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Biden Renews Push to Ban Assault Weapons Despite Supreme Court Rulings

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


President Joe Biden is doubling down on previous pledges to ban so-called “assault weapons” as his administration continues to move against the Second Amendment.

In remarks at the White House this week, Biden drew some applause from a small audience as he reiterated his desire to ban the most popular firearms in the country — and despite the fact that the vast majority of gun crimes and murders are committed with handguns, according to decades’ worth of federal data.

“We’re gonna ban assault weapons. We banned it once, we’re gonna do it again, and the number of bullets that can be in a clip,” he said, using the popular vernacular for ammunition magazine.

The vow comes on the heels of federal court rulings that have not only strengthened the Second Amendment’s individual right to “keep and bear” firearms, but that have pushed back against bans of the popular semi-automatic rifles.

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In August, a federal judge handed Second Amendment advocates a major victory in Colorado regarding the weapons.

The Reload, a website tracking gun-related issues, reported the federal court action, adding that it was the second in as many months barring enforcement of a ban on certain types of semi-automatic rifles.

Interestingly, the federal judge who blocked the so-called “assault weapons” ban, was appointed by President Joe Biden.

U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney implemented a temporary restraint against Boulder County, stopping enforcement of the jurisdictional ban on the manufacture and sale of such weapons which includes the most popular of all models, the AR-15, as well as ammunition magazines that can hold 10 or more rounds, the website reported.

“On this admittedly limited record and with a liberal analysis of this factor, the Court finds that Plaintiffs establish a substantial likelihood of success on the merits,” Sweeney wrote, referencing the recent U.S. Supreme Court in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen ruling as the basis for her decision.

Sweeney’s order was handed down the same day that RMGO and the Colorado cities of Boulder, Superior, and Louisville, as well as Boulder County, came to an agreement to stop enforcing the bans and instead consolidate their cases.

“Further, counsel for Louisville, the City of Boulder, and Boulder County have represented that, in the event that consolidation is granted, they will agree to stay enforcement of their respective assault weapon and LCM bans pending resolution of the preliminary injunction motions, thereby negating both the need for any additional briefing on the TRO motions and for any additional judicial resources to be spent on that issue,” the joint motion said.

But that hasn’t stopped the Biden administration and Democrats from doubling and tripling down on efforts to ban the rifles.

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In July, the then-Democrat-controlled House passed an assault weapons ban with the help of two Republicans.

“When I signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – the first significant piece of gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years – I said that there was still work to be done to keep our communities safe and keep dangerous firearms out of dangerous hands,” Biden said at the time.

“When guns are the number one killer of children in America, when more children die from guns than active-duty police and active-duty military combined, we have to act. Today, House Democrats acted by unifying to pass an assault weapons ban to keep weapons of war off our streets, save lives in this country, and reduce crime in our communities,” the president added.

“The majority of the American people agree with this common sense action. The Senate should move quickly to get this bill to my desk, and I will not stop fighting until it does. There can be no greater responsibility than to do all we can to ensure the safety of our families, our children, our homes, our communities, and our nation,” he said.

The bill did not make it through the then-evenly-divided Senate.

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