In an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the topic of Gun Control was brought up. She once again stated that “We’re not trying to take anybody’s guns away from them, but we do need an assault weapons ban”. The Harris campaign is saying that she no longer supports the federal mandatory buyback program, which she said was a “good idea” during her presidential bid in 2019. Harris also added that she is in support of universal background checks for individuals who are purchasing a firearm through a Federally Licensed retailer, (fun fact this is already in place). One of the moderators made a statement that most of the handguns purchased were conducted illegally. Harris quickly pointed out the need to eradicate “gun show loophole(s).”
Assault weapons ban, here starts the slippery slope that politicians use to deceive many Americans that are unfamiliar or new to firearms. The term assault weapons defined has no true definition. Many gun control advocates use the term assault weapons, as semi-automatic firearms, which include the AR & AK style rifles, but can also include semi-automatic pistol (Glock 43, Sig Sauer P365, ets.), rifles (SKS, Rock Island TM22, etc.), and (Benelli Ethos Supersport, Beretta A300, etc.), and go on the further to use the term, firearms that have been designed for military use and have features that make them lethal. I’m not the smartest person on the planet, but I thought that all firearms were designed to be lethal. I’ve personally never heard of the Glock G-Tickle model. As far as designed for military use, if it wasn’t for the need to have a more lethal instrument for battle we wouldn’t have the firearm. They first showed up in China around the year 1000 AD, not a surprise since the Chinese were the ones who developed what would become gunpowder around 850 AD.
Some other terms that gun advocates use to define assault weapons are, rapid rate of fire; saying assault weapons are designed to fire quickly. Do you mean that multiple rounds exit the barrel when one pulls the trigger? Because that would mean that the firearm is fully automatic, and they are illegal, the only way they can be obtained is with a special license issued by the ATF after a thorough background check and the individual pays a fee to the ATF. Or do mean that one round exits the barrel with one pull of the trigger, which is literally every firearm that is available to the public.
Some other misleading terms used to describe assault weapons are large and detachable magazines, according to gun control advocates who say that assault weapons are described as having large magazines that detach from the firearm. All semi automatic firearms have a detachable magazine, and their definition of large magazines are magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds. Other than single stack firearms like some of the 1911 style pistols, most other pistols take magazines that are capable of anywhere from 13 to 20 rounds.
When it comes to the “Gun Show Loophole”, yes most gun show sales are considered “Private” sales and the sellers are not required to have a Federal Firearms License (FFL). So in other words they are not required to conduct a background check, or have the individual fill out the questionnaire that they have to maintain on file for 20 years after the date of sale, they are supposed to verify the individual’s driver license ensuring that they live in the state the sale is taking place in. Also most of the sales at gun shows are usually cash, so the seller does not have to report any sales tax. Gun shows can be informative and offer a variety of things, such as newer firearms, antique firearms, ammunition, military memorabilia, etc., but many complain that the prices are much higher than buying from retailers, especially online stores. Now not all vendors at gun shows are private sellers, some are legit FFL holders, they are usually easy to spot (banners, stack of questionnaires, etc.) and they have to adhere to the same standards as if and individual were purchasing a firearm from their retail store (fill out questionnaire, background check, collect sales tax). Now if a seller that does not have an FFL, but has a serious question on whether or not they should sell an individual a firearm they are allowed to ask a FFL holder at the gun show to conduct a background check and complete the sale on their behalf, which means handing the firearm over to the FFL holder. This is where it gets a little tricky and why most sellers won’t go that route. Once the individual completes the questionnaire and passes the background check, the FFL holder can sell them the firearm, now the FFL will want some money to cover the cost of the background check, usually around $5.00, so there’s that. On the other hand if the individual does not pass the background check, in order for the FFL holder to give the firearm back to the original seller, yep you guessed it they have to do a background check on the seller and have him pass to get the firearm back. If the seller passes then they can receive the firearm back, but the FFL holder will still want money to cover the cost of the background checks $10.00 since they had to do it twice. If they fail then the FFL holder has to turn the firearm over to law enforcement, and most likely the seller will be apprehended as they are not supposed to own firearms in the first place.
Kamala seems to be starting to back pedal a bit, since the debate when she rebutted Trump’s statement that she would “confiscate everybody’s gun”, by saying both she and Mertz own guns and that they “were not taking anyone’s guns away” and that is all she had to say on matter. Now her stance seems that yes she and Mertz own guns, but there needs to be an assault weapons ban, since the 1994 assault weapons ban ended in 2002 and a new ban introduced in 2021 failed to receive enough votes to pass the senate. The question is how will her administration define the term assault weapon, and how far the administration is willing to go to enforce the law on current gun owners. I am sure that if she is elected and tries to enact an assault weapons ban, she will receive a lot of push back from pro gun advocates and politicians alike, since according to the 2023 data 45% of American households own one or more firearms.