A Nationwide Ban on Assault Weapons & High-Capacity Magazines
Key Issues Influencing My Vote This November: Part 1
Hello Friends!
As we approach the 2024 election, I want to share what issues will be front of mind when I vote in November.
This year alone, there have been more than 160 mass shootings in the U.S., leaving 175 people dead and another 650 people injured, according to Gun Violence Archive (GVA).
In 1989, a man armed with an AKS rifle returned to the elementary school he attended as a child in Stockton, California, and opened fire. He was able to fire more than 100 rounds of ammunition before turning the firearm on himself. In those 60 seconds, he took the lives of 5 children wounded 30 others.1
Evidence has shown that mass shootings are far more lethal when the shooter uses a military-style assault rifle (e.g. AR-15), which are capable of firing bullets at a much greater muzzle velocity, therefore, inflicting greater damage to the human body. And being semiautomatic, these weapons can load and fire subsequent rounds at a much faster rate than a typical handgun.2
Between 2015 and 2022, mass shootings with four or more people killed where assault weapons were used resulted in nearly six times as many people shot, more than twice as many people killed, and 23 times as many people wounded per incident on average.
Congress recognized the need to take action in response to several mass shootings committed with military-style and other semiautomatic guns with magazines that hold large amounts of ammunition. As part of the larger Crime Control Act of 1994, Congress included the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, which banned the manufacture, transfer, or possession of nine narrow categories of semiautomatic pistols, rifles, and shotguns for which there is no legitimate sporting or hunting purpose.
When it was signed into law, the assault weapons ban contained a 10-year sunset clause. President Bush did not ask Congress to extend the act and allowed it to expire in 2004.
In this presidential election there is only one candidate that has taken action to address the issue of gun violence. Following the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, President Biden worked with a bipartisan group of legislators to enact the most significant piece of gun legislation since the Brady Bill in 1993. If Congress passes a ban, President Biden has committed to signing it into law.
As we approach the 2024 election, it is crucial to consider the impact of gun violence on our society and the steps needed to prevent future tragedies. Your vote can help ensure that comprehensive gun control legislation becomes a reality, protecting our communities and future generations.