“I support reinstating an assault weapons ban on automatic and some semi-automatic weapons. What were designed as weapons of war are not things civilians should be able to purchase. It is not a hunting rifle. It is designed to kill people and kill people in large numbers.
“We can quibble over the definition of assault weapons. There are certain weapons, such as a fully automatic weapon that has a high number in the clip or magazine constitutes an assault weapon. As for semi-automatic, you can get into some kind of debate.” – U.S. Rep John Sarbanes (D- Baltimore County) in We are not Powerless to Respond to the Scourge of Gun Violence