By Chris McNutt
Gun owners have endured more than three decades under a Bush-era gun control policy that should never have existed in the first place.
In 1989, President George H. W. Bush used the power of his pen to ban the importation of dozens of popular semi-automatic rifles — not by act of Congress, but by executive fiat.
As The Truth About Guns recently highlighted, this so-called “sporting purposes” import ban continues to hobble the rights of American gun owners today.
And the sad reality is this: despite decades of Republican leadership in the White House and in Congress, no one has had the courage to undo it.
A Republican President Imposed Gun Control
After a horrific shooting in California, Bush seized the opportunity to appease the gun confiscation lobby by banning the import of 43 semi-automatic rifles. Chinese AK variants, the FN FAL, HK 91 and 93, Israeli Uzis, and others were suddenly declared “non-sporting” by bureaucrats at the ATF.
Never mind that millions of law-abiding Americans owned these rifles, or that their domestically produced equivalents were perfectly legal to buy and sell. Bush’s action was nothing short of Republican-branded gun control — executed without a single vote in Congress.
And once the line was crossed, the precedent was set.
Every administration since has used this executive “backdoor” to chip away at the Second Amendment, reclassifying firearms and accessories at will.
Why the Ban Must Be Dismantled
This unconstitutional import ban is still in place today. And because it was never codified into law by Congress, it could be undone tomorrow with the stroke of a pen.
President Trump could order the ATF to declare these semi-automatic imports “sporting” and open the doors to lawful importation immediately.
Ending the Bush ban would:
- Restore access to historically significant rifles for shooters and collectors.
- Expose the hypocrisy of the gun confiscation lobby, which has clung to this ban for decades.
- Fire up millions of pro-gun voters who are demanding bold action, not half-measures.
Executive Gun Control Is a Bipartisan Disease
Gun owners need to understand: the Bush import ban is just one example of a much larger problem.
Time and again, presidents of both parties have bypassed Congress to attack the Second Amendment by executive action.
Biden’s ATF has reclassified pistol braces, 80% lowers, and forced reset triggers.
Obama tried to ban M855 “green tip” ammunition by regulatory edict.
Bill Clinton restricted the importation of certain firearms and parts kits.
Even Republican presidents like Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. left these measures in place or expanded them.
And yes, even President Trump was guilty of pressuring the ATF to take action to ban bump stocks during his first term — something he has since backed away from.
Trump Must Tear Down the Whole House of Cards
Gun owners did not elect President Trump to tinker at the edges during his second term.
They elected him to restore the Second Amendment in full.
That means not just tearing down Biden’s recent abuses (which he’s already begun to do), but dismantling the entire structure of executive gun control — Republican or Democrat.
Bush’s 1989 ban. Clinton’s import restrictions. Obama’s ammo games. Biden’s pistol brace and private sale crackdowns. Every single one must go.
Because here’s the truth: if one president can unilaterally infringe, another can do it again.
The only way to stop the cycle is to abolish every executive gun control order and restore lawmaking power to Congress where it belongs.
