The ban prohibited the production of certain semiautomatic weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines for civilian use. While studies have indicated that the ban contributed to a reduction in the gun murder rate and murders of police officers by criminals armed with assault weapons as well as to a decline in the use of assault weapons traced to crimes, exceptions in the law allowed the continued sale of slightly altered versions of these high-powered weapons.

“Assault-style weapons present a significant threat to public health and safety,” said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “There is no justifiable civilian use for weapons designed to inflict maximum casualties with minimum marksmanship. The ban must be renewed immediately, but it must also be strengthened.”

In the years following the ban’s enactment, high-profile acts of gun violence persisted, including the 1999 Columbine High School massacre that left 15 dead and 23 wounded, and the 2002 Washington-area sniper spree that killed 10.

“What a tragedy that Congress stood still on this issue,” Benjamin said. “The ban represents one intervention that has helped reduce the unintentional and criminal use of the most dangerous types of guns. Not only do these weapons present a health and safety risk to our citizens, but they are disproportionately involved with the killing of police officers.”

APHA is a member of a national coalition of medical and health organizations that are urging all candidates for public office to take immediate action to reduce gun death and injury. The association adopted policy in 2003 to support the enactment of a federal law to strengthen and renew the 1994 federal assault weapons ban. To view the policy, see http://www.apha.org/legislative/policy/policysearch/index.cfm?fuseaction=view&id=1258.