Prohibit Assault Weapons

What does this solve?

Assault weapons are exceptionally deadly firearms commonplace in mass fatality shootings. They are generally capable of firing far more bullets, far faster than manual-action hunting rifles. Prohibiting assault weapons can prevent mass shooting injuries and deaths.

Assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are frequently used in the violence that plagues our nation. From 2015 to 2022, mass shootings with four or more people killed where an assault weapon was used resulted in nearly six times as many people shot, more than twice as many people killed, and 23 times as many people wounded on average compared to those that did not involve the use of one. Some states and Washington, DC, have enacted legislation to prohibit assault weapons.

Which states prohibit assault weapons?

9 states have adopted this policy

Assault weapons make shootings more lethal.

Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines Fact Sheet

Assault weapons are generally high-powered semiautomatic firearms where each round has up to four times the muzzle velocity of a handgun round.¹Peter M. Rhee et al., “Gunshot Wounds: A Review of Ballistics, Bullets, Weapons, and Myths,” Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery 80, no. 6 (June 2016): 853–67, https://doi.org/10.1097/TA.0000000000001037. This means that each round from an assault weapon inflicts greater damage to the human body than a round from a typical handgun. Moreover, semiautomatic weapons can load and fire subsequent rounds much faster than manually operated firearms. When combined with high-capacity magazines—commonly defined as magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition—they allow a shooter to fire more rounds over a short period without pausing to reload.

These guns are often used in mass shootings and recovered at crime scenes, but research shows a prohibition on assault weapons can prevent mass shooting fatalities and active shooter events. A study found that the federal prohibition on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was associated with a significant decrease in public mass shootings and related casualties, preventing at least 11 public mass shootings during the 10 years it was in effect. The researchers also estimated that had the law remained in effect from 2005 through 2019, it would have prevented 30 mass shootings that resulted in the death of 339 people and wounded 1,139 more.²Lori Post et al., “Impact of Firearm Surveillance on Gun Control Policy: Regression Discontinuity Analysis,” JMIR Public Health and Surveillance 7, no. 4 (2021): e26042, https://doi.org/10.2196/26042. Study defined mass shooting as four or more victims killed with a firearm at a public location. Familicides and felony killings were excluded. Lawmakers should act to prohibit these excessively dangerous firearms.

By the numbers

Between 2015 and 2022, mass shootings with four or more people killed where assault weapons were used resulted in nearly six times as many people shot per incident on average.

stat

>2x

Between 2015 and 2022, mass shootings with four or more people killed where assault weapons were used resulted in more than twice as many people killed per incident on average.

stat

23x

Between 2015 and 2022, mass shootings with four or more people killed where assault weapons were used resulted in 23 times as many people wounded per incident on average.

stat

>1,400

Researchers estimate that if the federal law prohibiting assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was in effect from 2005 through 2019, it would have prevented 30 mass shootings that resulted in 1,478 people shot and killed or wounded.

stat

Featured Resources

Mass Shootings in the United States

Mass shootings haunt our nation’s collective conscience. Each breaking-news alert results in grief at the acts of preventable violence.

Report

A person wearing a hoodie is typing at their computer. On the screen are blurred screenshots from 4chan

Misogyny, Extremism, and Gun Violence

The impact of violent misogyny, combined with the unique harm of violence involving guns, makes addressing it an urgent issue.

Report

Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines

Many of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States have been carried out with assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Fact Sheet