End the Clinton Gun and Magazine Ban

One of the main reasons LEAA exists is educate the public about criminal justice and law enforcement issues and to promote legislation that prevents crime and punishes criminals. That’s why we are so opposed to legislation like the 1994 Clinton Gun and Magazine Ban (a.k.a. “the Assault Weapons Ban”) that does neither.

Thanks to a sunset provision, this liberal-inspired “feel good” legislation must be renewed by Congress by the end of 2004 or it will expire. We’ll be working with our allies on Capitol Hill to say a final farewell to this useless ban that does nothing to protect law-abiding citizens but does turn some of them into criminals.

Wait a minute... Shouldn’t cops be in favor of getting dangerous assault weapons banned?

Actually, what we favor is putting away bad guys who prey on honest citizens. If they use a

gun, any kind of gun while doing it, sentences should be especially harsh.

What Clinton and liberals like California Senator Diane Feinstein had in mind when they concocted the 1994 Gun and Magazine Ban was not so much an attack on criminals as a political move against law-abiding hunters and shooters. And, an attack not so much against guns favored by criminals as against a type of firearm liberals find cosmetically offensive.

The ban was sold in Congress on a false premise. Namely, that the semi-automatic, civilian versions of certain military-type rifles were major contributors to crime. We were repeatedly told by ban advocates, that these firearms were the "guns of choice for gang bangers, drug dealers and street criminals."

FACT vs. FICTION
FBI statistics show that rifles of any description are used in only about 3 percent of homicides each year.

Data compiled by criminologist Gary Kleck put the frequency of assault weapons use in all violent crime at 0.5 percent.

In California, a statewide survey of law enforcement agencies by the state Department of Justice found that a mere 3.7 percent of firearms used in homicides and assaults were assault weapons.

The truth lies elsewhere.

The U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the FBI, state law enforcement statistics, and criminologist research all agree:

Long guns of any type are used in only a tiny fraction of gun crimes (the preferred firearm for criminals is, naturally, more concealable pistols). And despite the impression you may get from movies and TV, the criminal use of rifles classified as so-called “assault weapons” is even rarer. Indeed, those firearms classified by the legislation as “assault rifles” are the least likely firearms to be used in crime.

In effect, the 1994 law bans 19 types of semi-automatic rifles and pistols because they have two or more “scary looking” features --like a bayonet lug, pistol grip or flash suppressor. Note that none of these features actually contribute to criminal use of the firearm. And, there is a prohibition on newly manufactured ammunition magazines capable of containing more than 10 rounds, for rifles or handguns.

Surely there must have been some reduction in crime as a result of this sweeping ban? Actually, no.

The U.S. Department of Justice conducted two studies of the consequences of the 1994 ban. Nearly five years after passage, in 1999, the U.S. Department of Justice, still under Clinton’s control, looked exhaustively at the ban's effects. It concluded that "the public safety benefits of the 1994 ban have not yet been demonstrated." In 2001, a second Justice Department review similarly found no evidence that the ban had a statistically significant effect on violent crime. Finally, a congressionally mandated study by the liberal Urban Institute reached comparable conclusions.

Of course, many law-abiding hunters and shooters, who favor the kind of military style rifle many of them trained on while in military service, were affected. Firearms they had been buying ­ and using -- legally for years were suddenly connected with criminal behavior. And owning them in defiance of the ban actually turned these law abiding Americans into criminals. These people became victims of a liberal anti-gun political agenda.

In their campaign to pass the 1994 gun ban, Clinton and his liberal allies called on cops to help make their case. Mostly big city chiefs and political appointees, (what we at LEAA like to call “photo op cops”) they helped create a public impression that America’s cops favor gun control.

One of the driving forces of LEAA’s founding was to dispel this false impression. We know, and research backs us up, an overwhelming majority of America’s rank-and-file cops support private ownership of firearms. They know, better than most, that disarming honest citizens does nothing to reduce crime, but will deprive citizens of the means of defending themselves from violent predators.

We have worked really hard here at LEAA to get effective pro-law enforcement legislation passed. It is especially frustrating to see politically motivated, ineffective legislation like the 1994 Gun and Magazine Ban become law. If gun control meant taking guns out of the hands of real criminals, then naturally we would be for it. But gun control like the 1994 Gun and Magazine Ban is a liberal political crusade aimed at law-abiding gun owners. It has no impact on real crime, distracts politicians from their duty and alienates people we need to enlist in the support of real pro-law enforcement legislation.

That’s why we opposed, continue to oppose and will work to see the end of the 1994 Clinton Gun and Magazine Ban.

WHAT YOU CAN DO!

The 1994 Clinton Gun and Magazine Ban must be renewed by Congress before September, 2004 to remain law. Call your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators and tell them not to renew this useless legislation. Remind them we need crime control, not gun control. Tell them you want real law enforcement legislation like H.R.218 passed into law. Call the Capital switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Need to confirm the identity of who represents you in Congress?
Find your representative at Congress.org

Remember, to make your voice heard on issues that matter to law enforcement. Join or contribute to LEAA today!