NRA calls Chuck Schumer's latest gun bill 'attack' on Constitution

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Sen. Kennedy quizzes Mayorkas on assault weapons ban

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., quizzes DHS Secretary Mayorkas on his backing of an assault weapons ban. CREDIT: C-SPAN

FIRST ON FOX: The National Rifle Association (NRA) slammed New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer for reintroducing a ban on so-called "assault weapons" that the NRA says is another attempt by Democrats to "destroy our self-defense and Second Amendment rights."

"Sen. Chuck Schumer launched a failed attack on the Constitution itself, targeting firearms legally owned and used by millions of Americans. This is yet another attempt by gun control extremists to erode and eventually destroy our self-defense and Second Amendment rights," NRA-ILA Executive Director Randy Kozuch told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. 

Schumer said earlier this week on X that he would bring forth legislation to the floor for a vote to bring back a ban on semi-automatic firearms that was last in effect almost 20 years ago. 

"This week, I will put the Assault Weapons Ban on the Senate floor," Schumer said in the post. "After I led the passage of the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban 30 years ago, America saw a decrease in mass shootings and gun deaths."

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

"We must stand with the American people and against the gun lobby," he added. 

Schumer took the Senate floor Wednesday morning and said he is introducing an "assault weapons ban, among other gun safety legislation" and called on his colleagues to join him to end the "scourge of gun violence in America." He asked the Senate for ​​unanimous consent for the legislation, which is a procedure that would allow the bill to pass without a formal vote. Some Republicans have already rejected the legislation. 

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Wayne LaPierre, CEO and executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, speaks at an event. (NRA )

Republican Wyoming Sen. John Barraso took the Senate floor to block Schumer’s attempt "to infringe on your Second Amendment rights."

"Almost every single page of the bill that's in front of us today adds new restrictions and new burdens on people who follow the law. It tells you what you can buy, what you can't buy. It bans more than 205 rifles, shotguns, and pistols by name. Republicans reject these unjustified and unconstitutional restrictions," Barasso said. 

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"Democrats' bumper sticker solution to ban guns is not about safety. It's about restricting lawful gun ownership," he added. 

The NRA’s Kozuch spotlighted Barasso and thanked him for speaking out against Schumer’s efforts. 

"NRA’s millions of members are grateful to Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming for courageously standing on principle and championing the rights of law abiding Americans and stopping Schumer's egregious onslaught on the rights of responsible gun owners," Kozuch added. 

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) speaks during a news conference following the weekly Republican Senate policy luncheon meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on Sept. 19, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Democrats have repeatedly stated their intentions to ban so-called "assault weapons," including President Biden.  

"​​I’ll say it again. I’m not going to be quiet until we get it done: It’s time again to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines," Biden said in the Rose Garden on Sept. 22. 

Democrats, including Biden when he served as a Delaware senator, voted to ban semi-automatic firearms in 1994 as part of a major crime bill, while the Democrat-majority House at the time passed the ban as a standalone bill. The bill ultimately was incorporated into the sweeping anti-crime package and required exceptions in order to pass, including a sunset provision. 

The bill was passed by Congress and signed into law by then-President Clinton in September of that year. It enacted a 10-year ban on the manufacture, transfer or possession of "semiautomatic assault weapons" and "large capacity ammunition feeding devices."

Semi-automatic guns are displayed for sale at a gun shop. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

Democrats suffered historical losses the next election season, ceding control of both chambers of Congress to Republicans. The law expired in 2004, when George W. Bush was president and Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress. 

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A Department of Justice study published in 1999 examined the short-term effects of the ban and found it "failed to reduce the average number of victims per gun murder incident or multiple gunshot wound victims." Another DOJ study published in 2004 determined the ban’s "effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement."