HB 25-02: Repeal of the Federal Assault Weapon and Automatic Weapon Ban Act (Debating)

[SevenEleven]

Amendment offered:

Firearm Safety and Regulation Act

To strengthen public safety and reduce gun violence.

Be it enacted by both houses of the Congress of Atlasia

1. All parts of the Federal Assault Weapon and Automatic Weapon Ban Act are extended indefinitely.

2. The National Safe Gun Registry and Administration (NSGRA) is hereby created as a subsidiary of the Department of Justice.

3. All currently owned or newly purchased legal firearms, including handguns, are required to be registered with the NSGRA within one year of this law's enactment.

4. Local and federal law enforcement agencies are mandated to keep up-to-date records of firearm ownership logged and shared with the NSGRA.

5. Beginning one year after this law's enactment, any firearm purchased must be submitted to and approved by the NSGRA before being released to the owner. There shall be a minimum waiting period of one calendar month from the date of purchase before the release of  an approved firearm.

6. Law enforcement agencies shall be granted access to the NSGRA on an as-needed basis.

7. Firearm owners are solely responsible for the usage and whereabouts of their personal firearms. Any missing or stolen firearms must be reported to local law enforcement and the NSGRA immediately. Negligent firearm owners may be held responsible for the criminal use of their weapons.

[SevenEleven]

Aye

[SevenEleven]

This amendment is not germane to the intents of the bill and it is inappropriate that it was ever considered. The VP should have rejected this amendment.  If this is your intent, reject this legislation and propose a new one - this is not how proper governing should be done.

The thinking is that, with the President a veto in the current form, it would be more productive to move in a direction where common ground could be found. With so many parties calling for responsible gun ownership and striking a balance, it seemed to me that moving the conversation to encourage more personal responsibility while providing additional tools to benefit the public safety would not be controversial.

If you have suggestions on what else could be done to facilitate safe and responsible gun ownership, I think we'd be happy to consider the merits of those as well.

This amendment is not germane to the intents of the bill and it is inappropriate that it was ever considered. The VP should have rejected this amendment.  If this is your intent, reject this legislation and propose a new one - this is not how proper governing should be done.

Precedent shows that this is in order, given that fhtagn hijacked a gun control bill last year to instead weaken gun laws.

I'm not trying to hijack the original bill, to clarify here. I just don't want to waste time with legislation that is clearly DOA.

[SevenEleven]

This amendment is not germane to the intents of the bill and it is inappropriate that it was ever considered. The VP should have rejected this amendment.  If this is your intent, reject this legislation and propose a new one - this is not how proper governing should be done.

The thinking is that, with the President a veto in the current form, it would be more productive to move in a direction where common ground could be found. With so many parties calling for responsible gun ownership and striking a balance, it seemed to me that moving the conversation to encourage more personal responsibility while providing additional tools to benefit the public safety would not be controversial.

If you have suggestions on what else could be done to facilitate safe and responsible gun ownership, I think we'd be happy to consider the merits of those as well.

This amendment is not germane to the intents of the bill and it is inappropriate that it was ever considered. The VP should have rejected this amendment.  If this is your intent, reject this legislation and propose a new one - this is not how proper governing should be done.

Precedent shows that this is in order, given that fhtagn hijacked a gun control bill last year to instead weaken gun laws.

I'm not trying to hijack the original bill, to clarify here. I just don't want to waste time with legislation that is clearly DOA.

Except the amendment doesn't seek to find common ground, because it extends the AWB indefinitely while also creating a gun registry.

Would you rather do an extension that sunsets in five years? I really don't think assault weapons and automatic weapons are happening right now.

I am surprised that amending a gun policy bill with a broader gun safety policy is so controversial around here and I'm not sure I understand why. The amendment is withdrawn.

[SevenEleven]

I'll motion for a final vote  The bill has no delineated positive aims and the President has indicated a lack of support. We are better off focusing on bills that can become law.

[SevenEleven]

This serves no genuine purpose. I object to the amendment.

[SevenEleven]

I object to your unnecessary amendment wasting this House's time. If the Rep. would do the bare minimum and offer some justification for his proposed changes, they may be more well-received.

No, this House does not find that assault weapons are a fundamental right. This House believes widespread assault weapons ownership is a public health hazard.

[SevenEleven]

Aye

[SevenEleven]

I object to your unnecessary amendment wasting this House's time. If the Rep. would do the bare minimum and offer some justification for his proposed changes, they may be more well-received.

No, this House does not find that assault weapons are a fundamental right. This House believes widespread assault weapons ownership is a public health hazard.

