The House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on H.R. 1808, which would ban the production and sale of "assault weapons." That category includes semi-automatic rifles with features such as pistol grips, folding or adjustable stocks, barrel shrouds, and threaded barrels. The bill also would ban a long list of models by name. Setting the stage for the vote on H.R. 1808, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform today grilled manufacturers of the targeted rifles, emphasizing that they make money by selling the guns that Democrats want to ban, a fact the bill's supporters view as self-evidently scandalous.

The Democrats on the committee offered little evidence to support that perspective. In particular, they failed to show that "assault weapons" are especially likely to be used for criminal purposes, as opposed to lawful purposes such as self-defense or sport, or that prohibiting the features listed in the proposed ban can reasonably be expected to have a meaningful impact on gun violence.