For Release: Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Washington, DC–Following Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) introduction today of a bill to ban semiautomatic assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, Violence Policy Center Legislative Director Kristen Rand issued the following statement:
“Semiautomatic assault weapons equipped with high-capacity ammunition magazines incorporate characteristics specifically designed for soldiers on the battlefield, yet under federal law they are sold as easily as bolt-action hunting rifles. As a result of the gun industry’s hyper-marketing of these military bred weapons, they are consistently used by civilians to carry out unspeakable atrocities. The easy availability of these weapons of war has resulted in mass shootings that leave families and communities devastated. These include the 2018 attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead and 17 wounded, and the 2017 shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada—the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history—which left 58 victims dead and 489 injured. In addition, Senator Feinstein’s bill would ban all devices that can be attached to such weapons to accelerate their rate of fire, not just ‘bump stock’ devices like the ones used by the Las Vegas shooter. The VPC applauds Senator Feinstein’s longstanding leadership on this issue. Her bill is essential to demilitarizing civilian firepower and helping make us all safer.”
The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
