Assault weapons legislation in the United States

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Assault weapons legislation in the United States refers to bills and laws (active, theoretical, expired, proposed, or failed) that define and restrict or make illegal the manufacture, transfer, and possession of assault weapons. How these firearms are defined and regulated varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; generally, this constitutes a list of specific firearms and combinations of features on semiautomatic firearms.

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban enacted in 1994 expired in 2004. Attempts to renew this ban have failed, as have attempts to pass a new ban, such as the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 (AWB 2013). Eight U.S. states have assault weapons bans: three were enacted before the 1994 federal ban, four more were passed before the federal ban expired, and one passed after the federal ban expired. The majority of states (42) have no assault weapons ban, although two, Minnesota and Virginia, have training and background check requirements for purchasers of assault weapons that are stricter than those for ordinary firearms. On June 4, 2021, a federal judge struck down the three-decade-long ban in California, though it is pending appeal by the California Attorney General. While there are no statewide assault weapon bans in Colorado, local bans exist in certain cities or counties in the state. In addition to state bans, Washington, D.C., and some U.S. counties and municipalities have assault weapons laws.

The 1994 federal and 1989 state ban in California were prompted by the 1989 Cleveland Elementary School shooting in Stockton, California. Over the last decades, there has been an increase in the use of semi-automatic rifles in mass shootings.^[1] At least one rifle was used in about 44% of mass public shootings since the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting.^[1] The U.S. suffers the highest death toll from gun violence among high income countries and the 2023 Covenant School shooting, which occurred in March, was the 129th such mass shooting in America since the beginning of the year.^[2] Existing and proposed weapon legislation often come under renewed interest in the wake of major mass shootings, such as the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

In 2018, most Americans who were polled supported a ban on assault weapons.^[3][4][5] According to an April 2023 Fox News poll, 61% of Americans are in favour of an assault weapons ban.^[6]

Total deaths in US mass shootings—defined as four or more people shot and killed in one incident, excluding the perpetrator, at a public place, excluding gang-related killings^[7][8]

After the 2004 expiration of the Assault Weapons Ban, the firearms industry embraced the AR-15's political and cultural significance for marketing.^[9] Almost every major gunmaker produces its own version, with ~16 million Americans owning at least one.^[9]