The first day of the state law banning the possession of "assault" firearms brought confusion and scant compliance from gun owners.

With his opponents on the ropes, Gov. Jim Florio pressed his campaign against assault firearms today.

The revised law permits anyone who owned an assault firearm before May 31, 1990, to keep it if it is registered with the state.

Guns Reload Automatically The law covered some 60 models of so-called assault firearms, generally defined as rapid-fire semiautomatic rifles and pistols.

The new bill also eliminates the general definition of an assault firearm, which would have enabled the Attorney General to prohibit new guns if they fit the description.

These include bans on assault firearms, hollow-nose bullets and even slingshots.

Following an assault firearms officers have made the premises safe, by clearing it out of offenders and making both police and offenders weapons safe.

The bill, which is being considered by both houses of the Legislature, makes possession of an assault firearm a felony punishable by three to five years in prison.

"In organized-crime cases, assault firearms were used in 30 percent of the crimes committed."

In his bill, AB 1509, these guns were categorized as "assault firearms".