Issues by Topic: “Assault Weapons” and Semi-Automatic Firearms

February 8, 2012

Holder tells Congress the Obama administration wants to ban guns

Last Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to answer questions about his role in the deadly “Fast and Furious” gun-running scandal. However, instead of answers, Congress got more defiance, more arrogance, and more wasted time with an attorney general who clearly feels no sense of obligation to the American people or our rule of law.
FULL STORY

December 6, 2011

Gun ban lobby growing increasingly impatient with Obama

Ever since Attorney General Eric Holder stated in 2009 that the Obama administration would work to reinstate Bill Clinton’s so-called “assault weapons ban,” Jesse Jackson and the gun-control lobby have grown increasingly impatient. It isn’t enough that President Obama promised the Brady Campaign that he would work “under the radar” to enact their gun-control agenda. Jackson and his allies want the president to begin his war on the Second Amendment right now.
FULL STORY

June 3, 2011

Semi-Automatic Firearms and the “Assault Weapon” Issue

Semi-automatic firearms were introduced more than a century ago. The first semi-automatic rifle, a Mannlicher, appeared in 1885; the first pistol, a Schonberger, in 1892; and the first shotgun, the legendary Browning Auto-5, in 1900.
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March 23, 2011

Senator Jon Tester and Representative Cynthia Lummis Introduce Bills to Protect the Importation of Historically Significant U.S.-Made Rifles

In February 2011, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) introduced the Collectible Firearms Protection Act, S. 381 and H.R. 615, respectively. The bills propose to amend the Arms Export Control Act to guarantee that U.S.-made military firearms that were previously exported to a foreign government, and which under that law are eligible for re-importation into the U.S. as “curios and relics,”1 will not be blocked from importation.
FULL STORY

February 18, 2011

U.S. House Votes to Block Unauthorized Record Keeping on Gun Owners

Fairfax, Va. – The U.S. House of Representatives adopted an amendment to H.R. 1 offered by Reps. Dan Boren (D-OK) and Denny Rehberg (R-MT) that prohibits the use of federal funds for...
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August 25, 2010

Update: NRA’s Challenge to Semi-Auto Ban Referendum in Illinois a Success

The Electoral Board in Cook County, Illinois has agreed to dismiss a bogus petition to create a referendum on the November ballot asking if the sale of semi-automatic firearms should be banned in Illinois.
FULL STORY

August 25, 2010

ELECTION 2010: Your Rights vs. The World

With Mexico`s president calling for new U.S. gun laws, and international treaties waiting in the wings, this year`s elections may be a turning point for our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Mexico`s president, Felipe Calderón, addresses a joint session of Congress.
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August 12, 2010

NRA Challenges Semi-Auto Ban Referendum in Illinois

The National Rifle Association is backing a protest filed with the Electoral Board in Cook County, Illinois, in response to a petition to ban the sale of semi-automatic firearms across the state.
FULL STORY

January 12, 2010

Hunting With Modern Semi-Automatic Rifles--The AR Afield

More and more hunters are taking to the field with modern semi-automatic rifles based on the AR platform. Here, a hunter with a lot of field experience with the rifles tells why he has embraced them . . . and why you should, too.
FULL STORY

May 30, 2009

Showing Their True Colors

Following the election of the most anti-gun president in American history and a Congress led by some of the most extreme anti-gun politicians ever to set foot on Capitol Hill, the most surprising news out of Washington during Obama-Biden’s first 100 days was that gun control was suddenly--and supposedly--not a priority. Make special note of that “supposedly.”
FULL STORY

May 30, 2009

The"Blame America" Beat Goes On

Last month I reported that the anti-gunners are gearing up to use the crisis in Mexico to advance their agenda.Now, Congress and the Obama administration have jumped into the issue with both feet.
FULL STORY

April 27, 2009

Mexico Drug Wars: Will Gun Owners be the Scapegoats?

