By Alexandra Avendaño
Contributing Writer

Following the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn., uproar has risen among the nation concerning the issue of gun control.

As a response to the situation, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced a newly revised bill dealing with the topic of banning assault weapons.

After the Dec. 14 attack, it was revealed that the primary weapon used by Adam Lanza in the Sandy Hook massacre was a Bushmaster AR-15 – an “assault-type weapon.”

With the country in distress, Feinstein stepped out to announce a new gun ban bill which she hopes will help bring an end to the recent shootings.

“Sandy Hook is only the latest tragedy and more horrendous than anything I ever thought could happen in the United States of America,” Feinstein said in a press conference held on Dec. 21.

Feinstein’s new bill is a revision of the 1994 Assault Weapon Ban that expired in 2004. Unlike the 1994 bill, Feinstein’s new legislation would create a more restricted sense of what assault weapons would be considered.

On top of including a variety of other weapons in the ban, Feinstein’s bill will stop the sale, transfer and manufacture of military-style assault weapons and limit the number of rounds in magazines to 10.

The bill will also require current owners of certain guns to register their weapons with the federal government, release the locations of their weapons, impose a $200 tax on each firearm, forbid the transfer of weapons to other people and demand that the weapons be destroyed upon the death of the owner.

Feinstein’s bill has been in the works for over a year, but Lanza’s act prompted the senator to try to make a change.

“I’m open to suggestions to make legislation better and more effective,” Feinstein said in a response to the National Rifle Assn’s (NRA) call for armed gaurds at schools.

As a response to the shooting in Newton, the NRA released a statement urging the placement of armed security at schools to prevent another tragedy as the one at Sandy Hook.

“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” said Wayne LaPierre, executive director of the NRA, a week after the disaster in Connecticut.

The NRA plans to launch the National School Shield – a program to aid schools in training security personnel and help schools to develop security plans as a way to prevent another school shooting.

On Feinstein’s website, a study on the 1994 ban by the Department of Justice claims a 6.7% decrease in murders. But according to the same study, the drop in murders cannot be solely dependent on the ban as “this decrease reflects chance year-to-year variation rather than a true effect of the ban”.

Many shortcomings on Feinstein’s new ban have been brought to light as many are vowing their opposition.

Citizens, such as Marine veteran Corp. Joshua Boston, have taken issues into their own hands. Boston personally wrote a letter to Feinstein urging her of the dangers her new bill may bring to the country.

“I will not be disarmed to suit the fear that has been established by the media and your misinformation campaign against the American public,” Boston wrote.

The restrictions of the gun ban bill include a ban on the commonly owned semi-automatic firearms and many fear that Feinstein’s legislation is only the start of an attempt to completely put an end to weapons in America.

The term “assault weapon” has been questioned repeatedly since Feinstein’s announcement.  Many different characteristics from the grip to the type of barrel will now be considerable elements toward defining an assault weapon other than the 120 firearms specifically named in the bill.

Feinstein hopes her new bill will make access to weapons more difficult and therefore create a safer environment and President Barack Obama has stated his support.

“We need to elect people who understand that America cannot be turned into an armed camp,” Feinstein said in her response to the NRA’s proposal of placing armed security in schools.

The NRA is determined to protect their rights to bear arms. On Jan. 16, the NRA released a formal statement concerning Feinstein’s bill which was formally proposed to the Senate on Jan. 22.

“Attacking firearms and ignoring children is not a solution to the crisis we face as a nation,” the NRA said. “Only honest, law-abiding gun owners will be affected and our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy.”