Conservative

What you’re leaving out is that after AWB expired the average number of deaths per shooting went way up, in some cases over 3x compared to the deadliest shootings before AWB.

https://time.com/4965022/deadliest-mass-shooting-us-history/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/interactive/school-shootings-database/

They’re more frequent and deadlier than they were before.

Surely this alone should warrant at least some more studies to see what can be done legislatively?

And AWB covered wayyyyyyyy more than just cosmetics.

The Act included several exemptions and exclusions from its prohibitions:

• The Act included a "grandfather clause" to allow for the possession and transfer of weapons and ammunition that "were otherwise lawfully possessed on the date of enactment."[17]
• The Act exempted some 650 firearm types or models (including their copies and duplicates) which would be considered manufactured in October 1993. The list included the Ruger Mini-14 Auto Loading Rifle without side folding stock, Ruger Mini Thirty Rifle, Iver Johnson M-1 Carbine, Marlin Model 9 Camp Carbine, Marlin Model 45 Carbine, and others. The complete list is in section 110106, Appendix A to section 922 of Title 18. This list was non-exhaustive.[17]
• The Act "also exempted any firearm that (1) is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action; (2) has been rendered permanently inoperable; or (3) is an antique firearm."[17]
• The Act "also did not apply to any semiautomatic rifle that cannot accept a detachable magazine that holds more than ten rounds of ammunition or semiautomatic shotguns that cannot hold more than five rounds of ammunition in a fixed or detachable magazine."[17] Tubular magazine fed rimfire guns were exempted regardless of tubular magazine capacity.
• The Act provided an exemption for the use of "semiautomatic assault weapons and LCAFDs to be manufactured for, transferred to, and possessed by law enforcement and for authorized testing or experimentation purposes" as well as transfers for federal-security purposes under the Atomic Energy Act and "possession by retired law enforcement officers who are not otherwise a prohibited possessor under law."

Even GHWB banned imported semi-auto rifles because they did not have a legitimate sporting use.