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Solutions

Prohibit Assault Weapons

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

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Alabama has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Alaska has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Arizona has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Arkansas has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

California has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Colorado has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Connecticut has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Delaware has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Florida has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Georgia has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Hawaii has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Idaho has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Illinois has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Indiana has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Iowa has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Kansas has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Kentucky has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Louisiana has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Maine has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Maryland has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Massachusetts has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Michigan has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Minnesota has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Mississippi has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Missouri has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Montana has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Nebraska has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Nevada has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

New Jersey has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

New Mexico has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

New York has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

North Carolina has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

North Dakota has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Ohio has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Oregon has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Pennsylvania has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Rhode Island has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

South Carolina has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

South Dakota has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Tennessee has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Texas has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Utah has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Vermont has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Virginia has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Washington has adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

West Virginia has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Wisconsin has not adopted this policy

Assault Weapons Prohibited

Wyoming has not adopted this policy

How it Works

Assault weapons make shootings more lethal.

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

All Resources

Prohibit Assault Weapons