WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar voted to pass the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022, which prohibits the sale, manufacture and possession of high-capacity magazines and semiautomatic assault weapons.

“These weapons of war have absolutely no place on our streets and this commonsense legislation will make all of our communities safer,” said Rep. Aguilar. “From Uvalde to Highland Park, to Aurora to San Bernardino, these weapons of war are used to gun down innocent civilians, including children. Banning assault weapons will save lives.”

The Assault Weapons Ban:

• Prohibits the sale, manufacture and possession of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines.
• Allows states to use federal grant funding for buyback programs.
• Requires secure storage of weapons so that they are not accessible to individuals who are prohibited from buying them.

In 1994, President Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 which included the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994. The Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired in 2004 and has not been renewed since. Eight of the ten deadliest mass shootings in recent history have involved an assault weapon that would have been banned under the previous Assault Weapons Ban. Research shows that implementation of the Assault Weapons Ban would cut down mass shootings in America by 70 percent.

Rep. Aguilar serves as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on House Administration and the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the US Capitol.

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