Feinstein Leads Charge on New ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban

U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Five months short of her 90^th birthday in June, and still keeping mum about whether she will run again in 2024, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has launched another effort to ban so-called “assault weapons,” and she’s got a lot of company as 35 fellow Democrats have signed on.

The list includes all the usual suspects, including perennial anti-gunners Charles Schumer, Cory Booker, Chris Murphy, Richard Blumenthal, Dick Durbin, Ron Wyden, Patty Murray and 29 others. Dubbed the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2023,” the measure describes itself as “A bill to regulate assault weapons, to ensure that the right to keep and bear arms is not unlimited, and for other purposes.” Blumenthal and Murphy are leading co-sponsors.

The bill spans 126 pages, of which almost 100 pages is a list of guns that are exempted (i.e. “Feinstein approved”) and eight more pages listing guns that will be banned. Buried in the language are mandates for so-called “safe storage” and “identification markings.” Another section deals with the “Seizure and forfeiture of large capacity ammunition feeding devices.”

In terms of gun control legislation, this bill is vintage Feinstein, who has wanted to ban modern semiautomatic rifles for decades. A statement from her office reminds readers she was the original sponsor of the Clinton-era semi-auto ban, which was in place from 1994 through 2004. Its passage cost Democrats the majority on Capitol Hill in November 1994.

Feinstein’s bill also bans ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 10 cartridges and provides grant money for “buy-back” programs, a misnomer since the government never owned these guns in the first place.

In a prepared statement, President Joe Biden talked pure boilerplate, claiming the ban must be passed “to do all we can to ensure the safety of our children, our communities, and our nation.”

It would be fair to ask whether this legislation is Feinstein’s “swan song” in anticipation of an announcement later this year she is retiring, since would-be successors—including California Rep. Adam Schiff, whose welcome has worn out on the House Intelligence Committee—are already lining up to replace her.

According to the press release from her office, Feinstein, Blumenthal and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) are co-sponsoring the gun ban bill and a companion measure, the “Age 21 Act,” which raises the minimum age to purchase “assault weapons” from 18 to 21.

Feinstein’s release said Democrat Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island is introducing companion legislation in the House, where it will likely gather dust thanks to the Republican majority. Feinstein’s bill may pass the Senate, but the House GOP majority under Speaker Kevin McCarthy will likely prevent it from coming to a vote.

Sen. Feinstein’s announcement says at least three times in the text that people who already own such firearms may keep them while also noting, “Requires a background check on any future sale, trade or gifting of an assault weapon covered by the bill.”

CNN is reporting that Feinstein has filed reelection paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission, while remaining mum about her plans. If she runs for a sixth term and wins, she would be one of the oldest members filling a Senate seat, but there are concerns about her fitness to do the job.

Waiting in the wings is Schiff, who would come into the race with considerable baggage relating to his efforts to impeach President Donald Trump. According to the Los Angeles Times, Schiff is not alone in his quest for a Senate seat.

Also running is Rep. Katie Porter of Orange County, and possibly Rep. Barbara Lee, a liberal Oakland Democrat whom the Times is reporting “has told colleagues she also will launch a bid.”

While she is pushing for a gun ban, Feinstein will be deciding her own future. She has indicated she will make a decision about running by spring.

Meanwhile, the “Age 21 Act” covers 22 pages and includes a list of firearms stretching more than eight pages.

Co-sponsors on this legislation also include anti-gunners: Durbin, Murphy, Wyden, Booker, Blumenthal, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren and several others.

There is no small irony in an effort to raise the age for buying a semiautomatic rifle at the same time Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) has reintroduced legislation to lower the voting age to 16 years. A news release from her office dated Jan. 26 says she “seeks to replace the 26th amendment of the U.S. Constitution with a new amendment that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote.”

If someone is considered mature enough to vote, why are they not mature enough to buy a firearm?

About Dave Workman

Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.