The Assault Weapons Ban: How Silly Was It? (Part One)

Pajamas Media ^ | July 6, 2011 | Bob Owens

[Little Ray]

The true stupidity is that, assuming you even accept the gun controller’s premises, weapons like “assault weapons” were only used in a tiny percentage of crimes.
The “Assault Weapon Ban” was about putting on a show and conditioning gun owners to accept more restrictions and frop through more hoops - to raise the description on the frog another degree.

[Spirochete]

How Silly Was It?

It was way beyond silly, it was absurd.

[rdcbn]

“Assault weapons” were banned for 10 years.

It has now been almost 8 years since AWB sunset in 1994.

There has been absolutely no increase in crime due to the sunset of the AWB. In fact, crime has decreased since that time.

There was a huge surge in purchases of “Assault Weapons” when Obama took office. Once again, no increase in crime due to the rise in gun ownership.

And people seem to be keeping the guns they bought.

[rdcbn]

“Assault weapons” were banned for 10 years.

It has now been almost 8 years since AWB sunset in 1994.

There has been absolutely no increase in crime due to the sunset of the AWB. In fact, crime has decreased since that time.

There was a huge surge in purchases of “Assault Weapons” when Obama took office. Once again, no increase in crime due to the rise in gun ownership.

And people seem to be keeping the guns they bought.

[ctdonath2]

Note that the “...was not” pic features a full-sized mag which was just as “banned” (to wit, pre-’94 ones were legal) as the “...was” AW.

Not a biggie, as there were a gazillion “pre-ban” ones available.

The 10-round mag limit spawned the “subcompact” and big-bore (a la .50 Beowulf) markets, whole new categories of must-have arms.

[Gaffer]

...It has now been almost 8 years since AWB sunset in 1994

Yes, and I have been a busy little beaver since then. They can stop me again from buying these things, I guess, but they'll have to come and get what I already got.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It wasn't silly. It was the standard Liberal tactic of incrementalism.

The list of prohibited arms was intended to grow year after year until they had them all.

They knew what they were doing.

[KarlInOhio]

Then the liberals cried about how rifle companies were violating the intent of the law by removing things like bayonet mounts and making their guns legal.

Just how many drive-by bayonettings were prevented by the law?

[PapaBear3625]

So if the ten-year ban period did not see a substantial reduction in gun crimes committed with the kind of firearms banned, and the expiration of the law in 2004 did not result in a massive upswing in violence even after these firearms achieved mainstream popularity and acceptance, why would the Obama administration be so strongly in favor of advocating for a renewal of the ban?

It's not about crime. It's about how effective these guns would be in suppressing riots and mob violence against the middle class.

[MasterGunner01]

And speaking of unintended consequences — look at how well things have worked out in California with Roberti-Roos AWB of 1989. The people at the California DoJ keep adding and subtracting what's covered and what isn't so no one knows for certain (DoJ, law enforcement, or gun owners). The law is just another harassment device for government to keep the peasants docile, afraid, and subservient to its whims.

[Little Ray]

Not to mention, how many rifle grenades or grenade launchers have actually been used in crimes?

[Little Ray]

I thought you lost them all in that terrible boating accident?

[Gaffer]

Damn! You know? That is right. They were lost at sea. It sucks when you get old and your memory goes. Look on the bright side: there's gonna come a day when my entire DVD/BluRay collection becomes BRAND NEW!

[BerserkPatriot]

Let’s call a spade a spade it was the: Scary-Looking Weapon Ban.

[Little Ray]

I’m already there.

And I really miss the Winchester M-1887 lever action shotgun that went down in Lake Lanier. I was going to make it my “house gun” for possums, ‘coons, coyotes, zombies and other unwanted visitors.

[Chainmail]

The People are the government. Anytime leaders forget that and attempt to disarm us or abrogate any other Constitutional rights, they need to be replaced and imprisoned while we elect new leaders.

Questions? You in the back row, Mr. Soros, do you have any questions?

[Tijeras_Slim]

Hi CM!

Gun threads are safe zones here unless you say something silly about 9mm being better than .45’s. ;)

[Still Thinking]

Then the liberals cried about how rifle companies were violating the intent of the law by removing things like bayonet mounts and making their guns legal.

Morons. Pass a law against something, which a rational person would interpret as a signal you don't want them to do it, then complain when they stop doing it. Liberals. Sigh.

[Chainmail]

Whew!

Luckily, I wouldn't think of uttering so base a heresy.. I only own four .45s, two 9mms, one .40, two .38s, one .380, a .32, a .36 Colt, and two .30 Mausers..and a coupla .22s, so what would I know, anyway?