Reauthorize the Assault Weapons Ban

The United States suffers from an epidemic of gun violence. The recent mass shooting at a high school in Georgia underscores the devastating effects of gun violence. There were 656 mass shootings in 2023, and there have already been 385 mass shootings in 2024 as of September 4. These tragic and deadly events are made possible by easy access to assault weapons.

Assault weapons serve only one purpose: to kill people. Semi-automatic weapons have been used to carry out the deadliest mass shootings in our country's history because they are capable of firing more bullets much faster than other types of guns. In the 2017 Las Vegas Strip massacre, the shooter used a semi-automatic weapon to kill 60 people while injuring over 400 in just 10 minutes: these are weapons of destruction, not self-defense or recreation.

These deaths are preventable. As a senator, Joe Biden championed and sponsored the assault weapons ban, one the strongest initiatives ever to combat gun violence, which passed in 1994. The ban expired in 2004, and in the years that followed, mass shootings increased dramatically; according to a 2019 study, they tripled in the years after the ban expired.

The evidence is clear: the assault weapons ban was one of the most impactful policies in the fight against gun violence. Congress must reinstate the assault weapons ban and get weapons of war off the streets. Sign here to urge your members of Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban to combat gun violence.