As drug-related violence soars on the border, some on both sides are all too ready to blame the Second Amendment.
FULL STORY

March 27, 2009

"Assault Weapons" 2009

Legislation to require a federal license to possess any detachable-magazine, semi-automatic rifle or shotgun, or any handgun, has been introduced in Congress. Legislation to reimpose the federal “assault weapon” and “large capacity” magazine ban of 1994, or an even broader ban--both introduced in the last two congresses--is sure to follow. And legislation to ban all semi-automatic and pump-action firearms, starting with those that use detachable magazines, has been pro-posed in the past and may not be far behind.
FULL STORY

February 19, 2009

Shes BAAAAACK!

As a presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton caused a scare for gun owners. Now named Barack Obama’s secretary of state, the Clinton anti-gun nightmare has returned.
FULL STORY

September 3, 2008

Semi-Automatic Firearms and the “Assault Weapon” Issue Summary

Semi-automatics, like all firearms other than machine guns, fire one shot when the trigger is pulled, and they reload themselves after each shot. They were introduced in the 1880s and account for about 15 percent of the 250+ million firearms in the United States.
FULL STORY

November 15, 2007

Follow the Money

Why does a new report from the International Association of Chiefs of Police read like every gun-ban strategy we’ve heard for the last 10 years? To find out, all one has to do is.
FULL STORY

September 22, 2007

Why State Legislatures Should Reject Semi-Automatic and Pump-Action Gun Bans

A dozen reasons why new gun bans being proposed in some state legislatures should be rejected.
FULL STORY

August 15, 2007

Statement of Joaquin Jackson

  Concerns have been raised in response to statements made by NRA Board Member Joaquin Jackson to Texas Monthly in 2005. We have received inquiries seeking clarity as to NRA’s positions...
FULL STORY

March 1, 2007

McCarthy Bill Bans Millions More Guns Than The Infamous Clinton Gun Ban

On Feb. 14, 2007, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) introduced H.R. 1022, a bill with the stated purpose, “to reauthorize the assault weapons ban, and for other purposes.” McCarthy’s choice of words warrants explanation.
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February 22, 2007

NRA Publications Suspends Ties to Jim Zumbo

(FAIRFAX, VA) – The following statement was issued by the National Rifle Association of America. Comments expressed by outdoor writer Jim Zumbo reflect neither the opinions of the...
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July 18, 2005

City Council Drives Freedom and NRA Out of Columbus

Council’s Decision to Ban Guns Prompts Exodus   Columbus, OH -- As a direct result of the Columbus City Council decision to ban semi-automatic firearm ownership for law-abiding citizens,...
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July 18, 2005

Comments from NRA EVP Wayne LaPierre: City Council Drives Freedom and NRA Out of Columbus

Comments from NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre   Two months ago, I was pleased to announce that the National Rifle Association chose the great city of Columbus to host...
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March 9, 2005

Lautenberg, Schumer Join Brady Campaign In Lying About the FN Five-seveN Pistol

Given the large number of lies that anti-gun groups and politicians have told over the years, we hesitate to say that this is the most dishonest and deceptive thing we have ever heard from them. But what they are saying about Fabrique Nationale`s Five-seveN pistol is among the most dishonest and deceptive to date.
FULL STORY

December 9, 2004

Gun Ban Fight Moves To The States

With the Clinton gun ban now atop history's trash heap, anti-gunners are trying to force their agenda on the states, and their definition of "assault weapon" is getting broader and broader. Your hunting guns are now being targeted for extinction.
FULL STORY

August 3, 2004

The Civilian Marksmanship Program

The CMP is continuing a long history of service to the nation, supporting marksmanship training, administering the historic Excellence-in-Competition program, and sponsoring the National Trophy Matches.
FULL STORY

July 28, 2004

Chris Cox's Political Report--Sen. John Edwards

John Edwards' four years in the Senate are characterized primarily by poor attendance, but the votes he has cast are far closer to the Massachusetts liberal benchmark set by John Kerry than to views held by North Carolina voters.
FULL STORY

June 1, 2004

Standing Guard, May 2004

Making sure that law--always considered a critical "first step" by the anti gun rights radicals--sunsets is the most important goal in our singular mission to preserve the rights of peaceable Americans.
FULL STORY

