Some of you may remember Jack Webb as Joe Friday on the television series Dragnet.  Friday was a no-nonsense LAPD detective who had no interest in spin.  Whenever questioning a witness or suspect, his trademark line was, “Just the facts.”

As previously posted, Donald J. Trump declared that the massacre at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas “was not a guns situation.”  If only we had a living, breathing president who believed in facts and research and supposedly pro-life members of Congress who cared more about the safety and well-being of citizens than they do about campaign contributions from the NRA and gun manufacturers.

Joe Friday would not have tolerated the spin coming from the White House and Congress over the last 48 hours.  He would want to know the facts and there is empirical evidence that a ban on assault weapons would make a difference.  Because in 1994, Congress passed and Bill Clinton signed the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act which included a federal weapons ban prohibiting the manufacture for civilian use of certain semi-automatic weapons.  Unfortunately the Act also contained a sunset provision which voided the provision in September 2004, subject to review.

So, Detective Friday, here are your facts, comparing the data during and after the ban on semi-automatic assault rifles.

FACT: During the decade-long ban on assault rifles (1994-2004), there were only 15 mass shootings with four or more fatalities.  Since the ban lapsed in 2004, there have been 60 mass shootings.

FACT:  From 1994 to 2004, there were a total of 96 deaths and 101 injured.  Since the ban lapsed in 2004, there have been 533 deaths and 1429 injured.

FACT:  During the ban, there was only one incident with a double digit death toll (13 at Columbine High School in 1999).  This anomaly was likely due to the presence of two gunmen.  In contrast, since 2004 there have been 11 incidents with double digit death tolls including 58 in Las Vegas, 49 in Orlando, 27 in Newtown and 26 this past weekend in Sutherland Springs.  All of these most lethal attacks involved one shooter using semi-automatic assault rifles.

FACT: Of the 15 mass shootings between 1994 to 2004, in 13 cases the weapon of chose was a semi-automatic handgun with a standard cartridge with 15 rounds.  The standard magazine capacity for a semi-automatic weapon such as an AK-47 is 30 rounds. There are also 10, 20, and 40-round box magazines, as well as 75-round drum magazines.

FACT: During the 10-year ban on assault weapons, there were no efforts by the Bill Clinton or George W. Bush administration to confiscate otherwise legal handguns and rifles.  Nor was there any legislation introduced to require registration of privately owned guns despite the fact 70 percent of Americans FAVOR registration with the police of privately-owned guns according to an October 11, 2017 Gallup poll.

FACT:  In the same Gallup survey, 96 percent of respondents favored background checks for ALL gun purchases including gun shows, on-line sales and private transactions.  This number includes gun owners and NRA members.

As previously posted, there are always going to be evil and mentally deranged individuals.  There will be circumstances when otherwise sane people will lose it and become violent.  But the above evidence suggests allowing the weapons ban to lapse has placed weapons of mass destruction in the hands of those intent on harming others and has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Americans who might otherwise be enjoying the holidays this year with their family and friends.

Two final thoughts.  First, many politicians who opposed renewing the ban point to studies by the U.S. Justice Department, the National Institute of Justice and even the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence which showed the impact of the ban was either insignificant or inconclusive.”  Just one problem, all of these studies were completed by 2004.  They do not take into  account the increased death and injured rates since then.

Second, to get the necessary votes to pass the original bill, proponents of the assault weapons ban agreed to the 10-year sunset with an option to renew. Every effort to extend the ban has been opposed including one led by California Senator Diane Feinstein immediately following Newtown which had the support of 90 percent of Americans.   Am I the only one who sees the irony that Republican Senators are proposing the tax rate decrease on corporations be made PERMANENT, regardless of the impact on the economy?  Yet a measure that would have saved lives required periodic review.

There is a name for people like this.  Clueless, hypocritical cowards.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP