Two Republicans Voted for Democrat Ban on America’s Most Popular Rifle

Rep. Chris Jacobs, R-N.Y., leaves the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Ca
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
AWR Hawkins

Reps. Chris Jacobs (R-NY) and Brian Fitzgerald (R-PA) voted with House Democrats to pass a ban on at least 45 specific AR-15 rifles Friday.

Breitbart News reported the final vote on the ban was 217 to 213.

The bill, H.R. 1808, was sponsored by Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI).

Cicilline believes stabilizing braces turn AR-pistols into an “automatic weapon.”

The Washington Post observed that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) pushed the bill by recalling the 1994-2004 “assault weapons” ban, which she claimed “saved lives.”

However, Breitbart News noted a Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ) report, issued as the federal “assault weapons” ban was about to expire in 2004; that report indicated the ban could not be credited with any reduction in crime.

The Washington Times quoted University of Pennsylvania professor Christopher Koper, author of the NIJ report: “We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation’s recent drop in gun violence. And, indeed, there has been no discernible reduction in the lethality and injuriousness of gun violence.”

The NIJ report continued, “The ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.”

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 28: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton delivers remarks during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 28, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton received the number of votes needed to secure the party's nomination. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton delivers remarks during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 28, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Hillary Clinton praised the 1994-2004 “assault weapons” ban during her 2016 presidential run, but GQ magazine countered her claims:

After every high-profile shooting, Democrats like Hillary Clinton call for a ban on “assault weapons,” the military-style rifles that have been dubbed the weapon of choice for mass shooters. There’s a problem with this popular liberal idea: banning these guns would not do much to save American lives. Only 3.6 percent of America’s gun murders are committed with any kind of rifle, according to FBI data. The majority of gun murders are committed with handguns.

GQ added, “The Democrat staffers who wrote the now-expired 1994 federal assault weapon ban knew it was a largely symbolic policy.”

Republican Reps. Chris Jacobs and Brian Fitzgerald voted for Friday’s ban, which targets at least 45 specific models of America’s most popular rifle, the AR-15.

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

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