It's hardly an unnecessary amendment. It actually adds to this bill an explanatory reason for the repeal of these anti freedom and anti firearms bills. Rather than simply repeal without context. If the honorable representative is too blind to see that, I may not be able to help him with reading and comprehension classes. As this Bills sponsor it's my duty to see that it is in the best possible state before being put to a vote. Which is why I voted objected to your motion to table which you since changed to a motion for a final vote which I also objected to. Hardly wasting this House's time to do one's job by improving a bill. All Y'all have wasted more of the time of this House by doing nothing with this bill for a over a month.

Your condescension is noted and highly appreciated.

What you are proposing is a bill even less likely to be signed than what is already on the table. Wasting the House's time trying to score cheap political points is unbecoming, and if you aren't going to attempt to contribute to making this bill something that can actually become law, I'm not sure what else you are doing besides delaying the inevitable.

I also object to your use of the term "all y'all". Representative, this pandemic has been a rough time for everyone. Speaker Elcaspar got a job and became preoccupied, a problem which Ted Bessell has kindly alleviated. I'll note that Elcaspar's opponent for the Speaker seat also fell inactive, in fact, you occupy his seat, and we had another Representative resign due to inactivity. It sucks, but "sht" happens. Regardless of these bumps in the road, many of us have worked hard to keep debate and legislation flowing in this chamber. I'd suggest showing just a tad more respect for your colleagues if you want to get through to them.

[SevenEleven]

Now sees that I am the sponsor motions to table then edits his post to change it to a motion for a final vote. I don't see why doing so now, trumps my efforts to improve a bill that I am currently the Sponsor of.

Please spare the crocodile tears. I amended my post at the encouragement of the very Speaker you are addressing. I've been active in this discussion and worked to make this a bill that can actually be signed. And though my efforts were withdrawn, it was a rookie mistake on my part that I admitted and owned up to. You are not working to make this bill something that will become law and in doing so, you do a disservice to your constituents. Though no one voted you into this office, I expect the public still has reasonable expectations for you to act in good faith. Your own rookie mistakes can be excused, but only if you take responsibility for them.

I made a mistake. However, my attempt was to progress this legislation into something passable. You are not working in good faith, and I am willing to overlook that as you are a newer member. Overlooking this, I still have to overlook the personal attacks you have flung. Again, I am willing to do this. All I ask is that you make a simple attempt to work in good faith with your colleagues. Rep. Encke was someone I didn't always agree with, but I could trust he was using his best judgment. The House is a chamber of serious discussion, not personal attacks or cheap political points.

[SevenEleven]

Nay

[SevenEleven]

WE need to repeal these unconstitutional laws preventing our citizens from getting guns! I fully support the complete repeal of all laws preventing the ownership of guns and ammo.

The AWB is entirely constitutional and in the public interest. Yes generally law-abiding citizens should be able to have guns, but that does not extend to assault weapons. I am proud to have signed the AWB and therefore prevent mass shootings and save lives. Taking the idea of gun rights to the absolute extreme, as with most things, is a bad idea and is why Atlasia has much worse gun violence issues than other developed countries.

Yes, we get it. You hate guns and you hate people you don't like having rights.

I am want to stop more tragic gun violence deaths so I pragmatically figure out based on evidence the problem's causes and solutions.

A assault weapon ban wouldn't impact on gun violence unless you suggest banning all guns. 

Louis Klarevas is a research professor at Columbia University Teachers College and the author of Rampage Nation, which examines American mass shootings and efforts to prevent the killings. His research looked at mass shootings resulting in six or more deaths, which he refers to as massacres, because they are “the most dangerous and threatening to American public safety.”

He found that deaths in such high-fatality mass shootings dropped by 25 percent under the ban. Massacre deaths involving assault weapons fell by 40 percent, fatalities involving both assault weapons and high-capacity magazines fell by 54 percent. After the ban lapsed, mass shootings and related deaths surged. “We know that during the federal assault weapon ban, we saw some significant reductions in high-fatality mass shootings compared to the decade before the ban and the decade after it expired,” he said.

[SevenEleven]

Nay.

[SevenEleven]

72 hours are up.

HOUSE BILL

Repeal of the Federal Assault Weapon and Automatic Weapon Ban Act

To repeal the misguided and ineffective assault weapons ban.

Be it enacted by both houses of the Congress of Atlasia

Findings

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. The Federal government recognizes the right to keep and bear arms in the republic of Atlasia is a fundamental right and therefore the Federal Assault Weapon and Automatic Weapon Ban Act are hereby repealed.

All parts of the Federal Assault Weapon and Automatic Weapon Ban Act are hereby repealed.

Ayes:: Joseph Cao, Jessica, Muad'dib
Nays: SevenEleven, FalterinArc, Laki, Beeman, Razze
Abstaining: Gracile

By a vote of 3-5-1, the bill fails to pass.