Biden Pledges to Renew Ban on Assault Weapons if Elected US President

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden cited in a statement past success in banning military-style assault weapons in the United States and pledged to ban the weapons once again.

"In 1994, Senator [Dianne] Feinstein and I led the fight to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines," Biden said via Twitter on Wednesday. "We took on the NRA [National Rifle Association] and got it done."

In 1994, Senator Feinstein and I led the fight to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. We took on the @NRA and got it done.

As president, I’ll ban these weapons of war once again. We will get them off our streets.https://t.co/AbTUKdY7Bv pic.twitter.com/u06FKHQv6D

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 2, 2019

A 1994 law imposed a ten-year ban on assault weapons manufactured after the measure was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. The ban expired in 2014 and was not renewed.

In recent years, assault rifles have become the weapon of choice in a series of mass shootings, prompting a renewed push to renew the ban.

"As president, I’ll ban these weapons of war once again," Biden said. "We will get them off our streets."

The NRA, one of the most powerful US lobbying groups, opposes nearly all gun control proposals, fearing that they embolden a Democratic agenda to outlaw private ownership of all guns, despite a provision in the Constitution allowing individual firearm ownership.