Assault rifle Coverage

JAMELLE BOUIE: America's rifle fetish is destroying its sense of freedom

Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023 -- "(The AR-15) is an icon. It's a symbol of freedom." That is how gun manufacturers have promoted the rifle -- not as a tool for hobbyists and sportsmen but as a lifestyle accessory that stands for freedom, individualism and masculine self-sufficiency.

Jamelle Bouie, New York Times

Fact check: Tillis says bill would impose 1,000% tax on 'most firearms'

Democrats proposed "a 1000% gun tax on most firearms," according to an email from the Thom Tillis Committee.

Paul Specht, PolitiFact reporter

Teenager faces firearm charges for carrying a rifle near Northern High School

A juvenile faces firearm possession charges Wednesday afternoon.

Nashville police ID school shooting suspect

The woman who shot six people at a Nashville private school on Monday was 28. Police are investigating the connection between her and Covenant School.

Biden calls for assault weapons ban after school shooting in Tennessee

President Biden comments on the latest school shooting, this one in Nashville where six people were killed by a female shooter.

DRAUGHON DRAWS: Somewhere over the rainbow?

Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022 -- Capitol Broadcasting Company's editorial cartoonist.

Fact check: Are age restrictions on assault rifle purchases 'unconstitutional?'

Uvalde community members have called on officials to raise the minimum age from 18 to 21 to purchase semi-automatic rifles. While campaigning for re-election on Aug. 31, Gov. Greg Abbott said the law they're seeking "has already been ruled to be unconstitutional."

Nusaiba Mizan, PolitiFact reporter

Biden: Assault weapons need to be banned

President Biden reiterated his committment to ban assault-type weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Editorial: Deal to curb gun violence is barely token effort. Much more needed now

Tuesday, June 14, 2022 -- It would be generous to describe as even incremental progress, the bipartisan response to the recent spate of mass shootings - including the assault-style rifle enabled slaughter of 21 at the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas and before that 10 dead at a Buffalo, N.Y. grocery store. They don't even make modest progress toward stopping access to automatic-style weapons.

Editorial: Biden's modest proposal protects lives and gun rights

Sunday, June 5, 2022 -- It is not complicated. "It's about protecting children. It's about protecting families. It's about protecting whole communities. It's about protecting our freedoms to go to school, to a grocery store, and to a church without being shot and killed." It is a simple agenda. It is supported by an overwhelming majority of the nation's voters.

Fact check: Biden says mass shooting deaths 'tripled' after assault weapons ban ended

President Joe Biden said that, after passage of the assault weapons ban in 1994, "mass shootings went down." And when the law expired in 2004, Biden said "mass shootings tripled." PolitiFact checks his claim.

Jon Greenberg, PolitiFact reporter

Editorial: Protect life. Pass the assault weapons ban and better background checks

Thursday, May 26, 2022 -- This is not about the 2nd Amendment. This is about responsibility. Assault weapons more appropriate for war zones than suburban neighborhoods. Does every front yard need a Howitzer beside the lawn gnome? Should a military-style assault weapon be as easy to buy as an RC cola and a pack of Nabs? No. Most voters support banning assault-style weapons - including most Republicans.

Editorial: DO SOMETHING! Now is the time. Pass common sense bills

Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019 -- The General Assembly can REALLY "do something" by passing two important bills that mark significant steps toward addressing serious concerns emerging from the weekend shootings. The bills -- House Bills 86 and 454 -- are real solutions, not fads or hunches. They are already working in other states.

Florida may vote on assault weapons ban

Giving voters in Florida a say on banning assault weapons may be on the horizon. Organizers point to several mass shootings, including Parkland and Pulse Nightclub. Now they are raising money to try and get a proposed amendment on the 2020 ballot.

2015 Congressional Research Service report on mass shootings

The Congressional Research Service issued a report in 2015 that defined a mass shooting as one in which four or more people were killed.

Presbyterian Church USA takes stand on political issues

A denomination not known for controversy is taking stances on issues such as assault weapons, universal health care and President Donald Trump's border wall.

Couples take AR-15s to church ceremony

World Peace and Unification Sanctuary in Pennsylvania believes the AR-15 symbolizes the "rod of iron" in the biblical book of Revelation, and it encouraged couples to bring the weapons to Wednesday's ceremony.