The 1994 federal and 1989 state ban in California were prompted by the 1989 Cleveland Elementary School shooting in Stockton , California . Existing and proposed weapon bans come under renewed interest in the wake of mass shootings , most recently after the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown , Connecticut . In addition to state bans , Washington , D.C. and some U.S. counties and municipalities have assault weapons laws
Cleveland Elementary School shooting
Cleveland Elementary School shooting (Stockton)
Assault weapons legislation in the United States