The real reason Congress banned assault weapons in 1994 and why it worked - WaPo

[ffr]

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Critics of bans on assault weapons, however, say they do little to save lives.
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But the 1994 assault weapons ban was never intended to be a comprehensive fix for “gun violence” writ large. Its purpose, according to gun violence experts and the lawmakers who wrote the bill, was to reduce the frequency and lethality of mass shootings like the ones in Parkland, Sandy Hook and elsewhere. And on that front, the data shows it had a significant impact.
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Momentum returned with two back-to-back mass shootings in 1993: one at a San Francisco law firm that killed eight people and injured six more, and another on a Long Island Railroad train that left five dead and 19 wounded. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, architect of the 1994 assault weapons ban, said that “it was the 1993 mass shooting at 101 California Street in San Francisco that was the tipping point for me. That’s what really motivated me to push for a ban on assault weapons.”

The San Francisco shooting “made clear that the increasing sophistication of weapons had made it possible for a mass shooter to murder large numbers of people in a matter of minutes,” Feinstein said. “The goal of the ban was to reduce the frequency and deadliness of mass shootings.”
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- Washington Post

Anyone care to tell me who the president and vice president were from 1993 - 2001?

Link to tweet

[Phoenix61]

1. A picture truly is worth a thousand words. nt

[thbobby]

2. Solid evidence in graphic form

Even trump could perhaps comprehend. But for the GOP, NRA blood money is much more valuable than children's lives. Not hyperbole, just cold, hard reality. The party of Christian Values has the blood of American Children dripping from their evil hands.

[Cha]

3. Valuable information!

[rusty quoin]

4. This is preaching to the choir.

Their side has nothing to do with statistics. At least I don’t know of a way to reach them. They have created, for a long time now, their own universe.

It started in the 80s, and I remember that well, and now they are beyond reason.

[madville]

5. there was no actual ban in 1994

you could still buy anything you wanted, the 94 AWB was a hoax. It banned cosmetic features which had no affect on anything.

[world wide wally]

6. But it wasn't perfect so it was useless

Right, GOP?

[SunSeeker]

7. K & R & bookmarked!

[ehrnst]

8. And the author of the 1994 bill is now under attack from Russian Bots. (nt)