Banning so-called “assault weapons” has been the top priority of various gun-ban organizations, including so-called Everytown for Gun Safety, for the past few decades. After all, these “weapons of war” are truly “evil,” they say, and Americans would be much safer with a law saying nobody could own them.
It seems, however, that with the recent announcement by the U.S. Supreme Court that it would hear an “assault weapons ban” case next session, gun-ban groups just might be well aware that their sacred bans run afoul of the Constitution. Why else would they be so worried now that SCOTUS has agreed to take up such a case?
Everytown is throwing a fit — because they know the constitutional argument doesn’t favor them
Everytown is a prime example.
“Today, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins, which involve reckless gun lobby challenges to Cook County, Illinois, and Connecticut laws restricting assault weapons — weapons that are frequently used in our nation’s deadliest mass shootings,” Everytown stated in a press release reacting to the announcement.
Janet Carter, managing director of Second Amendment litigation at Everytown Law, then jumped into the nuts and bolts of the half-truths the organization relies upon so heavily.
“Assault weapons cause massive devastation,” Carter said. “They are the weapons of choice for mass shooters. These laws are critical public safety measures, and they are consistent with the Second Amendment. Six federal appeals courts have rightly upheld assault weapon and large-capacity magazine laws, and we urge the Supreme Court to follow suit.”
32 million AR-15s means “common use” — full stop
Here’s the problem with Everytown’s argument — and why they’re worried they’ll lose before SCOTUS.
The Supreme Court in both the Heller and Bruen decisions ruled that the Second Amendment protects arms that are in “common use.” And the question of whether AR-15s and other semi-autos are in common use is easily answered.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, there are more than 32 million AR-15s and other guns considered “assault weapons” by gun-ban advocates in private hands in the United States. Obviously, that’s in “common use.”
Rifles account for 3% of homicides — AR-15s are a subset of that 3%
On a more practical level, so-called “assault weapons” account for a miniscule number of murders in the United States each year. According to FBI statistics, rifles of all kinds are used in only about 3% of homicides by firearms, and AR-15s and other semi-auto rifles are only a subset of that 3%.
Handguns cause most gun homicides — but nobody’s calling for handgun bans anymore
Of course, handguns are used in the vast majority of murders by violent criminals, but you don’t hear the gun-ban groups calling for a sweeping handgun ban. That’s largely because most Americans don’t support such a ban, a fact that the anti-gun group Brady knows all too well.
Brady used to be called Handgun Control, Inc., with its main emphasis on trying to ban private ownership of handguns throughout the country. When it became apparent that the public vehemently disagreed with their stance, they not only changed their emphasis, but even had to change their name to try to become acceptable to the masses.
When Brady gave up on handguns, gun-banners pivoted to AR-15s
When they gave up on banning handguns is when gun-banners turned their sights to so-called “assault weapons,” despite the unarguable fact that they are very, very seldom used for criminal purposes. Ultimately, gun-banners want to ban something, and the AR-15 and similar rifles are the latest target.