Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1808, a rebooted federal “Assault Weapon Ban.” The bill barely made it through in a 217-213 vote with some defections on each side. Not as extreme as some bans passed in a couple of states, it grandfathers guns already in possession but halts the sale, importation, and manufacture of new ones. Still, it is much more restrictive when it comes to guns as it only allows one “assault” feature such as a pistol grip or folding stock whereas the ’94 ban allowed two.
Further, instead of the standard 10-round magazine cap seen with such bans, it has a 15-round cap, so that latter guideline is a kinder, gentler ban than the one adopted by the federal government in 1994 (and expired in 2004).To borrow a mantra from Douglas Adams, “Don’t Panic.” The bill is seen as dead on arrival in the Senate– although that could change– and as primarily a nonsense vote that allows the lawmakers who voted in favor of it to flex their “tough on guns” creds to their constituents heading into the mid-term elections in November.
As a rule, because every representative must stand for election every two years, the lower chamber of Congress is always seen as having more chest-thumping, regardless of whether they accomplished anything.
Still, it probably won’t hurt to stock up on 30-round magazines or grab another AR if you get a good price on one.
By Michael Crites
Michael Crites has served as executive editor of AmericanFirearms.org since 2016 and previously held positions as associate editor and range correspondent dating back to 2000. He discovered his passion for precision shooting at age 12 during his first visit to his grandfather's shooting range, eventually earning an Expert classification in three different shooting disciplines before age 18.
During his studies at University of Wyoming, he earned four varsity letters on the collegiate rifle and pistol teams, serving as team captain for three consecutive years. He became the first UW student to complete the NRA Range Safety Officer certification while maintaining full-time student status. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Communications.
His diverse career has included roles as Range Safety Coordinator for the National Rifle Championships in Camp Perry 2001; editor-in-chief, Precision Shooter Quarterly; series editor, Modern Firearms Handbook collection; managing editor, National Shooting Sports Foundation Newsletter; editor, Competitive Shooter Magazine; operations director for Western Arms & Ammunition Co.; senior editor for the Shooter's Reference Annual (Cheyenne); content director for The Firearms Report, published by the American Shooting Coalition in Billings, MT; firearms correspondent for Hunting & Shooting, produced by Outdoor Sports Media Group in Jackson, WY; and publisher for Wyoming Shooting Sports Journal in Casper. He has contributed as a regular columnist for American Rifleman (NRA Publications), technical editor for Precision, a publication of the National Bench Rest Shooters Association (Phoenix, AZ); and as firearms specialist for the Gun Owner's Annual.
As a digital content creator, he has written more than 400 articles on AmericanFirearms.org, developed shooting technique coverage for the Brownells Shooting Blog (Montezuma, IA) and Federal Premium "Range Notes" platform (Anoka, MN), and served as lead content strategist for International Defensive Pistol Association (Berryville, AR). Beyond Tactical Firearms, his current endeavors include content development for the Wyoming State Rifle Association (Cheyenne, WY) and technical manual production for High Plains Publishing of Laramie, WY.
He has contributed to the 12th, 13th, and 14th editions of Modern Sporting Rifles Guide and edited The Complete Guide to Tactical Shooting and Competitive Shooter's Reference Manual (Gun Digest Books).
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