Representative Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, introduced H.R. 5717 on January 30, which would, among other items, ban the purchasing and possession of assault weapons, according to USA Today. Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., introduced in February the Senate version of the bill, S.3254. Not long after, the coronavirus hype was all over mainstream media burying the news of this draconian legislation.
The legislation introduced a variety of reforms with the intent to "end the epidemic of gun violence and build safer communities by strengthening Federal firearms laws and supporting gun violence research, intervention, and prevention initiatives."The bill defines a semiautomatic assault weapon as any firearm with the capability to "accept a detachable magazine" and either a pistol grip, forward grip, grenade launcher, barrel shroud, threaded barrel or a folding, telescoping or detachable stock.
It would require state law enforcement authorities to be notified when a background check is denied and mandate the attorney general to issue an annual report to Congress detailing the number of background check denials.
It would also necessitate all firearm owners to obtain a federal firearms owner's license, although purchases made before the enactment of the bill are exempt.
And the bill, as correctly stated by the Military Arms Channel, would make it illegal "to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a semiautomatic assault weapon." - USA Today
The government is, of course, exempted from the assault weapons ban. Law-enforcement officers (and other state agents) can possess these firearms as can those who are providing security at nuclear energy facilities. Firearms that are "manually operated by bolt, pump, lever or slide action," have "been rendered permanently inoperable" or are antique are exempt from the ban as well.
Neither bill has passed, and it would still be needing President Donald Trump's signature to become law. However, we thought it important to let you all know what's going on behind the screens while we direct our attention to a viral outbreak. If you thought things were totalitarian now, just wait...it could get much uglier.
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