An analysis of the effects of Feinstein's AWB

The largest gun control bill on the table at the moment is obviously Senator Feinstein's propsed assault weapons ban, which is being endorsed in a campaign-style manner by President Obama. I thought I would take some time to explain some of the supposed "flaws" in this bill, and some of the little-known consequences it will have.

First off, the assault weapon ban ABSOLUTELY DOES violate the 2nd Amendment, and is unconstitutional. This is a result of the fact that the ban DOES involve confiscation, unlike what everyone is telling you. In this case however, it is not a direct confiscation, but a de jure confiscation. The bill prohibits the future sale or transfer of any so-called "assault weapons". Now, there is a grandfather clause, so you can keep an "assault weapon" if you already own one. However, because the bill prohibits future transfers, you can never sell that weapon or even give it to a relative. In the event that the owner of such a weapon dies, the firearm cannot be passed on to anyone else. Therefore, I would assume that the only option would be to destroy the weapon, or send it to the government.

Secondly, the assault weapons ban does not JUST ban the "blacklisted" weapons in the bill. If interpreted properly, the AWB will ban ALL semiautomatic rifles. The bill states that for a weapon to be banned, it must be a semiautomatic rifle equipped with one or more "military features," including a pistol grip. Later in the bill, a pistol grip is defined as essentially any form of grip that allows the user to hold onto the gun. This would include regular stocks, which would ban almost all semiautomatic rifles.

Lastly, the AWB contradicts itself, and proves just how stupid it is to ban certain types of weapons based on "scary features". As many of you know, the bill includes a "blacklist", which lists 157 specific models of guns that are to be banned. However, the bill also includes a list of 2200 weapons exempted from the ban, that would otherwise be banned. Many of these "exempted" guns are very similar or even nearly identical to blacklisted guns, and many even include several "military features". One example: The Ruger Mini-14. The Mini-14 is a semiautomatic rifle that can accept high-capacity magazines. In the AWB, the tactical variant of the Mini-14 is blacklisted, but the standard model is not. The only difference: One has a black, polymer stock, and one has a standard wooden stock.

Spread the word, and maybe even the anti-gunners will realize the futility and stupidity of this bill.