Background

In 1994, the enemies of liberty stole a huge chunk from the few gun rights liberty-minded Americans were still able to exercise. Then-President Bill Clinton signed the "Crime Bill" on September 13, 1994. Public Law 103-322 was created. Thanks to an amendment by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the misuse of the term "assault weapon" was codified into federal law in conjunction with mere semi-automatic rifles. Hundreds of firearms were banned from importation, as were magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds. 

Exempt from the ban: "the United States or a department or agency of the United States or a State or a department, agency, or political subdivision of a State." In other words: government employees who are authorized to use machineguns to enforce the ban.

At the enactment of the federal law, the thieves couldn't get all they wanted. They had to agree to restore what they stole -- the law was written so it would "sunset" 10 years after enactment. That time is upon us. The ban is due to sunset in September of 2004, just before the Presidential election. We aim to make sure they give back what they took by preventing reauthorization of the semi-auto firearm and magazine ban. 

To assure that our stolen rights are restored, we have formed a nationwide coalition -- an army of grassroots, no-compromise gun rights groups. Our first order of business is to reclaim what was ripped from us in 1994. Once we succeed, we will turn our collective attention to what was stolen from us in 1986, 1968 and 1934. We aim to reclaim our God given rights.

Who We Are

Coalition Against the Semi-Auto Ban is a project of the National Association for Gun Rights, a group of no-compromise firearms rights organizations representing gun owners from every state in the union. We invite every uncompromising gun rights group in the nation to join us.

What is the Coalition Against the Semi-auto Ban? 

We are an affiliation of groups in agreement that the battle against reauthorization of the federal so-called "Assault Weapons" ban is likely the most important battle facing gun owners in this new millennium. The result of the fight to sunset the gun ban could set the tone for the next decade, if not century, and we intend to win it. 

We are putting every politician on notice: Vote for reauthorization, and you lose gun owners' votes forever. This vote is, indeed, the line in the sand.

Our Mission

To defeat the reauthorization of the unconstitutional "assault weapons ban" in Congress.

No political career is more important than the rights for which our forefathers fought and died. We will win, and we will remember those who vote against us -- and repay them in kind.

Why We Will Win 

Put simply, we refuse to cut deals, and we refuse to bargain for "the lesser of two evils." Any attempt to compromise on this issue will be dealt with quickly and publicly.

There will be "gun groups" who will not join with us, and some who will actively work to cut a compromise on this issue. Any "gun rights group" who supports a federal gun ban is not our friend, and not your friend.

We urge our members and sympathizers to use this issue as the litmus test by which gun rights organizations must be measured. 

Those who remain silent will have publicly aligned themselves with the politicians who are committed to attacking your rights. Silence in the face of a gun ban is akin to support for the gun ban -- and supporting a gun ban violates the Bill of Rights. 

If you are the leader of a gun rights group, we invite you to join us. 

If you are a member of an organization, look at our list of affiliated organization to determine if your local group is on board. If they're not, let them know that this issue is very important to you.

What do we consider the best way to defeat this ban? 

Only one method will work: politicians must know that their votes are being monitored, and that they will be held accountable for the way they vote to restore your rights.

What You Can Do

First, donate ONLY to the groups who are actively working for the defeat of this legislation. 

Next, stay in touch with us by sending us your e-mail address and contacting your state group if they are part of this coalition. Go to each affiliated organization's website and get on our respective lists. 

Take action when requested to do so.

And spread the word. 

We'll update you any time something happens on this issue and suggest a course of action.

Consider

Within the next 18 months, members of Congress will be forced to stand either with the gun grabbers or with the side of freedom. This vote won't be easy, and it will be remembered, as it will seek to reauthorize a ban on hundreds of thousands of firearms. Firearms won our freedom at our country's inception -- they symbolize the very freedom we now claim to defend in foreign lands. 

That ban, termed the "Assault Weapons" ban by its authors Bill Clinton and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, was wedged within an all-encompassing 1994 Crime Bill, feeding the ludicrous notion that banning semi-automatic firearms would reduce crime. Ten years later, the gun-grabbers haven't produced any evidence that this ban reduced crime -- but the criminal actions of a few are no reason to ban the rights of many anyway.

Should Congress fail to reauthorize, it will return dozens of types of firearms to the hands of millions of law-abiding Americans. 

We opposed the original "Assault Weapons" ban -- and its proposed expansion in both scope and definition -- for the following reasons:

1. First and foremost, our Constitution protects the right to own firearms that are used to defend liberty. Banning arms clearly violates the Second Amendment and most, if not all, state constitutions. 

2. "Homeland Defense" is only a shallow phrase when citizens are not allowed the tools for that defense. These firearms are, by the definitions of our forefathers, homeland defense weapons. 

3. So-called "assault weapons" are rarely used in crimes anyway. While "crime" is not a justification for undoing a basic right, even the very premise of this federal gun ban is severely flawed. 

4. Specifying a type of weapon for a ban is a tactic that leads to banning every weapon: it slowly whittles away at the opposition, until private ownership of firearms is but a memory.

Use the navigation system at the upper left side of this page to dig deeper into our activities. And tell all your friends and allies to get involved.