Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act

(see also Assault weapons ban (USA))

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (1994) is a piece of legislation, passed by the US Congress, which banned the manufacture of 19 of what are commonly misunderstood to be military assault rifles. This is actually incorrect. Military assault rifles were already regulated heavily by the National Firearms Act of 1934, which regulated, among other things, customization of firearms and weapons capable of fully automatic firing. The rifles covered by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 were regulated based on features that are solely cosmetic.

It is illegal after 1994 to manufacture any semiautomatic rifle that is capable of accepting a detachable magazine with capacity greater than ten rounds, AND which has two or more of the following features:

A folding or telescoping stock
A pistol grip
A flash suppressor
A grenade launcher
A bayonet lug

Full text of the Act can be found at " class="external">http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/laws/majorlaw/h3355_en.htm

The National Rifle Association argues that this violates the Constitution's 2nd Amendment. In addition, the act discussed hate crimes motivated by gender or against those with disabilities.

It should be noted that these features are purely cosmetic; none increase the lethality of a weapon (grenades, being explosives, are already heavily regulated and restricted, and any long gun with a folding/telescoping stock still must have a minimum length of 26 inches). An AR-15, which is an "assault weapon," functions identically to any .223 hunting rifle.

Title IV

Subsection Title IV, known as the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), allocated $11.6B to help prevent and investigate violence against women. VAWA was renewed in 2000. This includes the Safe Streets for Women Act which increases federal penalties for repeat sex offenders and also requires mandatory restitution for the medical and legal costs of sex crimes. The Safe Homes for Women Act increases Federal grants for battered women's shelters, creates a national domestic violence hotline, and orders that protection orders of one state must be enforced by the other states.