Courtney Votes to Reduce the Prevalence of Deadly Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines in the U.S.

Press Release

Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) voted to pass the Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2022 (H.R. 1808). The bill would help save American lives by prohibiting the sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines--a prohibition that was formerly in place throughout the United States from 1994-2004. Rep. Courtney is an original co-sponsor of the Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2022, which passed the House today by a vote of 217-213.

"H.R. 1808 would restore the ban on military-style assault weapons that was formerly in place throughout our country during one of the most prosperous and low-crime points in American history. This isn't some new, untested approach to keeping our communities safer," said Congressman Courtney. "The Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2022 would conform federal law to look a lot more like the those we've already got on the books in the State of Connecticut--from bans on specifically enumerated firearms like the AK-47, AR-15, Carbon 15 and others; to the criteria both prohibitions use to ban non-enumerated weapons, like the presence of deadly attachments. There is a lot of overlap between this bill and the assault weapons ban we've had in place in Connecticut since 2013, and in addition to keeping our communities safer, our ban on high-powered rifles and high-capacity magazines was upheld not once, but twice as being constitutionally sound by the Supreme Court of Connecticut and by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. This is a tried, tested, and commonsense approach to curbing the completely out of control mass shootings we are seeing in our country today."

The 1994 prohibition on assault weapons led to a significant reduction in deaths and injuries from mass public shootings from 1994-2004. Studies have found that the likelihood of mass shooting deaths fell by 70% when the ban was in effect, and that criminals committed between 32%-40% fewer gun crimes with assault weapons during that timeframe. Other studies have found that the total number of mass shooting deaths skyrocketed after the ban was lifted as compared to when it was in place, and that the underlying incidents of mass shootings per year and the average number of Americans killed during such incidents also rose significantly.

Similar to the 1994 prohibition on deadly assault weapons, H.R. 1808 prohibits the sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Like its predecessor, the Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2022 is intended to gradually reduce the prevalence of the deadliest tactical weapons that are routinely seen in our communities today, while containing numerous provisions that protect the rights of gun owners, hunters, sport shooters, farmers, and many others, including Americans who use firearms for self-defense.

Key provisions of H.R. 1808 include:

A Grandfathered Semiautomatic Assault Weapon Clause--The prohibition does not apply to the possession, sale, or transfer of any semiautomatic assault weapon that is lawfully possessed on or prior to the date of enactment. The bill also allows for the transfer of grandfathered semiautomatic assault weapons through a federal firearm licensee following a background check using the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
A Safe Storage Provision--Importantly, the bill requires that semiautomatic assault weapons be securely stored so that they are not accessible to those who are prohibited from possessing them.
Resources for State Buy-Back Programs--The bill allows states to use Byrne Justice Assistance Grant funds for voluntary buyback programs for semiautomatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
Exemptions for Law Enforcement Officers--Like the 1994 prohibition, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 includes exemptions for specific uses such as law enforcement, nuclear security, and testing authorized by the Attorney General.
Exemptions for Sport Shooters--The bill also allows for temporary transfers without a background check for target shooting at licensed target facilities or established ranges.
Exemptions for Hunters and Antique Collectors--H.R. 1808 specifies that the bill's restrictions do not apply to antique firearms, or to more than 2,000 specified models of hunting and sporting firearms.

The Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2022 tracks closely to the State of Connecticut's own ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, which has been in place since 2013 and has been upheld by the Connecticut Supreme Court and by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. H.R. 1808 and the State of Connecticut's assault weapons ban feature prohibitions on many of the same specifically enumerated firearms--like the AK-47, the AR-15, the Bushmaster Carbon 15, the UZI PRO pistol, and many others--and use similar standards and criteria to impose bans on weapons that are not specifically enumerated, such as the presence of secondhand grips, telescoping stocks, and other deadly attachments. Specifically, H.R. 1808 would make it unlawful for a person to import, sell, manufacture, or transfer the following:

All semiautomatic rifles that can accept a detachable magazine and have at least one of the following military features (1) pistol grip; (2) forward grip; (3) folding, telescoping, or detachable stock; (4) grenade launcher; (5) barrel shroud, or (6) threaded barrel.
All semiautomatic rifles that have a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.
Bump fire stocks and any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment, or accessory that is deigned or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machinegun.
All semiautomatic pistols that can accept a detachable magazine and have at least one of the following military features (1) threaded barrel (2) second pistol grip (3) barrel shroud (4) capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip (5) semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm.
All semiautomatic shotguns that have at least one of the following: (1) a folding, telescoping, or detachable stock (2) pistol grip (3) fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 5 rounds (4) ability to accept a detachable magazine (5) forward grip (6) grenade launcher (7) shotgun with a revolving cylinder.
High-capacity magazines capable of accepting more than 10 rounds.

Source