Do you support or oppose banning the sale of assault-style weapons?

Background

The question of whether to ban the sale of assault-style weapons remains one of the most actively debated issues in American gun policy. The United States had a federal assault weapons ban from 1994 to 2004, which prohibited the manufacture and sale of certain semiautomatic firearms and large-capacity magazines, but it expired under a built-in sunset provision and has not been renewed at the federal level. In the 119th Congress, lawmakers have reintroduced the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025 in both the House and Senate, which would criminalize the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of designated semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity feeding devices. Meanwhile, state-level action is accelerating: as of 2026, states with comprehensive bans include California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York, and new legislation is advancing in Virginia, Minnesota, and elsewhere. Virginia's governor recently signed bills prohibiting the future sale of assault firearms and magazines holding more than fifteen rounds, effective July 1, 2026, prompting immediate promises of legal challenges from gun rights organizations like the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Supporters of a ban argue that assault-style weapons are disproportionately used in mass shootings and are designed to inflict maximum casualties in a short time. Research reviewed by the RAND Corporation found some evidence that state assault weapon bans reduced school shooting casualties and that high-capacity magazine bans reduced mass public shootings. Polling from Gallup in late 2024 found that 52 percent of Americans back an assault weapons ban, while 56 percent favor stricter gun laws overall. Opponents counter that the term "assault weapon" is vaguely and inconsistently defined across jurisdictions, often targeting cosmetic features rather than the mechanical function of a firearm. They note that according to FBI data cited by RAND, rifles were used in only about 2.5 percent of firearm homicides in 2024, and they argue that bans infringe on Second Amendment rights as affirmed in the Supreme Court's 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller decision, which protects weapons "in common use" for lawful purposes.

The stakes of this debate extend across public safety, constitutional law, and the daily lives of millions of Americans. Gun violence prevention groups and many law enforcement organizations see restricting these weapons as a concrete step toward reducing the lethality of mass shootings, while gun rights advocates warn that bans set a precedent for broader restrictions on lawful firearm ownership. Legal challenges to newly enacted state bans are already underway and could ultimately reach the Supreme Court, potentially reshaping Second Amendment jurisprudence for a generation. With an estimated tens of millions of AR-15-style rifles already in civilian hands, the practical questions of enforcement, grandfathering, and compliance add further complexity. How voters weigh the competing values of public safety and individual rights will shape policy at both the state and federal level for years to come.