(March 28, 2018 at 11:50 am)Khemikal Wrote:(March 28, 2018 at 11:40 am)rskovride Wrote: Have we not already had a weapons ban? AWB The effects have been studied, weighed and found wanting.
Yeah, we banned the wrong guns, and even failed to ban guns we mentioned by name..somehow. I don't know why anyone ever thought that was going to work in the first place. It was a waste of political capital and law enforcement time that had the effect of discrediting gun control reform, castrating the ATF, and feeding the beast the NRA would transform itself into.
^^^ This ^^^
The assault weapons ban was easily circumvented by continuing to produce the exact same guns sans bayonet lugs, flash suppressors, and in some cases pistol grips (which were replaced with thumbhold stocks which are almost functionally identical). Weapon banned by name? No problem, a name change and the removal of the previously mentioned features, and you're back in business. The high-cap mag ban was a direct contributor to the proliferation of smaller more easily concealed handgun. High-capacity magazines never became unavailable. Enough were produced in the time running up to the ban that there was enough supply to last a very, very long time. They were more expensive, but not prohibitively so.
That was an ill-considered, and ineffective piece of legislation, and I say that as both a former gun nut and a current gun control supporter. OTOH, the Brady Act actually does something useful, though it does need to be updated.
The AWB ban also was a significant contributor to the dems losing congress in the following election.
Political capital has to be focused where it will do the most good.
