“Assault weapons bans do nothing more than offer a false sense of safety.”

The federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004, and there are constant calls to reinstate it. This is a bad idea. These bans, often emotionally appealing, offer little more than a false sense of security.

UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh, a leading scholar on the Second Amendment, argues that these laws are essentially symbolic. He likens them to fighting drunk driving by banning whiskey — an emotional gesture that leaves the fundamental problem untouched.

The core issue lies in the definition. The term’ Assault weapons’ is broad and misleading. It does not refer to machine guns, which are fully automatic and have been tightly regulated for decades. Instead, it applies to certain semi-automatic firearms, which fire one round per trigger pull.

The overwhelming majority of firearms owned by Americans are semi-automatic, making the category so broad that describing a gun as ‘semi-automatic’ is about as meaningful as calling a car a ‘gasoline car.’

The 1994 federal ban defined assault weapons by cosmetic features, such as folding stocks, pistol grips, and bayonet mounts, which primarily affect appearance rather than function.  These features may make a firearm look “scary”, but do not make it more lethal. 

Millions of other semi-automatic handguns and rifles without those features remain just as effective, and just as available.

 Even in Connecticut, where an assault weapons ban is in force, the rifle used in the Sandy Hook massacre was not legally considered an “assault weapon.”

 Volokh emphasizes that such bans are unlikely to reduce crime or mass shootings, since criminals can simply use other firearms with identical capabilities.

Assault weapons bans accomplish little more than giving politicians headlines and voters the illusion of safety. They are ineffective in reducing crime.  Public safety demands serious, evidence-based solutions, not cosmetic laws that confuse appearance with reality. 

Symbolism may soothe fears, but it will not save lives.