House Dems File 'Assault Weapons Ban of 2019'--And that's Just for Starters

The Assault Weapons Ban of 2019, introduced as H.R.1296 by U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline, D-RI, and joined by 190 co-sponsors from his party, comes with strong endorsements from several national gun control groups.

The bill, one of the most ambitious bans proposed in recent years, would bar the importation, production, or transfer of 205 firearms by name to include a myriad of semi-auto AR-15 and AK-47 variants. Going past that, any semi-auto rifle with a detachable magazine and any “military-style feature” such as a barrel shroud, pistol grip or threaded barrel, would be caught in the net. Even semi-auto rifles with a fixed magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds would be covered by the new ban. Its title as introduced was “To regulate assault weapons, to ensure that the right to keep and bear arms is not unlimited, and for other purposes.”

A similar Senate bill, introduced by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in January, makes the same case in that chamber and includes a nationwide ban on adjustable stocks, Thordsen-style stocks such as used in “featureless rifles” marketed in states like California, “assault pistols” that weight more than 50 ounces when unloaded, and popular pistol stabilizing braces that have become widespread in recent years. It currently has 28 co-sponsors, none of whom are Republicans.

Both bans have been referred to their chamber’s respective judiciary committees. They are, however, just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to other new bills that have joined the growing stack of gun control measures introduced to the Democrat-controlled House since the 116th Congress was sworn in last month.