Dear Friends,
From Sandy Hook to Santa Barbara - sea to shining sea - the endless parade of mass shootings in the United States continues to stain our nation with the blood of innocents who did no more than go about their normal day. And in the face of this carnage, our Congress is more responsive to the misguided zealotry of the NRA than the cries of anguish of too many parents who have attended too many funerals.
In addition to other work to curb gun violence here at the Crime Commission, we track mass shootings looking for patterns to identify life-saving solutions. Ashely Cannon, our Director of Public Policy, has just completed an analysis of mass shootings from 1984 to 2012. As my op-eds in Newsday and AM-NY today explain, the results were striking--and I wanted to share them with you directly.
Our first conclusion is that the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, which was in effect from 1994 to 2004, clearly reduced mass shooting casualties. The Assault Weapons Ban, which so many people fought so hard to pass, not only banned assault weapons, but also large-capacity ammunition magazines (those that hold more than 10 rounds). Congress, in another display of cowardice, chose to nullify the ban in 2004, allowing not only assault weapons but also large-capacity magazines back on to our streets.
The results have been deadly.
Our research shows that the number of those killed or injured in mass shootings in the decade before the ban was nearly twice what it was in the decade during. In the eight years since Congress returned these weapons to the streets, mass shooting casualties increased more than two-and-a-half times.
But even more disturbing was the sharp increase in victims at the hands of mass shooters using large-capacity ammunition magazines. The number of people killed or injured in mass shootings nearly tripled between the years when the ban was in effect and the years since it expired.
Our analysis also shows how much more destructive mass shooters with large-capacity magazines are--161 percent more, to be exact. Between 1984 and 2012, we found that a total of 689 people were killed or injured in 33 incidents where shooters were armed with large-capacity ammunition magazines, compared to 264 in 31 incidents where these magazines were not used.
The full report is available here.
I know full well that the effort to control illegal guns is a frustrating one. But, our frustration must yield to determination. Many good - and determined - people are working every day to reduce gun violence.
Thank you for your continued support. With your help, we can provide lawmakers with stark evidence like this to support smarter gun regulation for a safer country.
Sincerely,
About the Citizens Crime Commission:
The Crime Commission is a non-partisan non-profit organization working to make New York City's criminal justice and public safety policies and practices more effective through innovation, research, and education. For more information on the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City, please visit our website: www.nycrimecommission.org