Brady Announces Strong Support for Assault Weapons Ban of 2019

Washington, D.C., January 11, 2019 – Continuing to fulfill the promise of a pro-gun safety Congress, Sens. Dianne Feinstein, Chris Murphy, and Richard Blumenthal announced this week that they will introduce legislation to effectively ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which led the push to reinstate the federal ban on assault weapons after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL last year, enthusiastically endorsed the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019, emphasizing the importance of restricting civilian access to weapons of war.

Kris Brown, president of the Brady Campaign, stated,

“We’ve seen time and time again, in schoolyards, movie theatres, synagogues, music festivals, and nightclubs, that weapons of war do not belong in places of peace. Military-style assault weapons and high capacity magazines exist only to enact maximum destruction, and there’s simply no reason that everyday Americans need access to them. We are proud to support Sen. Feinstein’s legislation to renew the federal ban on assault weapons, and we are firmly committed to helping this bill become law. We can’t wait another day to take action.”

Assault-style weapons are all too often the firearm of choice in mass shootings, including the massacres in Parkland, Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, Orlando, Sandy Hook, Aurora, and many others. That is because they are uniquely lethal because of their rapid rate of fire and high muzzle velocity, coupled with high capacity magazines, which when attached to the assault rifle limit waiting time to reload bullets. A review of mass shootings between 2009 and 2015 found that when assault weapons or high capacity magazines are used, they result in 47 percent more deaths and 155 percent more people being shot. Additionally, assault-style weapons are responsible for 1 out of every 5 law enforcement gun deaths, leading law enforcement organizations to be long-standing supporters of laws prohibiting assault weapons.

The Assault Weapons Ban of 2019, which will be introduced with 29 co-sponsors, would ban the sale, manufacture, transfer, and importation of 205 military-style assault weapons. It would ban any assault weapon that accepts a detachable ammunition magazine and has one or more military characteristics, magazines and other ammunition feeding devices that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, and bump stocks and other devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire at a rate that mimics fully automatic fire.

Removing weapons of war from places of peace has been a leading policy goal of the Brady Campaign. A full look at Brady’s comprehensive approach to preventing gun violence for the 116th Congress can be found here: http://www.bradycampaign.org/sites/default/files/BradyPolicyApproach.pdf

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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.


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