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After the vote, Feinstein said that Congress' not passing the law would lead a number of states passing their own assault weapons bans. She vowed to keep trying, and said "I believe the American people are far ahead of their elected officials on this issue."<ref name=Simon130417/>
After the vote, Feinstein said that Congress' not passing the law would lead a number of states passing their own assault weapons bans. She vowed to keep trying, and said "I believe the American people are far ahead of their elected officials on this issue."<ref name=Simon130417/>


As of April 2014 stricter firearms laws have been passed in seven states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York.<ref name=TGD2014/>{{rp|48–49}} States that passed stricter laws after the shooting generally already had relatively strict gun control.<ref name=DeLuca130302/> Most states that passed gun laws since the shooting, relaxed their gun laws <ref name=Block131211/><ref name=Hartmann130403/> including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.<ref name=Drash-Lyles130608/>
As of April 2014 stricter firearms laws have been passed in seven states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York.<ref name=TGD2014/>{{rp|48–49}} States that passed stricter laws after the shooting generally already had relatively strict gun control.<ref name=DeLuca130302/> In Connecticut and New York, there has been significant non-compliance with Assault Weapon registration requirements. <ref>http://articles.courant.com/2014-02-10/business/hc-haar-gun-registration-felons-20140210_1_assault-weapons-rifles-gun-registration-law</ref><ref>http://poststar.com/news/local/protesters-burn-gun-registration-forms/article_0f9d8442-ad59-11e3-a480-001a4bcf887a.html</ref><ref>http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/04/new_york_state_gun_owners_expect_few_to_register_law.html</ref><ref>http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/13/ny-safe-act-assault-weapons/7671183/</ref><ref>http://www.forbes.com/sites/frankminiter/2014/04/13/as-many-as-one-million-armed-new-yorkers-are-about-to-break-the-law/</ref>

Most states that passed gun laws since the shooting, relaxed their gun laws <ref name=Block131211/><ref name=Hartmann130403/> including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.<ref name=Drash-Lyles130608/>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 16:36, 15 April 2014

The Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 (AWB 2013) was a bill introduced in the 113th United States Congress as S. 150 by Senator Diane Feinstein on January 24, 2013, one month after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. It was defeated in the Senate on April 17, 2013 by a vote of 60 to 40.

Background

Efforts to create a new federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB 1994) were renewed on December 14, 2012, when 20 children and 6 adults were shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.[1] It was the deadliest primary or secondary school shooting,[2] the second-deadliest mass shooting by a single person,[3] and one of the 25 deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.[4]

Within hours of the shooting, a We the People user started a petition asking the White House to "immediately address the issue of gun control through the introduction of legislation in Congress." That afternoon, President Barack Obama made a televised statement offering condolences on behalf of the nation to Connecticut governor, Dannel Malloy and saying, "we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics."[5] Speaking at a December 16 memorial service in Newtown, Obama said he would "use whatever power this office holds" to prevent similar tragedies.[6] By December 17, the White House petition had more than 150,000 signatures,[7] and one week after the shooting it had almost 200,000, along with those on 30 similar petitions.[8] One month later, Diane Feinstein introduced the bill.

On December 21, 2012, Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), expressed the gun-rights group's sympathy for the families of Newtown. LaPierre said that gun-free school zones attract killers, and that "the media demonize lawful gun owners, amplify their cries for more laws, and fill the national media with misinformation and dishonest thinking that only delay meaningful action." He said, "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," and that debating legislation that won't work would be a waste of time. He called on Congress "to act immediately to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every single school in this nation" so that every school in America would be safe when pupils returned to school in January 2013. (American schools typically take a winter break from about mid-December to early January.) LaPierre announced that the NRA would develop a National Model School Shield Program for every American school that wants it.[9]

On January 16, 2013, Obama announced a plan for reducing gun violence in four parts: closing background check loopholes; banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines; making schools safer; and increasing access to mental health services.[10][11]: 2  The plan included 23 executive orders, signed immediately by the president, and proposals for Congress.[12] The White House's proposed congressional actions were these:[13]

  • Requiring criminal background checks for all gun sales, including those by private sellers that currently are exempt.
  • Reinstating and strengthening the ban on assault weapons that was in place from 1994 to 2004.
  • Limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds.
  • Banning the possession of armor-piercing bullets by anyone other than members of the military and law enforcement.
  • Increasing criminal penalties for "straw purchasers," people who pass the required background check to buy a gun on behalf of someone else.
  • Acting on a $4 billion administration proposal to help keep 15,000 police officers on the street.
  • Confirming President Obama's nominee for director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
  • Eliminating a restriction that requires the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to allow the importation of weapons that are more than 50 years old.
  • Financing programs to train more police officers, first responders and school officials on how to respond to active armed attacks.
  • Provide additional $20 million to help expand the a system that tracks violent deaths across the nation from 18 states to 50 states.
  • Providing $30 million in grants to states to help schools develop emergency response plans.
  • Providing financing to expand mental health programs for young people.

