If you are the head of the agency tasked with enforcing federal gun laws with a president who is pushing to ban “assault weapons,” you might want to have an idea of what would be banned.
But the problem is, there is no clear definition of what kind of firearm qualifies as an “assault weapon.”
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) tried to get Steve Dettelbach, the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, to point out a gun that would fit the label.
However, he did not go along with it.
“My question to you is just yes or no, you know what an assault weapon is. You’ve seen one,” Jackson Lee said.
Dettelbach hedged as he responded, “That would be a decision for Congress to make, respectfully, to make that definition.”
“There are numerous different legislative bodies that have taken up that question. They have all…” he continued.
Watch the video below:
Biden ATF Director Steve Dettelbach is once again unable to provide a definition of an "assault weapon," even as Biden says he wants to ban them pic.twitter.com/ochPWh2Qu6
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 26, 2023
However, the congresswoman interrupted as she asked, “If we laid a weapon on the table, you could pretty much say that falls in the category of an assault weapon.”
The director reiterated it would be up to Congress to define an “assault weapon.” He added, “Unless they were to delegate that authority to ATF.”
Dettelbach later stated he does not purport to be “a technical expert in every aspect of firearms.”
In one sense, it is nice to see a member of the Executive Branch not trying to step on the toes of Congress.
But, you would think the president and his administration would want to make sure they had a definition for the type of firearms they want to ban. And the fact the agency charged with enforcing federal gun laws has no set definition for an “assault weapon” is telling.
It seems Democrats mostly think of AR-15-style guns as “assault weapons” but want to make sure they do not miss any.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) seems to have tried to apply a definition to the term “assault weapon.” On Tuesday, he signed a bill into law that would ban the future sale and manufacture of certain semi-automatic rifles. It applies to over 50 types of guns, including AR-style rifles.
“These weapons of war of assault weapons have no reason other than mass murder. Their only purpose is to kill humans as rapidly as possible in large numbers,” he said before signing the bill.
Meanwhile, in November, Biden appeared also to try to define an “assault weapon” when he said it is “sick” Americans can buy semi-automatic firearms. Critics noted other guns such as handguns and shotguns are semi-automatic.
There is clearly a variety of definitions of an “assault weapon,” ranging from a made-up term to specific rifles. But if you want to ban something you should know what it is. And there should be an agreed-upon definition to make sure other firearms are not arbitrarily lumped into the ban. It cannot just be a case of knowing it when you see it on a table.