I need somebody to explain how the bill no longer bans "assault rifles" or "assault shotguns" when 134-8 says "The... possession... of any of the following is prohibited: assault pistols... assault rifles... assault shotguns... assault weapon attachments..."
There's this wonderful circular reference where 134-8 points to exclusions in 134-4, and 134-4 points to exclusions in 134-8.
I think it's a fair assumption that whoever was editing the bill was up against the deadline and was hamfisting the language to try and make a workable draft.
Theoretically if the bill is trying to define "assault weapon attachment", it would have to keep all of the language that defines "assault weapon".
The law defines "assault weapon attachment" as
"any device capable of being attached to a firearm that is specifically designed for making or converting a firearm into an assault pistol, assault rifle, or assault shotgun." I imagine the "
specifically designed" phrase as doing a lot of heavy lifting, and it could be interpreted in two extremes... Either a part is NOT an assault weapon attachment as long as it has a single use on a non-semiauto firearm... Or a part IS an assault-weapon attachment if it could single-handedly turn a semiauto rifle into an assault weapon.
I see major ambiguity there. I'd need to look at similar language in the other states to see how it was interpreted there.
My bolt action rifle has a threaded barrel and flash suppressor. Came with two 10-rd mags.
Is this an assault weapon?
Because if it is then this whole fiasco is a circus and total BS.
My read is that your rifle would be fine because nothing in the bill bans non-semiauto rifles as long as they aren't 50 caliber.
Your flash suppressor could theoretically be welded onto a non-assault weapon, so that could be deemed illegal.
And your threaded barrel, if it was capable of being installed on a semiauto weapon, could be deemed illegal.
But this law just seems totally not to be amended in the way they said it was amended so I'm just really confused about the whole thing.