Assault Weapon Ban

The issues around assault weapons really became a primary focus after the mass shooting in Stockton, California. In January 17, 1989 a man named Patrick Purdy armed with an AK-47 assault type weapon, walked onto a school yard and start shooting. He fired over 100 rounds in less than three minutes. He killed five children, wounded thirty others, and then turned the gun on himself and killed himself. This even shocked so many Americans and put the United States in a state of frenzy. This event helped turn the focus more towards stronger gun laws and banning assault weapons. Because of these efforts in September 13, 1994 Congress passed the Assault Weapon Ban.
The Assault Weapon Ban on 1994 seemed to be effective until one of the deadliest high school shootings happened. On April 20, 1999 teenagers Eric Harris and Dylan Kiehold shot up Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Harris and Kiehold had been conspiring together on this plan for over a year. They were not only armed with assault weapons, but also had knives, bombs, and extra ammunition. There initial plan of placing duffle bags with bombs in the cafeteria to go off at 11:17 AM which was a primetime that the shooters had carefully planned so they could kill about 500 students went awry. Something happened to the bombs and the timers did not go off. Harris and Kiehold were set on going through with this shooting so they walked into the cafeteria and started shooting. The killed thirteen people and wounded twenty-one others. They killed themselves after the massacre. The Columbine Massacre changed the way society looked at children, at schools, and the use of guns. This event scared the public a lot and due to the incident happened while the Assault Weapons Ban was sti...

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...h the aim to repeal the expiration date of the Assault Weapon Ban and to expand on the provisions of the ban. Policies have been planned and introduced to create change to stop crime that arises due to assault weapons. The Political stream can be understood by looking at the multiple gun related advocacy groups are working diligently toward the reinstatement of the Assault Weapon Ban. Advocacy groups and interest groups are working with legislation and convincing officials to pass the new reform. The window of opportunity presented itself in the heartbreaking disguise of the Sandy Brook Elementary shooting massacre. In the days and weeks after the heart wrenching event was ironically the best time for all three stages to come together with the help of the policy entrepreneurs and got the legislation on the agenda that was introduced to both the House and the Senate.