Myth: Assault weapons are favored by criminals

Fact: Only 8% of criminals use anything that is classified (even incorrectly) as an “assault weapon”¹, though less than 1% claimed to use these firearms when committing crimes.²

Fact: Criminals are as likely to carry single shot (derringer-type) handguns as they are to carry “assault weapons”.³

Fact: “Assault rifles have never been an issue in law enforcement. I have been on this job for 25 years and I haven’t seen a drug dealer carry one. They are not used in crimes, they are not used against police officers.”⁴

Fact: “Since police started keeping statistics, we now know that “assault weapons” are/were used in an underwhelming 0.026 of 1% of crimes in New Jersey. This means that my officers are more likely to confront an escaped tiger from the local zoo than to confront an assault rifle in the hands of a drug-crazed killer on the streets.”⁵

Thoughts: “Assault weapons” are large and unwieldy. Even misclassified handguns tend to be bigger than practical for concealed carry. Criminals (who, incidentally, disregard concealed carry laws) are unlikely to carry “assault weapons.”

This is an excerpt from “Gun Facts” by Guy Smith, available free from http://www.gunfacts.info