May 22, 2004

Good Riddance to the Clinton Gun Ban

Claiming people "can't be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans to legitimately own handguns and rifles," President Bill Clinton championed the federal "assault weapon" (AW) and "large" ammunition magazine ban, and signed it into law on Sept. 13, 1994.
FULL STORY

April 8, 2004

Lying for Dollars--Brady Campaign Lies to Raise Funds

As Mark Twain once quipped, "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." Apparently, this is the hope of the Brady Campaign as they launch another...
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March 2, 2004

NRA Statement on S.1805

NRA Statement on S. 1805 from Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President,  and Chris W. Cox, NRA`s Chief Lobbyist In a move to exploit meaningful legislation designed to preserve...
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March 2, 2004

Roll Call Vote On Feinstein Amendment ("Assault Weapons" Ban Extension)

Below are the Roll Call votes for the Feinstein amendment which would renew the so-called "assault weapons" ban. This is an amendment to S. 1805, Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms...
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February 9, 2004

Chris Cox's Political Report -- www.ClintonGunBan.com

We need to be prepared for this battle from the very first moment Congress turns to new business for the year. We at NRA-ILA are proud to unveil a new Web site designed as a tool to help us meet this challenge ClintonGunBan.com.
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January 29, 2004

Semi-Automatic Firearms

Semi-automatic firearms were introduced more than a century ago. The first semi-automatic rifle, a Mannlicher, was introduced in 1885; the first semi-automatic pistol, a Schonberger, in 1892; and John Browning patented his famous Auto-5 semi-automatic shotgun in 1900. President John F. Kennedy, an NRA Life Member, owned an M1, a semi-automatic rifle used by the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II and the Korean War, and owned by hundreds of thousands of competitive target shooters and collectors today.
FULL STORY

January 21, 2004

The 1994 Clinton Crime Bill's Firearm Provisions

President Clinton signed the 1994 federal Crime Bill into law on Sept. 13, 1994, including the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which made it a federal crime for a private individual to possess or transfer (sell, give, etc.) a "semiautomatic assault weapon" (AW) manufactured after that date.
FULL STORY

January 20, 2004

Which Freedom Won't You Surrender

If you're not worthy of owning one type of semi-automatic firearm, what makes you worthy of owning any? And if you're not worthy of one constitutional right, why should you have any? Right now, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., are seeking to demolish the Second Amendment rights of all Americans by undermining the rights of a few.
FULL STORY

January 20, 2004

President's Column-January 2004

The Clinton semi-automatic gun ban of 1994 has been a decade-long vicious slap at veterans and Americans whose families have served in the military. For more than 200 years American soldiers, sailors and Marines have developed an interest in the rifles, pistols and shotguns involved with their military service. They lived with some of those guns. Some saved their lives. Some were used by their allies or enemies.
FULL STORY

January 20, 2004

"Mr. & Mrs. America, Turn Them All In."

The most sweeping gun ban in history has been introduced in Congress. H.R. 2038 does more than "reauthorize" the infamous 1994 gun ban--it bans millions more guns.
FULL STORY

January 13, 2004

The Most Sweeping Gun Ban Ever Introduced in Congress--Clinton Gun Ban "Reenactment" Bans Millions More Guns

H.R. 2038/S. 1431, introduced by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), does not just "reenact" or "reauthorize" the 1994 Clinton Gun Ban--the federal "assault weapon" law. It bans millions more guns and begins backdoor registration of guns.
FULL STORY

January 11, 2004

Authors Of The 1994 Clinton Gun Ban Push To Expand It

On May 8, two bills to expand the 1994 Clinton Gun Ban, the so-called "assault weapon" law, were introduced in Congress. In the House of Representatives, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy introduced H.R. 2038, a bill to ban millions more guns than the Clinton ban does, by arbitrarily changing the federal definition of "assault weapon" so that it applies to more guns and basic types of guns than before. The bill also ban millions more ammunition magazines than the Clinton ban does, and it begins backdoor registration of gun owners.
FULL STORY