FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
29 July 2022
Contact: Kevin McGuire, 202-538-2386 (mobile)
H.R. 1808 would ban sale of assault weapons for the first time since 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) voted to ban assault weapons, the first time the House of Representatives has passed legislation to ban their sale or use since the original law expired in 2004.
The bill bans the sale and manufacture of semiautomatic assault weapons (SAW) and large capacity ammunition feeding devices (LCAFD). These weapons and magazines have been used at many of the worst mass shootings in this country over the last few decades.
“Congress should have never let the assault weapons ban expire back in 2004,” said Rep. Barragán. “Studies show that mass shooting fatalities are reduced by 70% when these horrific weapons of war are not available for sale. The mass shootings in Highland Park, Uvalde, Las Vegas, Parkland, El Paso, Orlando and so many other communities in America have shown the horrible damage these weapons cause in a short period of time. Thoughts and prayers in response to mass shootings will never prevent a future shooting and are of no comfort to families who’ve lost loved ones because of these weapons of war. Today, Democrats in the House stood up for families and communities across this country who have been devastated by the murder and mayhem caused by these weapons.”
The Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 would:
- Prohibit the sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of SAWs and LCAFDs, subject to grandfathering provisions and other exceptions.
- Define SAWs to include:
- Rifles, shotguns, and pistols that are semiautomatic, can accept a detachable ammunition feeding device, and have at least one additional listed feature that make firearms especially deadly, including military features identified in ATF reports under the Bush and Clinton Administrations
- Certain semiautomatic firearms with LCAFDs
- Specific prohibited firearms listed by model and manufacturer
- Frames, receivers, and copies of these firearms
- Allow the possession of any SAW lawfully purchased on the date of enactment
- Allow the sale or transfer of any SAW lawfully possessed on the date of enactment following a background check
- And require that SAWs are securely stored so that they are not accessible to those who are prohibited from possessing them.
This legislation is endorsed by Brady, Everytown for Gun Safety, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, the American Academy of Nursing, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and the American Public Health Association.
Nanette Diaz Barragán is proud to represent California’s 44th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Carson, Compton, Florence-Firestone, Lynwood, North Long Beach, Rancho Dominguez, San Pedro, South Gate, Walnut Park, Watts, Willowbrook and Wilmington. She serves as chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Border Security, and on the House Energy and Commerce Health, Energy, and Environment & Climate Change Subcommittees.