The proposals were opposed by the NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF),[14] and opposition was expected by Republican and some Democrat legislators.[12][15]

Introduction of the bill, and debate

On January 24, 2013, Dianne Feinstein and 24 Democrat cosponsors introduced S. 150, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013, into the U.S. Senate.[16][17] The bill was similar to the 1994 federal ban, but differed in that it used a one-feature test for a firearm to qualify as an assault weapon rather than the two-feature test of the 1994 ban.[18] In addition, it banned: the sale, transfer, importation or manufacture of about 150 named firearms; firearms with "thumbhole stocks" and "bullet buttons"; the importation of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines; and high-capacity ammunition magazines (defined as those capable of holding more than 10 rounds).[18] It would have grandfathered in weapons legally owned on the day of enactment, but those firearms would have been non-transferable and could only remain with their current owners until their deaths, at which point they would be forfeited to the government.[citation needed] The bill exempted more than 2,000 specific rifles and shotguns "used for hunting or sporting purposes."[18]

On March 14, 2013, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill, though it was expected not to clear the full Senate.[19] Had the bill passed in the Senate, it was expected to not pass in the House of Representatives.[20][21]

Advocacy

The NRA's reaction to the proposed bill was swift. Its Institute for Legislative Action division started a "Stop The Gun Ban" campaign before the legislation was introduced in the Senate, asking its members to call their representatives and urge them to oppose the ban.[22] Gun Owners of America (GOA) asked its members to do the same.[23] The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence issued a press release in support of the bill.[24]

Public opinion

Immediately following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, public support for strengthening gun laws rose 15 percent, but a majority were opposed to banning assault weapons. A record-high 74 percent opposed a ban on handguns.[25][26]

Defeat of the bill, and after

In March 2013, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decided to leave the proposed ban out of the broader gun control bill, saying that it was unlikely to win 40 votes in the 100-member chamber and that it would jeopardize more widely supported proposals. On the morning of April 17, 2013, Feinstein displayed on the Senate floor a blow-up of a New York Daily News front page with photos of the 20 dead Sandy Hook Elementary School children and the headline, "Shame on U.S."[27][28] Before the vote, she said to her colleagues, "Show some guts." However, as expected,[29] S. 150, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013, failed on a vote of 60 to 40. It was supported by Democrat Reid and Republican Senator Mark Kirk, but 15 Democrats, one independent, and all the Republicans except Kirk voted against the ban.[27]

After the vote, Feinstein said that Congress' not passing the law would lead a number of states passing their own assault weapons bans. She vowed to keep trying, and said "I believe the American people are far ahead of their elected officials on this issue."[27]

As of April 2014 stricter firearms laws have been passed in seven states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York.[30]: 48–49  States that passed stricter laws after the shooting generally already had relatively strict gun control.[31] In Connecticut and New York, there has been significant non-compliance with Assault Weapon registration requirements. [32][33][34][35][36] 

Most states that passed gun laws since the shooting, relaxed their gun laws [37][38] including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.[39]

