In 1994, President Clinton passed the Federal Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. The law defined 19 models of rifles as assault weapons and banned their production, importation, and sale. Rifles subject to the ban are semiautomatic weapons (and copycats of the named models) that have detachable magazines and two or more of the following characteristics:

The ban also outlawed ammunition clips that hold more than 10 rounds.

The federal ban on assault weapons is due to expire on September 13, 2004. During his campaign in 1999, President Bush said he would continue the ban on assault weapons. "It makes no sense for assault weapons to be around our society," he said.

In March, 2004, an amendment to renew the ban was tacked onto a "gun immunity" bill that would have banned civil lawsuits brought against gun makers by the families of shooting victims. The bill -- which also included mandatory trigger locks and tightening of restrictions at gun shows -- was defeated in a 90-8 vote in the Senate. Prevailing opinion is now that the ban will sunset on its predetermined date, despite the fact that many Americans support the ban and seven states -- California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York -- have similar state laws. Senator Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho), a member of the NRA and gun rights advocate, said the bill will "never grace the halls of Congress again."

David Workman of Gun Week told KIRO-TV in Seattle that he believes gun control advocates want to ban assault weapons as a first step toward banning all guns. "They're not really interested in banning certain semi-automatic firearms," he said. "The ultimate goal is to get them all. Whether it's a semi-automatic rifle or your grandpa's 12 gauge shot gun."

Many others -- including Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif), the Fraternal Order of Police, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors -- want the ban to be extended. As Sheerly Avni wrote in a Salon article, "When I was a kid we played lawn darts... Lawn darts killed a couple of people and they were banned. But we lose nearly 20,000 Americans to guns every year and yet some people would argue that that is a fair price to pay."

Think you know where you stand on this issue? During the course of this activity, we will ask you four more times: Should the U.S. federal government continue the ban on assault weapons? Based on your responses, we will argue the opposite points of view. Only your final vote will count toward the results of this poll.