Democrats are urging President Biden to pursue an import ban on semi-automatic rifles and magazines.
A group of 60 House Democrats has penned a letter pleading with the Biden administration to end imports of semi-automatic rifles. The group is citing Bloomberg’s anti-gun group research and is arguing that this would address “public health and safety crises.”
From Guns.com:
“It is long past time to reinstate an assault weapons ban,” said Neguse this week on social media. “While we make that a reality, there is another step [Biden] can take to help save lives — by banning the importation of these weapons.”
According to figures compiled by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, of the approximately 3.3 million firearms imported into the United States in 2019, some 301,000 were rifles, of which about half were considered modern sporting rifles.
While imports of most firearms from China were ended by actions during the administrations of Presidents Bush and Clinton – and most popular models from Russia under President Obama – those decisions were largely billed as retaliatory measures for controversial policies by those countries – for example, the sanctions on Kalashnikov over Russia’s involvement in Ukraine. Trimming imports from often key overseas allies such as Austria (home to Steyr), Bulgaria (Arsenal), the Czech Republic (CZ), Germany (HK/Schmeisser), Israel (IWI), Italy (Beretta), Romania (Cugir), and Serbia (Zastava) over progressive agendas in the U.S. would be a relatively new thing.
Although many of those companies have established mature subsidiaries in America to better serve the U.S. market, making them semi-independent domestic producers in some cases, supply lines could be crippled when it comes to the import of vital components hailing from parent facilities overseas. Going further, such a move to bar “assault weapon” imports could see the supply of always-popular surplus military parts kits and magazines dry up as well.
This effort is being led by Democrat Rep Joe Neguse. Neguse was thrust into office in 2020 with the help of the Bloomberg Group and Giffords.
