Democrat Jon Ossoff Wants Licenses for All Semiautomatic Rifles, Handguns

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 10: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff speaks at a campaig
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty

Senate candidate Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is campaigning on an outright ban on the sale of semiautomatic rifles and a licensing requirement for all semiautomatic firearms already in private hands, whether those firearms are rifles or handguns.

Breitbart News reported Ossoff’s proposed ban on the sale of semiautomatic rifles, citing his campaign website, where he says, “I support a ban on the sale of semi-automatic rifles (“assault weapons”) and high-capacity magazines to the general public.”

During an MSNBC interview Ossoff expounded on his views, citing his support for a license requirement in instances where a semiautomatic firearm–rifle or handgun–is already privately owned. He said, “For semiautomatic weapons, whether they are rifles or handguns, we need strict licensing requirements.”

He reiterated his support for universal background checks during the MSNBC interview as well. Such checks criminalize private gun sales, making it a crime for a neighbor to sell a five-shot revolver to a lifelong neighbor without first going before a licensed government agent to get a background check performed.

But the checks do nothing to prevent street criminals and gang members from selling guns to other criminals and gang members in the streets and alleys of American cities.

The Democrat push for universal background checks gives the impression that securing them is key Americans’ safety.

For example, following the October 1, 2017, firearm-based Las Vegas attack, gun control Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) pushed universal background checks, referring to them as the “North Star” of the Democrats’ gun control plan.

Ironically, he did this even though universal background checks would not have prevented the Las Vegas attack, as the attacker acquired his guns via background checks.

And the Las Vegas attacker is not alone. Nearly every high-profile mass shooter of recent memory acquired his gun(s) via a background check.

Those shooters include:

  • Virginia Beach attacker (May 31, 2019)
  • Poway Synagogue attacker (April 27, 2019)
  • Tree of Life Synagogue  attacker (October 27, 2018
  • Parkland high school attacker (February 14, 2018)
  • Texas church attacker (November 5, 2017)
  • Las Vegas attacker (October 1, 2017)
  • the Alexandria attacker (June 14, 2017))
  • Orlando Pulse attacker (June 12, 2016)
  • the UCLA gunman (June 1, 2016))
  • the San Bernardino attackers (December 2, 2015)
  • the Colorado Springs attacker (October 31, 2015)
  • the Umpqua Community College attacker (October 1, 2015)
  • Alison Parker’s attacker (August 26, 2015)
  • the Lafayette movie theater attacker (July 23, 2015)
  • the Chattanooga attacker (July 16, 2015)
  • the alleged Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal attacker (Jun 17, 2015)
  • the Muhammad Carton Contest attackers (May 3, 2014)
  • the Las Vegas cop killers (June 9, 2015)
  • the Santa Barbara attacker (May 23, 2014)
  • the Fort Hood attacker (April 2, 2014)
  • the Arapahoe High School attacker (December 13, 2013)
  • the D.C. Navy Yard attacker (September 16, 2013)
  • the Aurora movie theater attacker (July 20, 2012)
  • Gabby Giffords’ attacker (January 8, 2011)
  • the Fort Hood attacker (November 5, 2009)
  • the Virginia Tech attacker (April 16, 2007), and many others.

Ossoff is headed for a January 5, 2021, run-off election against pro-Second Amendment Sen. David Perdue (R-GA).

If he wins, Perdue’s pro-gun voice will be replaced by a Democrat gun controller who wants to ban semiautomatic rifle sales, license semiautomatic rifles and handguns already in private possession, and put in place an expansion of background checks that will shackle the law-abiding, while doing little to prevent mass public attacks.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkinsa weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.

 

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