Federal Assault Weapons Ban

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) (or Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act) was a subtitle of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a federal law in the United States that included a prohibition on the manufacture for civilian use of certain semi-automatic firearms, so called "assault weapons". The 10-year ban was passed by Congress on September 13, 1994, and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton the same day. The ban only applied to weapons manufactured after the date of the ban's enactment.

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired on September 13, 2004, as part of the law's sunset provision. There have been multiple attempts to renew the ban, but no bill has reached the floor for a vote.

U.S. Firearms Legal Topics
  • Assault weapons ban
  • ATF Bureau
  • Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
  • Concealed carry in the U.S.
  • Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban
  • Federal Firearms License
  • Firearm case law
  • Firearm Owners Protection Act
  • Gun Control Act of 1968
  • Gun laws in the U.S. — by state
  • Gun laws in the U.S. — federal
  • Gun politics in the U.S.
  • National Firearms Act
  • Second Amendment to the Constitution
  • Straw purchase
  • Sullivan Act (New York)
  • Violent Crime Control Act

Read more about Federal Assault Weapons Ban:  Criteria of An Assault Weapon, Provisions of The Ban, Compliance, Expiration and Effect On Crime, Efforts To Renew The Ban, Assault Weapons Ban in New York Politics, Assault Weapons Bans in Other States

Famous quotes containing the words federal, assault, weapons and/or ban:

    Goodbye, boys; I’m under arrest. I may have to go to jail. I may not see you for a long time. Keep up the fight! Don’t surrender! Pay no attention to the injunction machine at Parkersburg. The Federal judge is a scab anyhow. While you starve he plays golf. While you serve humanity, he serves injunctions for the money powers.
    Mother Jones (1830–1930)

    Among women.—”The truth? Oh, you don’t really know what ‘the truth’ is! Isn’t it an assault on all our pudeurs?”
    Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)

    Advertisers are the interpreters of our dreams—Joseph interpreting for Pharaoh. Like the movies, they infect the routine futility of our days with purposeful adventure. Their weapons are our weaknesses: fear, ambition, illness, pride, selfishness, desire, ignorance. And these weapons must be kept as bright as a sword.
    —E.B. (Elwyn Brooks)

    It’s red hot, mate. I hate to think of this sort of book getting in the wrong hands. As soon as I’ve finished this, I shall recommend they ban it.
    Tony Hancock (1924–1968)