Washington Democrats are calling for stricter gun control measures after a mass shooting in Orlando left 50 dead and dozens others wounded, and the National Rifle Association is calling on its members to oppose any legislation that might infringe on Second Amendment rights.
In an email sent this week to supporters, the NRA slammed Congress for trying to reinstate the federal ban on semi-automatic firearms, which is commonly referred to as the “assault weapons ban.”
The 10-year ban was passed by Congress in 1994, and signed into law by then President Bill Clinton. The ban only applied to weapons manufactured after the date of the ban's enactment, and it expired in September 2004.
Studies conducted after the ban was over showed that the ban didn’t reveal any clear impact on gun violence, and research reports submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice said even if the ban was renewed, it would have a minimal impact on gun violence.
The NRA says the ban didn’t do much to reduce crime, and criticized the call to reinstate it.
“It doesn’t matter that the Clinton gun ban did nothing to reduce crime,” read the email. “This is about YOUR freedoms and YOUR Right to Keep and Bear Arms.”
On Wednesday, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, began a 15-hour long filibuster to push Republicans to allow a vote on whether to ban people on the government's terrorist watch list from obtaining gun licenses as well as whether Congress should expand background checks to gun shows and internet sales.
On Friday, Murphy announced Republicans would allow a vote after all.
“I am proud to announce that after 14+ hours on the floor, we will have a vote on closing the terror gap & universal background checks,” he tweeted.
“15 hrs on the floor. 2 hrs of sleep. And I'm back on my (tired) feet, ready to keep pressing Congress to end its silence on gun violence,” he added.
But it doesn’t stop there. In fact, one amendment will attempt to strip the Second Amendment Rights from those on secret government lists while another could lead to federal registration of all gun owners.
The NRA criticized the measures, saying they are anti-gun and instead said the focus must be shifted on President Barack Obama, who they say has failed in the war on terror.
The group, which has over 5 million members, said congressmen are using the attack to push their own policies on the country.
“We must defeat every one of these anti-gun proposals,” they wrote. “What’s obvious is that many who want to destroy our firearm freedoms are using the terrorist attack in Orlando to push their anti-gun agenda.
“We can’t let them succeed in this depraved attempt to politicize a tragedy so they can destroy our freedoms," they said.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
