Spider on the Assault Weapon Ban
A Crime Fighting Measure?

FBI and Justice Department data shows that the weapons banned by the 1994 "Crime Bill" were used in less than 1% of all gun related crimes in America over the last several years.

Some of the weapons banned have virtually NEVER been used to commit any crime of any kind.

Most of the weapons banned were long guns (rifles). FBI and Justice Department data shows that more people are killed each year with HANDS and FEET than are killed with long guns.

Most of the weapons banned are large, bulky, and heavy - far too much so to ever be concealable or convenient. Concealability and convenience are mandatory qualities for criminal weapons. These weapons cannot be significantly shortened, because shortening the barrel on a semi-automatic rifle will prevent the gas cycling mechanism from working properly.

Several of the weapons banned are very expensive. H&K, Styer, Galil, etc. weapons cost well over $1000, many over $2000. Criminals do not use $2000 guns to commit $50 and $100 crimes.

Several elements of the ban were totally ridiculous and without merit. Guns were banned based upon:

Threaded Barrel, upon which a flash suppressor, muzzle brake, or silencer could be mounted. a) A flash suppressor has no practical effect whatsoever outside of nighttime military field use; b) Criminals couldn't care less about muzzle brakes; and c) Silencers have not been a factor in crime AT ALL as they have been banned by federal law for many years.

Bayonet Lug, upon which a bayonet could be mounted. When was the last time you heard of someone being bayoneted?

Pistol Grip. a) A pistol grip on a rifle makes the rifle even bulkier than it already is, therefor even less concealable; b) The pistol grip does not make the gun any more or less dangerous; c) When used on a rifle without a stock, aiming ability is poor, and effective range is reduced to the point where a handgun is vastly preferable; and d) A pistol grip may actually be preferable to hunters and sporting shooters, as it allows a more natural positioning of the hand - this is evidenced by the growing popularity of "thumbhole" type stocks for custom rifles (perhaps tradition is largely responsible for the continuing popularity of conventional type riflestocks).

Gun control proponents claim that the only purpose of these guns is "to kill a lot of people as quickly as possible". If that were true, then why does every police department in the country have a stockpile of these weapons? When does any police department have a need to "kill a lot of people as quickly as possible"? The truth is that the police select these weapons because they are the best built and most accurate weapons available.

Further, these guns were claimed to have "no legitimate sporting or hunting purpose. The Colt AR15 is very popular among competition shooters, due to it's durability, low recoil, and marvelous accuracy. There are people who use SKS rifles to hunt deer - the ballistics are close to the popular 30-30 cartridge, and the rifles are very inexpensive, durable, and remarkably accurate for the price. Many of these weapons have been used by homeowners and shop owners for defense of life, limb, and property. In fact, due to their size and weight, THEY ARE FAR MORE SUITED TO HOME DEFENSE THAN TO ANY CRIMINAL USE.

The 1994 gun ban was never about fighting crime. It was a foot in the door, a nose under the tent. It set a precedent for banning guns based upon hazy, arbitrary definitions and aesthetics. A first step towards Schumer & Co.s ultimate goal of banning ALL guns. The definitions used in the 1994 ban can easily be expanded to many, many other weapons, and can (and will) eventually include all semi-autos, bolt actions, lever guns, revolvers, and finally the single shots (nearly every gun in existence traces it's roots to military development and applications). Remember - the ink wasn't dry on the Brady Bill when Brady II was drafted. Schumer & Co.s end goal is to ban everything, and this Divide and Conquer strategy can be very effective. First it's the "Assault Weapons", then the "Saturday Night Specials", whatever those are (oh yeah, they're what ever Schumer SAYS they are), then the "Non-Sporting Calibers", and on and on until they're all gone. Make no mistake about it - it's Divide and Conquer, and it WILL work, slowly but surely, unless it's very basis - the classification of "good" guns vs "bad" guns, is eliminated.

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