Assaults on Lawful Rifles The Illinois legislature has defeated an attempt to ban some rifles as "assault weapons," and so have lawmakers in Maine, who also rejected attempts to outlaw semi-auto hunting shotguns. But New York's lawmakers are joined by those in New Jersey in new attempts to prohibit guns with a bore of .50 caliber. The Fifty Caliber Institute encourages sportsmen to contact legislators immediately to stop measures designed to outlaw the ownership of firearms based on their bore size or accuracy.