The Democrats cannot stop themselves when it comes to gun control, and proof of it lies in the fact that various Democrats—and/or Democrat surrogates—have voiced support for nine different gun controls since Sunday.
During an October 8 appearance on CBS News’ Face the Nation, Sen. Dianne Feinstein admitted that no law would have stopped the Vegas attacker. She then went on to say “we need a law” on bump stocks and to voice support for banning all semiautomatic firearms.
She is not alone. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) ran through a plethora of gun controls he wants to secure during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, and the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times both pushed Democrats to enact even more extreme gun control.
Here are 9 gun controls Democrats and surrogates have pushed since Sunday:
- Ban on Bump Stocks – Sen. Dianne Feinstein is pushing this with her Automatic Fire Prevention Act. She admits that bump stocks are an accessory—that they do not convert semiautomatics into automatics—but she wants to ban them anyway. Her bill explicitly bans any accessory that allows an increase in rate of fire in short bursts but does “not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machine gun.”
- Ban on Trigger Cranks – Sen. Feinstein’s bill bans trigger cranks too. Like the bump stock, trigger cranks are another novelty that gun owners can use to achieve short, rapid bursts of fire. Such cranks allow a gun owner to mimic automatic fire yet do not convert a semiautomatic gun into an automatic one.
- Ban on Semiautomatic firearms – Sen. Feinstein voiced support for this ban during her appearance on Face the Nation, and the Washington Post pushed for such a ban two days later.
- Implementation of Universal Background Checks – Sen. Chris Murphy used his appearance on State of the Union to stress that a bump stock ban is only the beginning for Democrats. They plan to follow that ban with the implementation of universal background checks, which means private gun sales would require a background check just like retail sales. Democrats claim these checks would save lives, yet Sen. Murphy and others ignore the fact that the Vegas attacker purchased his guns via background checks, as did so many attackers before him. The real reason Democrats want universal background checks is because such checks require a gun registry to be enforceable. Therefore, the implementation of such checks would immediately lead to one more gun control: a gun registry.
- Ban on “Assault Weapons” – Sen. Murphy also mentioned an “assault weapons” ban, suggesting it would be next in line after background checks. The Los Angeles Times called for an “assault weapons” ban as well.
- Ban on “High Capacity” Magazines – The Los Angeles Times also called for a ban on “high capacity” magazines, describing them as one of the most dangerous aspects of “assault weapons.” The Times points to attacks like ones on Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, and the San Bernardino County Building as justifications for an “assault weapons” ban that contains a “high capacity” magazine ban. In so doing, the Times overlooks the fact that all three attacks—Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, and San Bernardino—occurred in gun-free zones. This means the attackers had no threat of armed response and could take their time, reloading as often as needed. In such scenarios magazine capacity is a moot issue.
- Opposition to Concealed Carry – Breitbart News reported that Sen. Feinstein took time to argue against concealed carry for law-abiding citizens during her Face the Nation appearance. Speaking of concealed carry she said, “I don’t believe it’s protected by the Constitution.”
- Opposition to National Reciprocity – Sen. Feinstein also voiced opposition to the national reciprocity legislation currently pending before Congress. She said, “Well, my opinion of that bill is it’s terrible. … [Do] we want every American to feel comfortable packing a concealed weapon around the country?”
- Australian-style Gun Ban – On Tuesday the Washington Post suggested it is time for such a ban.
All these gun controls come at a time when Democrats assure us they are focused on a narrow gun control bill after the Vegas attack.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.