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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
Virginia: Gun Control Tops New Governor’s Agenda

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Friday, January 12, 2018

Virginia: Gun Control Tops New Governor’s Agenda

This week, Virginia Governor McAuliffe and Governor-Elect Ralph Northam outlined their top priorities for the upcoming legislative session, ...

Washington Post.com  

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Northam: Gun control, Medicaid among priorities for 2018

Democratic Gov.-elect Ralph Northam said Tuesday that expanding Medicaid in Virginia and implementing universal background checks for gun ...

Washington Post.com  

Monday, October 23, 2017

Gun control group Everytown pours another $700k into Virginia elections

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, the political arm of one of the nation’s largest gun control groups, ...

Washington Post  

Friday, October 20, 2017

Candidates sharply disagree on guns in Virginia gov’s race

The two major party candidates in Virginia’s race for governor sharply disagree when it comes to guns.Republican Ed ...

Bloomberg Spending Millions To Elect Anti-Gun Virginia Governor

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Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Bloomberg Spending Millions To Elect Anti-Gun Virginia Governor

Billionaire anti-gunner Michael Bloomberg is at it again, pledging to spend $1 million through his gun control group ...

Washington Post  

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Why Virginians can’t trust Ralph Northam on campaign-finance reform

For those unfazed by conflicts of interest, maybe gun control is more persuasive. The Everytown for Gun Safety ...

National Journal  

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Outside Money Floods Virginia Governor Race

The race has also been a battleground over gun control, with the National Rifle Association endorsing Gillespie. On ...

Washington Post  

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Everytown, gun control group, turns on spigot in Virginia elections with $1 million

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, the campaign arm of one of the nation’s biggest gun control groups, ...

Washington Times  

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

NRA endorses Ed Gillespie over Ralph Northam in Virginia race

Democrats’ recent shift on gun control politics is getting a new test run this year in the Virginia ...

NRA Backs Gillespie in Virginia Governor’s Race

News  

Thursday, August 3, 2017

NRA Backs Gillespie in Virginia Governor’s Race

Gun Rights Group Backs Vogel for Lt. Gov, Adams for Attorney General

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.