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200 House Democrats Sign On to Assault Weapons Ban Bill of 2019

Dan Zimmerman
Assault weapons ban of 2019

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Md., center, accompanied by Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., left, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., second from left, Rep. Anthony Brown, D-Md., fourth from left, and others, speaks at a news conference calling for Senate action on H.R. 8 - Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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There are currently 235 Democrats in the US House of Representatives. In light of a report by The Hill today, that raises a question…are the other 35 or so on vacation?

[N]early 200 House Democrats have now signed on to legislation — authored by Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), the head of Democrats’ messaging operation — banning semi-automatic firearms and large-capacity magazines. With 198 co-sponsors, the bill is just 20 votes shy of the number needed to push it through the lower chamber.

The bill in question is HR 1296, also known as the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019. That’s a bill that Cicilline introduced in the House in February. Now, after the El Paso and Dayton shootings and various reports of wobbliness in the Senate and White House, congressional Dems are smelling an opportunity.

The bill would outlaw . . .

Note the use of the singular ‘a’ when referring to “military-style” features. The Clinton 1994 assault weapons ban outlawed firearms with two such features. The latest bill bans guns with only one…meaning millions more firearms would be outlawed than a generation ago.

You can read the full text of the bill here.

What would constitute an “assault weapon” under HR 1269?

The term semiautomatic assault weapon means any of the following, regardless of country of manufacture or caliber of ammunition accepted:

(A) A semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and any one of the following:
(i) A pistol grip.
(ii) A forward grip.
(iii) A folding, telescoping, or detachable stock, or is otherwise foldable or adjustable in a manner that operates to reduce the length, size, or any other dimension, or otherwise enhances the concealability, of the weapon.
(iv) A grenade launcher.
(v) A barrel shroud.
(vi) A threaded barrel.
(B) A semiautomatic rifle that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds, except for an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.
(C) Any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment, or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machinegun.
(D) A semiautomatic pistol that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and any one of the following:
(i) A threaded barrel.
(ii) A second pistol grip.
(iii) A barrel shroud.
(iv) The capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip.
(v) A semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm.
(vi) A manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when unloaded.
(vii) A stabilizing brace or similar component.
(E) A semiautomatic pistol with a fixed magazine that has the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.
(F) A semiautomatic shotgun that has any one of the following:
(i) A folding, telescoping, or detachable stock.
(ii) A pistol grip.
(iii) A fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 5 rounds.
(iv) The ability to accept a detachable magazine.
(v) A forward grip.
(vi) A grenade launcher.
(G) Any shotgun with a revolving cylinder.
(H) All of the following rifles, copies, duplicates, variants, or altered facsimiles with the capability of any such weapon thereof:
The bill then goes on to list dozens of specific AR, AK and other firearms…rifles, pistols and shotguns. There’s more, but that’s the gist of it.  Note that, like the ’94 assault weapons ban, the current bill would grandfather currently owned firearms. 
According to The Hill . . .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a staunch Second Amendment advocate, has no intention of bringing the legislation to the floor, and President Trump has said there’s “no political appetite” for such a ban; both men are allies of the National Rifle Association, which is vehemently opposed to any ban or moratorium.
We certainly hope that report is accurate. And this one isn’t:

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