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Amanda Butterfield reporting The Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired today. The ban was originally signed into law by former President Clinton, outlawing 19 types of military-style assault weapons with certain kinds of stocks, flash suppressors, and magazines that hold more bullets.
Now that the ban has expired, it's back to square one for lawmakers in favor of making military assault weapons illegal. Gun rights advocates say the ban was ineffective in first place.
Now, the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah is working to bring it the ban back.
For over a year, the organization has been gathering signatures from local law enforcement in support of continuing the ban. They've also been working with other groups across the country to get signatures. A total of 1900 law enforcement officers have signed it.
The ban outlawed weapons like the AK-47, TEC-9, and UZI, and was written to expire after a decade if Congress didn't renew it.
Marla Kennedy with the Gun Violence Prevention Center says now assault weapons will be back on the streets, and our law enforcement in danger.
Marla Kennedy/Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah: " I don't suit up every morning, for terrible pay, they do and I’d like to do everything i can to protect them."
But not all are upset the ban expired.
The National Rifle Association criticized it as worthless, saying similar guns to those banned are legal, and fully automatic weapons are already outlawed under a separate law.
Studies done by the Justice Department, as well as pro and anti-gun groups show conflicting reports on whether the ban helped reduce crime, or not.
