,276 posts)Which are almost indistinguishable from semi-auto AR's but not covered by any proposed legislation.
https://worldoftroy.com/product/troy-pump-action-rifle-optic-ready-2019/
There are even kits to convert existing semi-auto AR's to pump for $300.