The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 is frequently called The Assault Weapons Ban. This now defunct law was enacted to prevent the sale of certain semi-automatic firearms to civilians. For the purposes of this law, assault weapons were defined based upon features of the firearm, including folding stocks, bayonets, and the size of the magazine. This law contained a sunset provision, and it was not renewed in 2004. To be clear, the Assault Weapons Ban is no longer good law.