Gun Groups Call for Members to Help Sway 'Assault Weapon' Ban Vote

With a vote set for this week in the U.S. House of Representatives on a federal ban on so-called “assault weapons,” some groups on the pro-gun side of the debate are urging their members to contact their Congressmen and insist that the vote against the measure.

While sponsors of the legislation claim it would outlaw “weapons of war,” in reality it would ban the sale of commonly owned rifles, shotguns, handguns and standard capacity magazines, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). Plus, the House also passed a measure that would repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.

“It is unclear if Speaker Pelosi has the votes needed to pass the bills at this moment,” NSSF said in an industry alert, “so it is critical that you call your U.S. Representative today and urge a ‘No’ vote on H.R. 1808, the so-called ‘Assault Weapons Ban’ of 2022, and H.R. 2814, the so-called ‘Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act.’”

In the alert, NSSF also provided a link where interested gun owners could find the correct contact information for their specific member of Congress, along with a direct link to email their representative.

Gun Owners of America  (GOA) are also rallying their members to fight the bad legislation, saying it is important to get as many “No” votes for the measure in the House as possible.

“The more Representatives who vote against it in the House, the greater the chances this bill quickly DIES in the Senate,” Erich Pratt, GOA executive vice president, said in an action alert. “But if this bill gets strong bipartisan support in the House, Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn could give it serious consideration in the Senate.

“That’s why I’m urging you to tell your representative to vote no on banning some of the most commonly owned firearms in America.”

Pratt said that the House has been holding televised, emotion-fueled hearings to instill fear in the American people and justify their crackdown on commonly owned firearms.

“We shouldn’t be surprised to learn that a bunch of people who use the term ‘assault weapons’ turn out to know virtually nothing about guns,” he said. “Rep. (David) Cicilline, the congressman who called the Constitution ‘bulls**t,’ claimed that a stabilizing brace is a bump stock that turns a gun into a machine gun.

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“Rep. (Lucy) McBath doubled down on Cicilline’s absurdity. She stated that gun owners with disabilities like to claim that a stabilizing brace helps provide them with stability, but that they actually want to use the brace to turn their firearm into a machine gun!”

In the alert, GOA provided a link to members to sign on to a letter to Congress to stop the ban. 

While many believe the legislation has no chance of passing, anytime such a far-reaching, poorly thought out measure actually comes to a floor vote it is cause for plenty of concern.

“NSSF has been sending action alerts to our members to ensure their voice is heard by their members of Congress,” said Mark Oliva, managing director of public affairs for NSSF, said in an exclusive interview with Firearms News. “It is unclear, however, if the votes are there. It will be the narrowest of margins whether a vote on this legislation moves it to the Senate or if it fails.”

We’ll keep an eye on the measure and bring you an update when the floor vote has been tallied.

Freelance writer and editor Mark Chesnut is the owner/editorial director at Red Setter Communications LLC. An avid hunter, shooter and political observer, he has been covering Second Amendment issues and politics on a near-daily basis for the past 20 years.