What Makes a Gun an Assault Weapon? [View all]

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Aside from questions about whether a new assault-weapons ban can be passed (probably not), the post-Newtown push for stricter gun control has sparked debate about what an "assault weapon" even is. Some argue that it's just a scary term concocted by gun-control advocates, but according to the New York Times, the term "assault rifle" was first used to describe a weapon produced by the Nazis, and decades later it was adopted by the firearms industry to sell guns modeled after new military rifles. However, it's true that the practical definition of an assault weapon is determined by lawmakers; with the new legislation before Congress, it could change again. For those whose gun knowledge starts at James Bond movies and ends at watching roommates play Call of Duty, here's a primer.

President Obama has called on Congress to reinstate the 1994 assault-weapons ban, which expired in 2004. Last week a group of congressional Democrats, led by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Representative Carolyn McCarthy, introduced the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013.

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http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/01/what-makes-a-gun-an-assault-weapon.html

Assault Weapons Ban of 2013

Mass shootings in Newtown, Aurora, and Tucson have demonstrated all too clearly the need to regulate military-style assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines. These weapons allow a gunman to fire a large number of rounds quickly and without having to reload.
What the bill does:

The legislation bans the sale, transfer, manufacturing and importation of:

• All semiautomatic rifles that can accept a detachable magazine and have at least one military feature: pistol grip; forward grip; folding, telescoping, or detachable stock; grenade launcher or rocket launcher; barrel shroud; or threaded barrel.
  
• All semiautomatic pistols that can accept a detachable magazine and have at least one military feature: threaded barrel; second pistol grip; barrel shroud; capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip; or semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm.
  
• All semiautomatic rifles and handguns that have a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.
  
• All semiautomatic shotguns that have a folding, telescoping, or detachable stock; pistol grip; fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 5 rounds; ability to accept a detachable magazine; forward grip; grenade launcher or rocket launcher; or shotgun with a revolving cylinder.
  
• All ammunition feeding devices (magazines, strips, and drums) capable of accepting more than 10 rounds.
  
• 157 specifically-named firearms (listed at the end of this page).
  

The legislation excludes the following weapons from the bill:

• Any weapon that is lawfully possessed at the date of the bill’s enactment;
  
• Any firearm manually operated by a bolt, pump, lever or slide action;
  
• Assault weapons used by military, law enforcement, and retired law enforcement; and
  
• Antique weapons.
  

Assault Weapons Ban of 2013