Weapons semiautomatic

Pedersen Device. An invention of the US arms designer J.D. Pedersen, this was a noteworthy ordnance secret of WWI. It consisted of a receiver unit that could be locked into the receiver of a Springfield or Enfield rifle. Installed, it converted the rifle into a semiautomatic weapon that fired. 30 cal pistol-type cartridges from a 40-round box magazine. To hide its identity, the mechanism was officially listed as the US. 30 cal automatic pistol Model 1918. The system was dropped after the war Ref J. Quick, Dictionary of Weapons and Military Terms , McGraw-Hill, NY (1973), 342... 

Another big victory for gun control advocates came in 1994 with the passage of the Violent Crime Control Act, which banned the manufacture, sale, and import of a large variety of semiautomatic weapons such as the Uzi, Tec-9, and similar copycat weapons. The list of banned weapons was later expanded, but weapons manufactured or imported before the ban... 

In addition, the law banned all semiautomatic weapons that are equipped with a detachable magazine and two or more of the following bayonet lug, flash suppressor, protruding pistol grip, folding stock, or threaded muzzle. Magazines that hold more than 10 rounds are also prohibited. Weapons and magazines manufactured before September 13, 1994, however, are exempt. 

The Coalition of New Jersey Sportsmen, a group of gun clubs, as well as some gun manufacturers and dealers, sued the governor of New Jersey to overturn the state s ban on assault weapons. This law specified particular makes and models of semiautomatic weapons that could no longer be possessed, but guns that were substantially identical to the listed guns could also be banned. (This was an attempt to prevent manufacturers from simply changing model names or making minor cosmetic modifications in order to get around the ban.)... 

California adopts the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapon Act. It bans many types of semiautomatic weapons and bans sales by unlicensed dealers. 

An Outrage That Will Last The Public Has Had Its Fill of Politicians Who Won t Touch the Gun Problem. Time, vol. 153, May 10, 1999, p. 35. Argues that the Littleton shootings have led to a new resolve for gun control that can be seized by Democratic candidates. The article argues for age limits for gun ownership, registration, a ban on semiautomatic weapons, and requirements for trigger locks. 

Do the semiautomatic rifles and handguns commonly called assault weapons play a significant part in crime Do such weapons have any legitimate uses ... 

A number of laws regulate the importing of firearms. The Mutual Security Act of 1954 (P.L. No. 83-665) led to the establishment of import controls under the Office of Munitions Control of the Department of State. The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (P.L. No. 90-351) together with the Gun Control Act of 1968 banned the import of Saturday night specials and restricted imports of automatic weapons. Further restrictions on semiautomatic assault weapons were added by the Omnibus Violent Crime Control and Prevention Act of 1994 (P.L. No. 103-322). 

In 1989 the city council of Cleveland, Ohio, passed an ordinance banning assault weapons —basically, semiautomatic rifles or shotguns with high-capacity magazines. Harry W. Arnold and others appealed to the courts to overturn this law as being unconstimtional. 

The 1980s introduces deadlier weapons to America s streets, including such semiautomatic pistols as the Clock and Tec-9 and, to a lesser extent, semiautomatic ( assault ) rifles such as the AK-47. Media exposure to such weapons in drug- and gang-related violence helps to spur support for gun control in general and a ban on semiautomatic assault weapons in particular. 

In another major victory for gun control advocates. Congress passes the Assault Weapons Ban Bill, which bans 19 semiautomatic firearms described as assault weapons. ... 

M-16 rifle A fully automatic military assault rifle, similar to a machine gun. This version is generally banned for civilian use. Similar rifles configured for semiautomatic firing are subject to assault weapons regulations. 

Street Sweeper A semiautomatic 12-gauge shotgun that holds 12 rounds and can be fired quickly a devastating weapon for close combat that was banned as an assault weapon as part of the 1994 federal Assault Weapons Ban. 

TEC-9 A semiautomatic pistol that holds 36 shots and can be fired at a rate of one shot per second. It and similar pistols have been banned as assault weapons. 

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