Gun prohibitionists in Oregon and Washington appear to be campaigning on a false notion that so-called “assault rifles” should be banned because that will help prevent crime. Rifles are used in a tiny number of homicides in either state, according to FBI crime statistics. Dave Workman photo)
By Dave Workman
Senior Editor
While two gun prohibition lobbying groups in the Pacific Northwest have launched a joint effort in Oregon and Washington to ban so-called “assault weapons,” an analysis of long-term crime data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report suggests they are offering a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.
In the 11 years from 2004 through 2014, rifles of any kind were used in a tiny number of the homicides recorded in both states, according to FBI statistics. Overall, firearms of all types were responsible for just over half of the murders in Oregon and roughly 57 percent of slayings in Washington.
For example, in 2014, the most recent year for which complete FBI data is available, Oregon reported 39 firearms-related slayings out of 73 total murders. Of those, 16 involved handguns, two were committed with rifles and two more with shotguns. Fourteen were committed with knives or other cutting instruments and 18 were committed with “other weapons.”
Likewise, in neighboring Washington, 94 of the 172 homicides in 2014 involved firearms, including 54 with handguns, six with rifles and four with shotguns. Meanwhile, 25 were committed with knives or other sharp instruments and 42 involved “other weapons.”
Respectively, according to the FBI data, Oregon saw 19 slayings committed with firearms of an undetermined type, while 30 Washington murders involved an unidentified firearm.
Looking at the country as a whole that year, again according to the 2014 FBI data, there were a total of 11,961 murder victims. Of those, 8,124 were killed with firearms, including 5,562 with handguns, 248 with rifles, 262 with shotguns, and 1,567 with knives or other sharp instruments. Another 2,052 were killed with firearms of an unknown type.
Bottom line: Slightly over two percent of all homicide victims nationwide were killed with rifles of any kind that year, and this seems to be a fairly consistent pattern over the course of several years. This leaves a serious question for anti-gunners. Why is there such an effort to ban a specific type or class of firearms when they are involved in such a tiny percentage of homicides?
Despite their apparent lack of use in homicides, Washington Ceasefire and Ceasefire Oregon recently teamed up to push a ban on “assault weapons.” They will try to pass legislation next year in both states. If that doesn’t work, Second Amendment activists believe, they will go to the high-profile and well-financed initiative, as anti-gunners have done twice in Washington.
Displaying what critics say is a complete lack of firearms knowledge, Washington Ceasefire has posted an emotional message on its Facebook page that reads, “In the wake of the terrible tragedy at Orlando that took 49 lives and the 220+ other mass shootings this year Washington Ceasefire is taking the lead to ban military style assault weapons in our state as well as limit the number of bullets in a magazine ammunition clip to no more than ten. Common sense life saving measures that don’t violate anyone’s Second Amendment rights.”
The organization does not offer any details about these 220-plus alleged “mass shootings.” The rhetoric does not know the difference between a “bullet” and a cartridge, and the most embarrassingly obvious gaffe is the reference to “a magazine ammunition clip.” There is no such thing.
In a modern sporting rifle (MSR), which is actually the target of this proposed ban, ammunition is contained in a detachable box magazine. This is not a “clip.”
More to the point, since rifles of any kind, including MSRs, are used in such a small number of homicides, the question about why such firearms should be prohibited remains. The argument appears to be based solely on the cosmetics and design of the firearms, which resemble military rifles.
But such guns are semiautomatic. They do not operate any differently than semi-auto shotguns, which have been around for more about a century. A single shot is fired with each squeeze of the trigger, and a fresh round is then chambered as the rifle ejects the empty cartridge case.
MSRs are used for a variety of things including assorted competitions, predator control, home defense, recreational shooting and even hunting. Depending upon the model, such rifles are chambered for a variety of calibers suitable for everything from small game and varmints to deer or feral hogs.
