Brady Celebrates Passage of Assault Weapons Ban in the House of Representatives

Washington, D.C., Jul 29, 2022— Today, Brady celebrates the bipartisan support and passage of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2021 in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is the first time a ban on assault weapons has passed out of the House since 1994, the year the original assault weapon ban was signed into law. Brady now urges the Senate to take up and pass this bill without delay so that President Biden can sign it into law, as he has promised to do.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“Once again, Speaker Pelosi and the gun violence prevention majority in the House of Representatives have taken action to address the public health epidemic we uniquely face here in America, with the urgency it deserves. Weapons of war have no place in our communities and every day we wait to renew and improve the Assault Weapons Ban, more lives will be lost. As we’ve seen over and over again in communities like Buffalo, Highland Park, Uvalde, and too many others to name, assault weapons are the weapons of choice for mass shooters because they are designed to inflict the very damage we see play out time after time.

We have the power to prevent these uniquely American tragedies, and this ban on assault weapons will be critical to accomplishing that goal. Brady applauds Congressman Cicilline and the House of Representatives for their leadership on this issue and calls on the Senate to abandon partisan gridlock, listen to the will of the American public, and pass this bill to keep our communities safe.”

About H.R. 1808, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2021:

This law would make it unlawful for a person to import, sell, manufacture, or transfer:

• All semi-automatic firearms that can accept a detachable magazine and have specific features that make them more lethal

• Semiautomatic firearms that have a fixed magazine of more than 15 rounds.

• Any part, or combination of parts, that increases the rate of fire of a semiautomatic firearm, including bumpstocks

• High capacity feeding devices capable of accepting more than 15 rounds.

Firearms and high capacity magazines manufactured before the date of enactment will remain legal to possess. Individuals are allowed to sell existing assault weapons, but only after the completion of a Brady Background Check. High-capacity magazines may be kept by their owners, but cannot be transferred except to a government buyback program.

About the Lethality of Assault Weapons:

• An analysis of public mass shootings resulting in four or more deaths found that more than 85% of such fatalities were caused by assault rifles

• When an assault weapon and/or a high-capacity magazine is used in a public mass shooting, nearly 14 times as many people are injured, and twice as many people are killed.

• During the 10-year period the federal assault weapons ban was in effect, mass shooting fatalities were 70% less likely to occur compared to the periods before and after the ban

• After Congress let the ban expire, mass shooting deaths have increased by 347%

About the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban

In 1994, Congress enacted a federal assault weapons ban as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. Brady’s namesakes, Jim and Sarah Brady, were instrumental in passing this life-saving law, working hand-in-hand with legislators every step of the way. However, the ban expired in 2004 and was not renewed. In the decade after the ban expired, over 300 people were shot and killed in 34 mass shootings, representing a 183% increase in massacres and a 239% increase in fatalities.