Rep. Lucy McBath, Democratic lawmakers lead effort to renew federal weapon ban

article

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA), who lost her son to gun violence speaks at a press conference introducing the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025 on April 30, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Georgia Congresswoman Lucy McBath is among a group of lawmakers leading an effort to renew a long-expired federal ban on assault weapons.

Bath is one of the Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate pushing for the legislation, which would ban certain semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity gun magazines.

What we know:

The original legislation was proposed by California Sen. Dianne Fienstein after multiple mass shootings in California and Texas. It passed both the U.S. Senate and House and received endorsements from former presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan.

The law expired on Sept. 13, 2004. More than 20 years later, previous attempts to reinstate the ban after school shootings have failed to pass.   

Supporters say the bill would ban the type of weapons used in the deadly shootings in Highland Park, Uvalde, Parkland and Atlanta.

The new bill has more than 100 original House co-sponsors and was introduced in the Senate by California Sen. Adam Schiff and others. 

What they're saying:

McBath, known for her advocacy of gun control issues, said that passing the act would make the country safer.  

"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."

What's next:

Despite the Democratic lawmaker's renewed push, the bill has little chance of advancing with Republicans in control of both the House and the Senate.