NEW: Feinstein ignores gun stats, announces bill to ban guns

Dec. 31, 2012

By Katy Grimes

Despite a recent report by the  Federal Bureau of Investigation which found that violent crime decreased in 2011, California Sen. Diane Feinstein released a summary of her legislation to ban assault weapons.

Yet Feinstein said her goal is to introduce a bill to stop the sale, transfer, importation and manufacturing of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition feeding devises. “Military style” merely means scary looking guns.

Gun sales up, injuries down

The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which records each time someone buys a gun, showed that background checks hit a record high of 16.5 million in 2011. Gun sales have been steadily on the rise.

A recent report from the California Attorney General found that the more guns that have been sold in California, the fewer gun deaths and injuries there have been. According to the office of the Attorney General, gun dealers sold nearly 600,000 guns last year, almost double the 350,000 sold in 2002, according to figures compiled by department officials.

And gun-related injuries and deaths have gone down.

According to hospital records collected by the California Department of Public Health, the number of California hospitalizations due to gun injuries fell by nearly 4,000 a year to approximately 2,900, a drop of about 25 percent, the Sacramento Bee reported.

The attorney general’s office reported that the number of deaths from firearms fell from 3,200 a year to about 2,800, an 11 percent decline, according to California health department figures.

“Most of the drop in firearm-related injuries and deaths can be explained by a well-documented, nationwide drop in violent crime,” the Bee reported.

Despite this data, Feinstein still plans to introduce stricter gun ownership legislation.

Here is the Summary from Feinstein’s website. Read it carefully, and notice the much broader definition of “assault weapons:”

Summary of 2013 Feinstein Assault Weapons Legislation

Bans the sale, transfer, importation, or manufacturing of:

· 120 specifically-named firearms

· Certain other semiautomatic rifles, handguns, shotguns that can accept a detachable magazine and have one military characteristic.

· Semiautomatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds

Strengthens the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban and various state bans by:

· Moving from a 2-characteristic test to a 1-characteristic test

· Eliminating the easy-to-remove bayonet mounts and flash suppressors from the characteristics test

· Banning firearms with “thumbhole stocks” and “bullet buttons” to address attempts to “work around” prior bans

Bans large-capacity ammunition feeding devices capable of accepting more than 10 rounds.

Protects legitimate hunters and the rights of existing gun owners by:

· Grandfathering weapons legally possessed on the date of enactment

· Exempting over 900 specifically-named weapons used for hunting or sporting purposes and

· Exempting antique, manually-operated, and permanently disabled weapons

Requires that grandfathered weapons be registered under the National Firearms Act, to include:

o Background check of owner and any transferee;

o Type and serial number of the firearm;

o Positive identification, including photograph and fingerprint;

o Certification from local law enforcement of identity and that possession would not violate State or local law; and

o Dedicated funding for ATF to implement registration