Source: Office of Rep. Salud Carbajal

[On Friday], the U.S. House of Representatives voted to advance legislation co-sponsored by Congressman Salud Carbajal that would ban the sale, import, manufacture, or transfer of certain semi-automatic weapons.

“As a Marine Corps veteran, I’ve seen firsthand the destruction that assault rifles are capable of. They are weapons of war. They’re designed to do more harm, faster. And they have no place in our communities or on our streets,” said Rep. Carbajal. “But tragically, the vast majority of the deadliest mass shootings that we have seen in recent years have been carried out with one of these deadly weapons. It was wrong of Congress to let the assault weapons ban expire in 2004, and I’ve been fighting to revive it since my first day in office. If we want to end gun violence, we have to crack down on the weapons that mass shooters and criminals prefer.”

The passage of the measure [on Friday] marks the first time either chamber of Congress has approved an assault weapons ban since 1994. The 1994 assault weapons ban expired in 2004. 

Eight of the ten deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history involved an assault weapon that would have been banned for purchase under the 1994 assault weapons ban.

Researchers estimate that if a federal assault weapons ban was still in place, we would see 70 percent fewer mass shooting deaths.

The House [Friday] approved the Assault Weapons Ban of 2021 (H.R. 1808), which would make it unlawful for a person to import, sell, manufacture, or transfer the following:

The measure approved [on Friday] would allow for the sale, transfer, or possession of assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices lawfully possessed on the date of enactment of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2021.

It would also specify that its restrictions do not apply to antique firearms, manually-operated firearms, and more than 2,000 specified models of hunting and sporting firearms.

This measure passed today builds on the recent enactment of the first federal gun safety law since the 1994 assault weapons ban: the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

That landmark breakthrough approved earlier this summer included a provision long-championed by Congressman Carbajal to expand the use of ‘red flag’ laws.

The new law includes $750 million set aside for states to create and administer ‘red flag’ laws and other measures that can keep guns out of the hands of those who are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others, something Rep. Carbajal originally proposed in his Extreme Risk Protection Order Act. 

Rep. Salud Carbajal represents California’s 24th congressional district, encompassing Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and part of Ventura County. He sits on the House Armed Services Committee, Agriculture Committee, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he serves as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

Hooray! Let's hope it survives the troglodytes in the Senate.

Hooray! Let's hope it survives the troglodytes in the Senate.

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