Violent Crime Control And Law Enforcement Act Assault Weapons

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act ( 1994) is a piece of legislation, passed by the US Congress, which expanded Federal law in several ways. Its most famous provision banned the manufacture of 19 specific semi-automatic "assault weapons" as well as many others defined by cosmetic features. The law also banned possession of newly manufactured magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Other provisions of the law included a greatly expanded Federal death penalty, new classes of individual banned from possessing firearms, and a variety of new and federal offenses, in areas such as immigration law, hate crimes, sex offenses, and gang-related crime.

1 Assault Weapons Ban

Title XI, subtitle A, known as the Assault Weapons Ban, outlawed the manufacture of any semiautomatic rifle that is capable of accepting a detachable magazine with capacity greater than ten rounds, AND which has two or more of the following features:

This section took effect September 13, 1994, and expired automatically through a sunset provision on September 13, 2004.

The National Rifle AssociationThe National Rifle Association or NRA is a United States organization for gun owners's advocacy. It sponsors firearm safety training courses, as well as shooting skills and sports. The organization is sometimes considered to be the most powerful single or argues that the ban violates the ConstitutionLaw for the United States of America The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America and is the oldest written national constitution still in force. It was completed on September 17, 1787, with its adoption by the's 2nd AmendmentThe Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, part of the Bill of Rights, prevents the federal government from infringing on the right to keep and bear firearms. Only the federal government is considered inhibited by the Amendment; the provision.

It should be noted that these features are purely cosmetic; none increase the lethality of a weapon (grenades, being explosives, are already heavily regulated and restricted, and any long gun with a folding/telescoping stock still must have a minimum length of 26 inches). An AR-15, which is an "assault weapon," functions identically to any .223 hunting rifle.

2 Death Penalty

Title VI, the Federal Death Penalty Act, created several new death penalty offenses, including crimes related to drug dealing, drive-by shootings which result in death, civil-rights related murders, murder of a Federal law enforment officer, and acts of terrorismTerrorism refers to the use of violence against noncombatants for the purpose of achieving a political, religious or socio-economic goal. Terrorist acts can be carried out by individuals or groups, and are sometimes sponsored by governments as an alternat or the use of weapons of mass destructionWeapons of mass destruction WMD are weapons designed to kill large numbers of people, typically targeting civilians and military personnel alike. Some types of WMDs are considered to have a psychological impact rather than a strictly military usefulness. which result in death.

The 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing occurred a few months after this law came into effect; The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 was passed in response, further increasing the federal death penalty. In 2001, Timothy McVeigh was executed for the murder of 8 federal law enforcement agents under this title.

3 Violence Against Women Act

Title IV, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), allocated $1.6 B to help prevent and investigate violence against women. VAWA was renewed in 2000. This includes the Safe Streets for Women Act which increases federal penalties for repeat sex offenders and also requires mandatory restitution for the medical and legal costs of sex crimes. The Safe Homes for Women Act increases Federal grants for battered women's shelter s, creates a national domestic violence hotline, and orders that protection orders of one state must be enforced by the other states. It also added a rape shield law to the Federal rules of evidence.

4 External links

Full text of the Act

United States law Firearm laws

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