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Oppose a Ban on AR-15s and Other Commonly-Owned Semi-Automatic Firearms

Virginia: Oppose a Ban on AR-15s and Other Commonly-Owned Semi-Automatic Firearms

"Assault Weapons" Bans Do Not Work

Rifles of any description are rarely used in violent crime

FBI data shows that four times as many individuals are killed with "knives or cutting instruments," than with rifles of any kind. The data also shows that rifles were listed as being used in fewer homicides than "blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.)" or "personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.)."

Studies show that semi-automatic bans do not work

A 1997 Department of Justice-funded study of the 1994 “assault weapons” ban determined that “At best, the assault weapons ban can have only a limited effect on total gun murders because the banned weapons and magazines were never involved in more than a modest fraction of all gun murders.”

A 2004 follow-up Department of Justice-funded study determined that “the ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.”Presented with the overwhelming evidence of the ban’s inefficacy, Congress did not renew it.

In 2018, a RAND Corporation study found no conclusive evidence that such bans have an effect on mass shootings or violent crime.

Ownership of semi-automatic firearms is protected by the U.S. Constitution

In the District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the U.S. Supreme Court made clear that the Second Amendment protects ownership of arms “in common use” for lawful purposes. Justice Clarence Thomas would elaborate in a dissent from denial of certiorari in Friedman v. Highland Park (2015),

Roughly five million Americans own AR-style semiautomatic rifles. The overwhelming majority of citizens who own and use such rifles do so for lawful purposes, including self-defense and target shooting. Under our precedents, that is all that is needed for citizens to have a right under the Second Amendment to keep such weapons.

AR-15s and other commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms are effective for self-defense

The AR-15 is the most popular rifle in the U.S. The immense popularity of the AR-15 has come about at a time when Americans cite self-defense as their primary reason for owning a gun.

The effectiveness of the commonly-owned semi-automatic rifle in defense of self and others as illustrated in 2017 during an attack on a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Upon learning of the attack, resident Stephen Willeford retrieved his AR-15 rifle and shot and wounded the gunman. Since 2017, other Armed Citizens have used commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms to thwart an armed robbery in Texas, stop a trio of home invaders in Oklahoma, and halt a stabbing attack in Illinois.

The Virginia Beach tragedy would not have been prevented by an “assault weapons” ban

The perpetrator of the shooting in Virginia Beach did not use an "assault weapon" to carry out the attack. According to reports, the perpetrator used two semi-automatic .45-caliber pistols.

Gov. Northam recently suggested that this is not a complete list of the gun control measures he wants the General Assembly to consider. Read the latest articles. 

It's critical that every gun owner in the Commonwealth contact their legislators and urge them to OPPOSE Gov. Northam’s and his media allies' gun control agenda. 

NRA-ILA is hosting town hall meetings throughout Virginia— including in Fredericksburg, Ashland, and Belle Haven. 

Related

National Review.com  

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

VA Gov Ralph Northam’s Insane Gun-Grab Proposal

As Stephen Gutowski notes at the Free Beacon, there’s a truly radical proposal lurking in the Virginia governor’s ...

The Republican Standard  

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

GOP's Kilgore Says Northam's Gun Control Bills 'Dead on Arrival'

The Republican lawmaker from Southwest, who supports the Second Amendment, said Governor Northam's gun control bills were "dead ...

Free Beacon.com  

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Republicans, Gun-Rights Groups Vow to Fight Va. Gov’s Gun-Control Proposals

Virginia Republicans, the National Rifle Association, and a state-based gun-rights group announced their opposition this week to a ...

The Republican Standard  

Monday, January 7, 2019

Gov. Northam’s Gun Control Package Would Ban Boy Scouts’ .22 Rifles

Democratic Governor Ralph Northam rolled out a gun control package which could be bad news for the Boy ...

Washington Post  

Friday, July 27, 2018

Virginia governor assails school system’s plan to arm teachers

The five-member School Board in Lee County, a small system in Virginia’s far southwest, voted unanimously earlier this ...

IJR.com  

Monday, March 19, 2018

Navy SEAL Congressman Has Brutal Comeback When Asked Why He Needs "High-Capacity" Magazines

Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.) commented on a tweet posted by Tim Kaine, and he did not hold back. ...

Richmond Times-Dispatch  

Friday, January 26, 2018

Virginia: House panel votes against firearm modification bill

Pro-gun representatives from the National Rifle Association and the Virginia Citizens Defense League argued that the state should ...

WTVR  

Friday, January 26, 2018

Gun control bills die in Virginia House subcommittee

A House subcommittee shot down multiple gun control bills Thursday.

Richmond Times-Dispatch  

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Virginia: Most of the Democratic gun control agenda dies early in Senate committee

Gov. Ralph Northam made a pitch for gun control at a Capitol Square rally Monday afternoon, but much ...

Associated Press  

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Virginia Panel Votes Down Push for Stricter Gun Laws

Newly sworn-in Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's push for stricter gun laws was dealt a swift defeat Monday, with ...

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.