More than three decades ago, a Republican president with a “no new gun laws” campaign promise pulled the rug out from under America’s gun owners. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush banned the importation of 43 models of semi-automatic rifles — rifles the media loves to call “assault weapons” — with the stroke of a pen.
Chinese AKs. Israeli Uzi carbines. FN FALs. HK 91s and 93s. All blocked at the border because ATF decided they didn’t meet the Gun Control Act’s arbitrary “sporting purposes” test.
And here’s the kicker: that ban has never been repealed.
Why This Matters Today
The 1989 import ban wasn’t passed by Congress. It was an executive decision — meaning the sitting president could reverse it tomorrow without a single vote on Capitol Hill.
Firearms News Editor-in-Chief Vincent DeNiro put it plainly:
“President Trump doesn’t even need Congress to get rid of the unconstitutional 1989 ‘assault weapons’ import ban. He just needs to order BATFE to declare all imported semi-auto rifles as ‘sporting,’ which is what these same models are considered when domestically produced.”
That’s right — the same rifles that can be built and sold here in the U.S. are still banned from import simply because of where they’re made.
The History Behind the “Sporting Purposes” Test
The Gun Control Act of 1968 gave the federal government the power to block imports of firearms that weren’t deemed “sporting.” That language was a gift to the gun-control lobby, and Bush Sr.’s 1989 order weaponized it.
Richard Stevens, author and attorney for Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, pointed out decades ago that this exact strategy was used by the Nazis in 1938 — banning non-approved imports under the guise of “sporting use.”
Let’s be clear: the Second Amendment is not about trap shooting or deer season. As Tench Coxe, a delegate to the Continental Congress, wrote,
“Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American.”
Executive Action Could End It Tomorrow
What can be done by executive action can be undone by executive action. There’s no excuse for letting this stand — especially from a president who campaigned as a friend of the Second Amendment.
Ending the import ban would:
- Restore access to historically significant and affordable rifles for collectors and shooters.
- Force the gun-control crowd to lose their minds on live TV.
- Fire up gun owners ahead of 2026 midterms and crucial state elections like Virginia’s governor’s race.
Where Are the “Gun Rights” Groups?
If this is such an easy win, why hasn’t it been done? The bigger question: why aren’t the big-name membership gun groups hammering this issue daily?
They know the ban still exists. They know it could be lifted tomorrow. They claim to have the ear of the president — so why haven’t they made this a priority?
This is also why DOJ’s so-called Second Amendment Task Force needs actual gun owner representation, not just career bureaucrats. Gun owners deserve a seat at the table to influence priorities and hold leaders accountable.
The Bottom Line
“Stroke of the pen, law of the land,” Clinton aide Paul Begala once said about executive orders. Well, Mr. Trump — this is one stroke of the pen gun owners would actually cheer for.
Reclassify these rifles as “sporting.” End the 1989 ban. Stop the absurd 922r parts-count game. Let Americans import the rifles they have every right to own.
It’s lawful, it’s easy, and it would be very cool.
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