Students who survived the shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school earlier this month have been calling on lawmakers to do something to help make sure this never happens at another school.
Now, local Democratic Congressman David Price is part of a coalition of 156 Democratic House Representatives who are working on new legislation, which they say has a goal of working toward that.
Price serves as the vice chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and was on the UNC – Chapel Hill campus last week at an anti-gun violence rally hosted by students.
The bill being championed by Price and his colleagues is known as the Assault Weapons Ban of 2018. A previous ban on assault weapons was in place in 1994 but expired in 2004 without Congressional renewal.
The new legislation would prohibit the sale, transport, production and importation of semi-automatic rifles and handguns with a military-style feature that can accept a detachable magazine, among other items. The bill goes on to specifically name 205 firearms to ban.
“Weapons designed to inflict mass casualties and devastation on the battlefield have no place on our nation’s streets,” Price said in a release. “It’s past time for the safety of our communities to be a higher priority to lawmakers than their donors in the firearm lobby. I am proud to join Rep. Cicilline, Rep. Deutch, and the more than 70% of Americans who support restrictions on the sale of assault weapons.”
Republican lawmakers have not been as inclined to move forward on firearms regulations. Some items that appear to have bipartisan momentum include a ban on bump stocks, which allow a semi-automatic rifle to fire at a faster rate, and increasing the age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21 years of age.
Public opinions polls have shown strong support for various gun regulations, but it is unclear if any will move forward to become law.
Photo via Blake Hodge
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