California Senator Diane Feinstein is on a mission to ban all commonly own semi-automatic guns.
The Firearms Policy Coalition in Sacramento and National Rifle Association call it the one of the most “far-reaching” gun bans (S. 2095) ever introduced to Congress. It has been dubbed the Assault Weapons Ban of 2017.
Although grandfathered exemptions would be made, the bill restricts, by name, AR-15s, shotguns and handguns.
The bill was introduced on Nov. 8, 2017, but has yet to move forward, according to GovTrack.us.
However, those grandfathered platforms would be subjected to strict storage requirements any time the weapon is not in arm’s reach. Those who violate could receive a jail sentence.
In addition, magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds would also be illegal, plus those magazines that could be “readily restored, changed, or converted to accept” more than 10 rounds, per the NRA.
As for AR-15s or semi-automatic rifle, those that could accept a detachable magazine and be equipped with a pistol grip, an adjustable or detachable stock, or a barrel shroud, according to the NRA and FPC. Pistol grips would be defined as “a grip, a thumbhole stock, or any other characteristic that can function as a grip,” meaning the ban could implicate even traditional stocks or grips specifically designed to comply with existing state “assault weapon” laws, the groups report.
Owners of grandfathered “assault weapons” could also go to prison for allowing someone else to borrow or buy the firearm, unless the transfer was processed through a licensed firearms dealer. The dealer would be required to document the transaction and run a background check on the recipient.
Finally, should lawful owners of the newly-banned firearms and magazines decide the legal hurdles of owning them were too much, the bill would authorize the use of taxpayer dollars in the form of federal grants to establish programs to provide “compensation” for their surrender to the government, the NRA said.
According to the congressionally-mandated study of the federal “assault weapon ban” of 1994-2004, it found almost no impact on crime, in part because “the banned guns were never used in more than a modest fraction” of firearm related crime.
You can contact your U.S. Senators by phone at (202) 224-3121 or take action here or here.
To read the full bill, visit here.
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