Quigley Statement on the Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2018

WASHINGTON –U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (IL-05), who serves as a Member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, released the following statement on the introduction of the Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2018. Rep. Quigley is an original cosponsor.

"Since Republicans allowed the assault weapons ban to lapse in 2004, the number of mass shootings has increased 183 percent and the number of deaths in such attacks rose 239 percent," said Rep. Quigley. "Unfortunately, those sobering statistics are no coincidence. As Members of Congress, we have a duty to protect our constituents from harm. If we are serious about protecting our schools, concert venues, movie theatres, city streets, and beyond, we must advance common-sense policies that remove military-style assault weapons from the hands of dangerous individuals that want to inflict pain and fear into our society."

The Assault Weapons Ban of 2018 will prohibit the sale, transfer, production, and importation of:

• Semi-automatic rifles and pistols with a military-style feature that can accept a detachable magazine;
• Semi-automatic rifles with a fixed magazine that can hold more than 10 rounds;
• Semi-automatic shotguns with a military-style feature;
• Any ammunition feeding device that can hold more than 10 rounds;
• And 205 specifically-named and listed firearms.

When an assault weapon or a high-capacity magazine is used in a shooting, studies have shown that the number of victims who are killed increases by 63%. There have been almost 8,300 incidents of gun violence so far in 2018. More than 2,200 Americans have lost their lives. More than 500 children have been killed or injured.

Last week, Rep. Quigley sent a letter to Speaker Ryan urging him to allow debate and a vote on legislation to finally repeal the Dickey Amendment and provide adequate funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct research about gun violence. In November, Rep. Quigley re-introduced a bipartisan bill that would alert state and local law enforcement when criminals break the law attempting to acquire a gun. By strengthening partnerships between law enforcement officials at every level, the bill would create an additional layer of protection to ensure weapons stay out of the hands of the wrong people. Rep. Quigley also recently introduced new legislation that would require the Department of Justice to study the correlation between domestic violence and mass shootings.