Bajonets, it's not about crime.

It's been said a lot of times: "gun control, is about control".
When you hear people citing large numbers of gunshot victims, most of whom are suicide cases, and then call for magazine capacity restrictions, you should know something is up. I'd like to talk about one specific point of gun control in the past: bajonets.

Bajonet lugs were "restricted" under the federal assault weapons ban (AWB), why was that? I've seen no criminal bajonet attack attack documented, ever. No precedent, no occurence of such event now that the ban has lapsed ... what was the point?

The AWB
was not about reducing crime or disarming gangs, it was about impeding the growth of the "gun community", carried out in an insidious way which was nothing short of brilliant. I know to appreciate
cunning and wit, and the AWB was overflowing with it.

How do you get people to join us on our side of the fence? A surefire way is to take them to the range, it hardly ever fails to demonstrate what guns really are: harmless unless in the hands of the malignant or incompetent.
Taking down this influx of opponents was (in my belief) a key objective of the people who designed the AWB.

To illustrate specifically: bajonet lugs.

Bajonets are a remnant of ages past, they saw a lot of use up to and including the second world war, but are currently falling out of favor. This means that most weapons fit to accept a bajonet ... are old military surrplus. Cheap AK clones, garands, mausers, SKS rifles ... relatively cheap rifles, easy to use and maintain, cheap to feed during the time of milsurp ammo. A thorn in the eye of those who wish not to see the number of recreational shooters grow.
Yes, recreational shooters, people looking for cheap fun ... a cheap first gun.

"Banning" bajonet lugs didn't hurt the criminal element, instead it added a lot of otherwise fun plinkers to the list of "verboten " guns ... forcing people to have them cut off before import, which often raised issues with the zero, with pre-sighted in irons.

It didn't do diddely squat to the crooks, it was simply a burden on the recreative shooter who was facing more resitance when trying to get into the shooting sports.

New editions of the AWB feature a ban specifically against the ruger 10/22 a rifle advised before any other to those who whish to get into recreational target practice.
Why do you think they want that one gone?

They're not coming after the crooks on the corner, they're gunning for the person who would otherwise come after you, sending lead downrange in the aisle you just left ... don't allow it to stay empty.