Bassman007
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- Sep 10, 2015
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Ban on Weapon Used in Orlando More Distant Than Ever, Even If Clinton Wins
You can add Orlando to the list of mass-shooting sites (including San Bernardino, Newtown, and Aurora) where the semiautomatic AR-15 was the murderer's weapon of choice. Since such weapons were once heavily restricted under the so-called Assault Weapons Ban enacted as part of the 1994 federal crime bill (which expired after ten years), it is natural to speculate that a ban or some other significant restrictions could return. And indeed, Hillary Clinton favors a revived assault-weapons ban, which was a signature initiative of her husband's administration, along with the so-called Brady Bill requirements of background checks for all sorts of gun purchases.
But even as the AR-15 returns again and again to mass-murder sites, the impetus to bring back the ban has stalled. And in contrast to certain other gun-regulation issues (notably efforts to address loopholes in the national background-check system), public opinion no longer clearly supports the ban. A December 2015 ABC–Washington Post survey showed Americans opposing a revived ban by a 45-53 margin. That's quite a change from public opinion in the year the original ban was enacted, when Americans favored it 80-18. The same 2015 survey showed a plurality (47-42) of Americans agreeing with the gun lobby's longtime argument that more people carrying guns legally was a better response to terrorist attacks than stricter gun laws. And that, of course, has become the default drive position of the Republican Party and its putative 2016 presidential nominee, Donald Trump.
You can add Orlando to the list of mass-shooting sites (including San Bernardino, Newtown, and Aurora) where the semiautomatic AR-15 was the murderer's weapon of choice. Since such weapons were once heavily restricted under the so-called Assault Weapons Ban enacted as part of the 1994 federal crime bill (which expired after ten years), it is natural to speculate that a ban or some other significant restrictions could return. And indeed, Hillary Clinton favors a revived assault-weapons ban, which was a signature initiative of her husband's administration, along with the so-called Brady Bill requirements of background checks for all sorts of gun purchases.
But even as the AR-15 returns again and again to mass-murder sites, the impetus to bring back the ban has stalled. And in contrast to certain other gun-regulation issues (notably efforts to address loopholes in the national background-check system), public opinion no longer clearly supports the ban. A December 2015 ABC–Washington Post survey showed Americans opposing a revived ban by a 45-53 margin. That's quite a change from public opinion in the year the original ban was enacted, when Americans favored it 80-18. The same 2015 survey showed a plurality (47-42) of Americans agreeing with the gun lobby's longtime argument that more people carrying guns legally was a better response to terrorist attacks than stricter gun laws. And that, of course, has become the default drive position of the Republican Party and its putative 2016 presidential nominee, Donald Trump.
