On 20th Anniversary of the Expiration of the Federal Assault Weapons…
Brady is uniting Americans against gun violence. We invite everyone who wants to end our epidemic of gun violence to take action, not sides.
www.bradyunited.orgHere’s a brief update on the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 and recent developments.
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What it was: The Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 (AWB 2013) was a proposed federal bill introduced in January 2013 by Senator Dianne Feinstein seeking to reinstate a nationwide ban on certain semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines. It did not pass in the Senate and died in 2013. This basic history is widely documented in contemporary reports and summaries.[2][3][4]
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Latest notable developments (as of 2026): The federal AWB of 2013 remains inactive at the federal level. However, there have been renewed attempts in Congress in various years to reintroduce nationwide bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, with new bills introduced by different lawmakers. For example, in 2025 a reintroduction occurred by a bipartisan group of senators and representatives, signaling ongoing legislative interest, though a federal ban had not been enacted as of mid-2026. Public reporting continues to indicate that individual states maintain their own laws restricting or banning certain assault weapons, but these are separate from any federal action.[6][8]
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Related context: After the 1994–2004 federal ban expired in 2004, efforts to pass a new federal AWB have persisted but faced political and procedural hurdles. In the wake of mass shootings, supporters push for stricter measures while opponents raise concerns about Second Amendment rights and feasibility, with frequent coverage of committee hearings, executive actions, and state-level actions.[4][5][8]
If you’d like, I can pull the most recent congressional press releases or summarize current state-by-state gun laws related to assault weapons, and provide a timeline of major events since 2013. I can also compile a concise, cited briefing with direct links to primary sources. Do you want a focused briefing on federal bills status, or a state-by-state snapshot?
Citations:
- Overview and defeat of AWB 2013: Wikipedia and contemporaneous coverage summarize the bill and its defeat in the Senate in 2013.[2]
- Party-line and procedural context around 2013 effort and subsequent discussions: contemporary reports discuss the abandoned floor vote and subsequent political discussions.[3][5]
- Federal ban expiration and later revival attempts: coverage notes the 2004 expiration and later reintroduction efforts in 2013 and beyond.[8][4][6]