Orange, VA (PRWEB) September 14, 2004
Heralding it as a dawn of a new day, the Virginia Shooting Sports Association (VSSA), cheered the sunset of the 1994 Clinton Gun Ban. The 1994 act also known as the ÂAssault Weapons ban ended by law at 12:00 AM on Monday, September 13th.
ÂThis is great news for Virginia gun owners, said Steve Canale, VSSA President. He continued, ÂThe ban was never about reducing crime and a congressional study of crime rates proves this. It was always about demonizing firearms simply because of their appearance, namely cosmetic and ergonomic features that present a military-like appearance, but have absolutely no effect on lethality. Millions of Americans use semi-automatic firearms for hunting, target shooting and protection. Guns like the Colt AR-15 and Springfield M1A are the nationÂs most popular rifles for marksmanship competitions.Â
For the better part of the last five months, the gun ban lobby has engaged in a desperate and deceptive political campaign. As the sunset date approached, they have constantly attempted to scare the public by referring to "Uzis" and "AK-47s," and stating that, these specific firearms Âwill be in our neighborhoods unless the assault weapons ban is renewed.Â
Canale responded to this charge by saying, ÂThe truth is that AK-47s and Uzis were prohibited in 1989, under federal firearm importation law, five years prior to the enactment the Clinton ban! The expiration of the Clinton gun ban will not in any way affect this previous law.Â
The Virginia Shooting Sports Association is the state affiliate association of the National Rifle Association. VSSA works with the NRA and other like minded organizations to protect the Second Amendment rights of Virginians. VSSA is also responsible for conducting state level shooting championships and selecting the "best of the best" to represent Virginia in the individual and team competition at Camp Perry, Ohio.
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