President Joe Biden has urged lawmakers to present him with a bill banning so-called “assault weapons” and “high-capacity magazines,” promising to sign it into law “immediately.”
His statement comes as the nation mourns a mass public killing at a mall in Allen, Texas that left nine people dead, including the perpetrator.
In a Sunday press release, President Biden praised himself for signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law and implementing two dozen executive actions aimed at reducing gun violence.
He further mentioned that states are taking action by banning black rifles, expanding red flag laws, and implementing other measures.
However, Biden emphasized that the current “progress” is insufficient and more needs to be done.
“Too many families have empty chairs at their dinner tables. Republican Members of Congress cannot continue to meet this epidemic with a shrug. Tweeted thoughts and prayers are not enough,” said an exasperated Biden.
In his call to action, the President outlined the specific measures he wants Congress to pass in the new bill.
— Conservatarian General (@4starGeneral17) May 8, 2023
These measures include a ban on “assault weapons” and “high-capacity magazines,” the criminalization of private transfers, requirements for safe storage, and a repeal of the PLCAA, which would make gun manufacturers liable for criminal acts committed by thrid parties.
Biden made it clear that he is ready and willing to sign such a bill into law immediately, adding, “We need nothing less to keep our streets safe.”
However, it is important to note that studies examining the effectiveness of “assault weapon” bans have indicated they don’t work.
A study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that bans on semi-automatic firearms, commonly referred to as “assault weapons,” had no effect on fatal mass murders, as GunsAmerica reported in 2020.
The study “did not find an independent association between assault weapon bans and the incidence of fatal mass shootings after controlling for the effects of bans on large-capacity magazines.”
Furthermore, additional studies have found no significant connection between bans on “assault weapons” and homicide rates.
A 2019 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found such bans were not “significantly associated with overall homicide rates,” and a 2017 study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that laws targeting “military-style assault weapons” were not associated with changes in firearm homicide rates.
is the News Editor of GunsAmerica.
Read the full article here