Analysis

On Eve of 20th Anniversary of Assault Weapons Ban, New CAP Study Proposes Six Ideas for Stronger Regulations of Assault Rifles and Other Classes of Firearms


Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–September 12, 2014.  Twenty years after the signing of the assault weapons ban on September 13, 1994—and 10 years after is subsequent expiration—the Center for American Progress has released a report analyzing the differences in federal regulation of handguns, assault rifles, and other classes of firearms. The report provides six policy recommendations that supplement the proposal of renewing the lapsed assault weapons ban.

The report, “Assault Weapons Revisited: Policy Options for Regulating Rifles and Shotguns 20 Years after the Passage of the Assault Weapons Ban,” offers a new framework for thinking about the regulation of assault weapons and other special categories of guns. That framework recognizes that under current federal law, there are a number of ways that assault rifles and other long guns are less strictly regulated than handguns. The report analyzes FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, or ATF, data on guns used in crimes and puts forward new proposals on how to strengthen laws to prevent particularly dangerous guns from ending up in the wrong hands.

“The 20th anniversary of the assault weapons ban serves as a good moment to examine the risk posed by assault rifles and other classes of firearms,” said Arkadi Gerney, CAP Senior Fellow and co-author of the report. “Our report shows that long guns, including assault rifles, make up an increasing share of the firearms used in murders—and a large share of guns used in mass shootings and killings of police officers. While we continue to support a ban on the sale and possession of semi-automatic assault rifles, such as the bills introduced by Senator Feinstein and Representative McCarthy, this report also lays out six alternative ideas to strengthen laws to keep assault rifles and other classes of firearms out of the wrong hands.”

The report looks at the changing nature of gun violence and how gun laws have evolved to focus on particular classes of firearms at different times in our history. The report makes six policy recommendations:

Require background checks for all guns sales, including private sales of long guns such as assault rifles and shotguns

Require dealers to report multiple sales of long guns

Bring the regulation of interstate sales of long guns in line with that of handguns

Require federal firearms licenses for individuals seeking to manufacture any gun with a 3D printer

Bar possession and use of machine guns by individuals under the age of 16

Require a permit for the possession of assault weapons

Click here to read the report.

Source: http://www.americanprogress.org


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