Not to be outdone on gun control in the 2020 Democratic primary field, Robert “Beto” O’Rourke put out a long list of policy proposals on Friday morning that includes a reinstatement of the 1994 ban on “assault weapons,” a mandatory gun buyback program, and a national gun registry.
“Since the assault weapons ban expired in 2004, mass shootings have skyrocketed and become deadlier,” a campaign statement said. “Beto will work with Congress to ban the manufacturing, sale, and possession of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”
The 1994 “assault weapons” ban was primarily focused on guns’ cosmetic features and didn’t do much to deter gun crime at all. As the 10-year ban came to a close in 2004, University of Pennsylvania researchers said, “We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation’s recent drop in gun violence.”
In fact, a Washington Post fact check recently gave former President Bill Clinton “Two Pinocchios” for saying that the 1994 ban led to “a big drop in mass shooting deaths.” – READ MORE