False advertising in politics. Or false reporting in the media. Whichever. Both.

California Passes Gun Control Bill Banning 'Assault' Weapons

What is described in this article is not a ban on assault weapons but on all semi-automatic rifles with a removable magazine.

The first sentence of the story.

New sales of semi-automatic rifles with removable magazines would be banned in California under a bill passed by the Democratic-led state legislature on Tuesday, and those who already own such weapons would have to register them.

Actual assault rifles are fully automatic weapons and they are already banned everywhere by federal law.

On the other hand, semi-automatic versions of these – and hence not actual assault rifles – can be legally bought and privately owned, transported, and fired in most states and locales.

But the ban here reported, which does not concern assault rifles, is not even limited to these not-really-assault rifles.

The class of all semi-automatic rifles with removable magazines is a much broader than that and includes a multitude of hunting and sports shooting rifles.

Way too much ban.

But the first sentence of the story is an alarmist lie, even as it stands.

Later we are told this.

[The new legislation] would classify an assault weapon as any rifle that accepts a detachable magazine that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, and would ban its sale or purchase.

Don’t know how that affects hunting or sports shooting rifles.

Still, they’re not assault rifles.