References

  1. ^ Barron, James (December 15, 2012). "Children Were All Shot Multiple Times With a Semiautomatic, Officials Say". New York Times. New York Times Company. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  2. ^ Effron, Lauren (December 14, 2012). "Mass School Shootings: A History". ABC News. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  3. ^ Candiotti, Susan; Ford, Dana (December 16, 2012). "Connecticut school victims were shot multiple times". Cable News Network. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  4. ^ CNN Library (October 26, 2013). "25 Deadliest Mass Shootings in U.S. History Fast Facts". Cable News Network. Retrieved April 13, 2014. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ Barack Obama (December 14, 2012). President Obama Makes a Statement on the Shooting in Newtown, Connecticut (video). Washington, D.C.: WhiteHouse.gov. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  6. ^ Landler, Mark; Baker, Peter (December 16, 2012). "'These Tragedies Must End,' Obama Says". New York Times. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  7. ^ Wing, Nick (December 17, 2012). "White House Gun Control Petition Becomes Site's Most Popular Ever". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  8. ^ Levy, Gabrielle (December 21, 2012). "Obama responds to gun violence petition" (blog). United Press International. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  9. ^ LaPierre, Wayne (December 21, 2012). "Remarks from the NRA press conference on Sandy Hook school shooting, delivered on Dec. 21, 2012 (Transcript)". Washington Post. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  10. ^ "Now Is the Time". whitehouse.gov. The White House. January 16, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  11. ^ "Now Is the Time: Gun Violence Reduction Executive Actions" (PDF). whitehouse.gov. The White House. January 16, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  12. ^ a b MacAskill, Ewen; Pilkington, Ed (January 17, 2013). "NRA promises 'fight of the century' over Obama's bold gun control plan". Guardian. Guardian News and Media Ltd. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  13. ^ "What's in Obama's Gun Control Proposal". New York Times. January 16, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  14. ^ Horwitz, Sari (January 16, 2013). "NRA planning 'the fight of the century' against Obama". Washington Post. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  15. ^ Meckler, Laura; Nicholas, Peter; Nelson, Colleen McCain (January 16, 2013). "Obama's Gun Curbs Face a Slog in Congress". Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  16. ^ Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rev. Gary Hall, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy et al. (January 24, 2013). Assault Weapons Ban Bill (video). Washington, D.C.: National Cable Satellite Corporation. Retrieved April 13, 2014. {{cite AV media}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |authors= (help)
  17. ^ Freedman, Dan (January 24, 2013). "Feinstein offers new assault weapons ban". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Newspapers. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  18. ^ a b c Kucinich, Jackie (January 24, 2013). "Democrats reintroduce assault weapons ban". USA Today. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  19. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (March 14, 2013). "Party-Line Vote in Senate Panel for Ban on Assault Weapons". New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  20. ^ http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/14/senate-committee-ready-to-ok-assault-weapons-ban/
  21. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/01/23/feinstein-assault-weapons-ban/1856613/
  22. ^ "NRA-ILA:Stop The Gun Ban". nraila.org. NRA Institute for Legislative Action. 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  23. ^ "Obama Goes Nuts and Offers Anti-gunners Wish List". gunowners.org. Gun Owners of America. January 18, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  24. ^ "Brady Campaign Statement on Senator Feinstein's Leadership to Save Lives". bradycampaign.org. Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. January 24, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  25. ^ Madhani, Aamer (December 26, 2012). "Gun control poll shows mixed results". USA Today. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  26. ^ Saad, Lydia (December 27, 2012). "Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws, Still Oppose Bans". gallup.com. Gallup Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  27. ^ a b c Simon, Richard (April 17, 2013). "Senate votes down Feinstein's assault weapons ban". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  28. ^ Warren, James (April 17, 2013). "Sen. Dianne Feinstein says Daily News 'SHAME ON U.S.' front page 'carries the message' of assault weapons ban". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  29. ^ Fox, Lauren (April 17, 2013). "Why Expanding Gun Background Checks Will Likely Fail Today". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  30. ^ Cook, Philip J.; Goss, Kristin A. (2014). The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-933898-6. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  31. ^ DeLuca, Matthew (March 2, 2013). "After Newtown, states slow to embrace new gun laws". NBCNews.com. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  32. ^ http://articles.courant.com/2014-02-10/business/hc-haar-gun-registration-felons-20140210_1_assault-weapons-rifles-gun-registration-law
  33. ^ http://poststar.com/news/local/protesters-burn-gun-registration-forms/article_0f9d8442-ad59-11e3-a480-001a4bcf887a.html
  34. ^ http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/04/new_york_state_gun_owners_expect_few_to_register_law.html
  35. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/13/ny-safe-act-assault-weapons/7671183/
  36. ^ http://www.forbes.com/sites/frankminiter/2014/04/13/as-many-as-one-million-armed-new-yorkers-are-about-to-break-the-law/
  37. ^ Block, Melissa (December 11, 2013). "In The Year After Newtown Shooting, Most States Relaxed Gun Laws" (transcript). NPR. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  38. ^ Hartmann, Margaret (April 3, 2013). "Post-Newtown, States Passed More Gun-Rights Laws, Not Restrictions". New York Magazine. New York Media. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  39. ^ Drash, Wayne; Lyles, Toby (June 8, 2013). "States tighten, loosen gun laws after Newtown". Cable News Network. Retrieved April 15, 2013.

Further reading

External links

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