Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) recently announced he voted against House Rule (HR) 1808, the Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2022, which aims to prohibit the sale, import, manufacture, transfer, or possession of a semiautomatic assault weapon.
“Rather than address the bona fide root causes of mass shooting violence – including the destruction of the American family unit, mental health, or bureaucratic hurdles for law-abiding gun-owners – Democrats exploited the heightened emotions of a grieving nation to push through their radical, anti-Second Amendment agenda,” Biggs said. “This legislation is a reactionary move that will not reduce violent crime or the likelihood of mass shootings.”
Aside from assault weapons, HB 1808, sponsored by David Cicilline (D-RI-1), also bans all large-capacity ammunition feeding devices (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to firearms that are manually operated by bolt, pump, or lever, are permanently inoperable, or are antiques. The bill provides a lengthy list of all firearms exempt from the ban, including centerfire rifles, combination guns, and shotguns.
While Biggs opposes the legislation, he was in favor of an amendment introduced by Texas Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21).
As reported by the Dallas Morning News, Roy offered an amendment during a House Committee Hearing that would exempt the Americans living within 10 miles of an international border from the ban.
“I thought that at a minimum, we should be preserving the right of people to defend themselves when they’ve been put specifically in danger as a result of the failure of the federal government to do its duty to secure the blessings of liberty as defined in the constitution,” Roy said during the hearing. “In particular, since we are sitting here in Washington, in the United States Congress, recognizing the failure of the federal government to secure the border of the United States.”
Roy argued that Texas, and the rest of the nation, are in danger because of a “constant barrage and assault” from armed cartels moving narcotics, criminals, and terrorists into the country and that people need to be able to defend themselves.
Later, Biggs spoke in favor of Roy’s amendment, stating that there is an invasion at the U.S. southern border, which justifies the need for people near the border to defend themselves.
“You have every indication of an invasion [at the southern border]. With this bill, you are going to disarm people. You’re going to prevent them from defending themselves along the border,” Biggs said. “What happens is you don’t deal with it. I deal with it. I deal with it in dealing with my friends, the law enforcement, the farmers, the businesses, the residents along the border. They deal with it. This amendment is necessary to allow them to protect themselves.”
According to The Hill, the House Judiciary Committee ultimately advanced HB 1808 despite all 18 Republican members of the committee voting against it. However, it is unclear when this bill will be brought to the house floor for a vote.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
