The notorious “assault weapons” ban instituted by Bill Clinton during his presidency was a failure, as even a great many anti-gun commentators are now willing to concede. Crime data reveals that taking firearms out of circulation because they looked scary did nothing to impact the real roots of violent crime.
Yet White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest has suggested that we bring it back anyway. Earnest listed the reinstatement of the ban as one of several “common-sense” steps that would provide “a national security benefit.” We know that President Barack Obama would like to make gun control part of his legacy; what we don’t understand is why he’s so eager to copy Clinton’s failures.
