Schiff takes up legislative torch of his predecessor, California’s longtime Senator Dianne Feinstein, who spearheaded the last successful Assault Weapons Ban in 1994 and the subsequent fight for its renewal
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is leading Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) in the bicameral reintroduction of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025, legislation to revive a nationwide ban on assault weapons two decades after the original ban expired. The bill would ban the sale, transfer, manufacture, and import of military-style assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and other high-capacity ammunition feeding devices.
Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-Ga.-06) is leading the bill’s reintroduction in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Senator Schiff takes up the legislation previously championed by his predecessor in the Senate, the late Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who authored the 1994 ban that passed a bipartisan Congress, and later pushed to revive the ban after it expired in 2004 for the remainder of her tenure.
“Thirty-one years ago, after the Stockton schoolyard shooting in California, Senator Feinstein successfully led bipartisan legislation to ban military-style assault weapons. Over the next ten years, and until the measure expired, the assault weapons ban was a vital tool in the struggle to reduce gun violence and mass shootings. It saved lives. Today, I’m honored to carry on the legacy of Dianne Feinstein, and work to ban these weapons that have led to the most terrible mass casualty events in our communities. The time to act on this life-saving legislation is now — not tomorrow, not next week, and not when the next tragedy strikes,” said Senator Schiff.
“Assault weapons are made to murder and maim. These weapons of war do not belong on our streets, in our classrooms, or in our spaces of worship,” McBath said. “Since the death of my son, I have dedicated my life to preventing more families from feeling the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. No one should fear for their child’s safety when they head off to school or the mall. Banning assault weapons is a proven way to prevent horrific massacres from devastating our country. I thank Senator Schiff and my House colleagues for their support of this important bill.”
“Assault weapons are designed for one thing: to kill as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. These are weapons of war that have no place in our communities, and it’s long past time we treated them that way. A majority of Americans support an assault weapons ban, and it’s time for Republicans to get on board and pass this bill before more lives are lost,” said Senator Murphy.
“Assault weapons have only one practical purpose – to slaughter human beings. These military-style combat weapons are designed to maximize death and destruction. No self-respecting hunter uses one. Assault weapons have brought bloodshed and carnage to our streets and our schools. Guns don’t respect state boundaries, which is why we need a national solution to restricting the ownership and use of the mass shooter’s weapon of choice,” said Senator Blumenthal.
“California has shown that an assault weapons ban is a commonsense safeguard that saves lives, and it’s long overdue for Congress to follow suit,” said Senator Padilla. “Military-grade assault weapons have no place in our communities — not in schools, not in places of worship, and not anywhere outside the battlefield. Americans are tired of excuses and empty talking points from the far-right and the gun lobby. We need action to end the gun violence epidemic, and we need it now.”
Background:
While the 1994 ban was in place, the United States saw gun massacres decline by 37% and mass shooting fatalities were 70% less likely. When the ban expired, deaths in a gun massacre rose 239%. A ban on assault-style weapons is not only commonsense legislation, it’s widely supported by Americans, and Congress has failed to keep up with the American people on this issue.
Schiff has been a long-standing champion of commonsense gun legislation while a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In February, Schiff joined Senator Padilla for the introduction of the Age 21 Act in the 119th Congress.
The bill is co-sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai’i), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
The bill has been endorsed by Brady: United Against Gun Violence, GIFFORDS, Newtown Action Alliance, Everytown for Gun Safety, March for Our Lives, Sandy Hook Promise, and the National Parent Teacher Association.
Full text of the bill is available here.
See quotes of support for the Assault Weapons Ban below:
“From Sandy Hook, to Buffalo, to Uvalde, to Las Vegas, assault weapons have been used repeatedly to inflict the most violence in the shortest time possible. These weapons of war have no place on our streets or in our communities; the easy availability of such firearms creates opportunities for radicalized individuals to inflict mass damage on the public. Congress must say that enough is enough and reinstate the assault weapons ban. Brady thanks Senator Schiff and Representative McBath for reintroducing the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025 and for their continued dedication to freeing America from gun violence,” said Mark Collins, Director of Federal Policy, Brady.
“There is a reason mass shooters choose assault weapons — they can cause an enormous amount of damage and violence in a short period of time. It’s time that Congress take action to manage these firearms and keep them out of dangerous hands. GIFFORDS applauds Senator Schiff and Representative McBath for their leadership in introducing this legislation,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown.
“As we’ve learned from too many mass shootings, when our streets are flooded with weapons of war, those same streets will become war zones,”said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “We applaud Senator Schiff for introducing legislation to keep assault weapons out of civilian hands, which is the very definition of a common-sense gun safety law.”
“When you’ve seen what an AR-15 can do to a classroom, you don’t ask whether these weapons should be banned – you ask how it ever became normal. I survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where an assault weapon stole 17 lives in just minutes and shattered countless others forever. March For Our Lives proudly supports the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025 because protecting young lives must come before the gun industry’s blood money. This bill is a step toward a country where survival isn’t up for debate, and where politicians are finally forced to choose between the greed of gun manufacturers and the lives of America’s children,” said Jaclyn Corin, Executive Director & Co-Founder, March For Our Lives.
“As a neighbor of the Sandy Hook shooter, I know the unbearable pain that weapons of war inflict on families and communities. For over a decade, we have worked tirelessly with Senator Feinstein, Congressman Cicilline, and courageous gun violence survivors to build the Campaign Against Assault Weapons and fight for the strongest possible assault weapons ban. We are grateful to Senator Schiff for honoring Senator Feinstein’s legacy by reintroducing the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025 — the gold standard bill that has been the model for state bans. When we win back the trifecta, we will be ready to pass this life-saving legislation once and for all. We owe it to the children and families we have lost, and those who live in daily fear, to pass this bill when the moment comes,” said Po Murray, chairwoman of Newtown Action Alliance.
“For far too long at PTA, we have pushed for common sense solutions to help eliminate gun violence,” said Yvonne Johnson, president of National PTA, the nation’s oldest and largest child advocacy association. “We applaud Senator Schiff for reintroducing the Assault Weapons Ban, which will help make our schools and communities safer and save lives.”
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