From USA Today:
1 dead, 2 critically injured in hammer attack at Brooklyn restaurant
How much longer can we allow such acts of violence to continue? Even if only one life is saved, we must take action. Hammers should be banned, or a permit with background check be required for their purchase. Strict records should be kept so that confiscation can occur when hammer crimes spike. In addition, nail possession should be restricted to those with a hammer permit, and only in quantities sufficient for the task at hand.
OK, so I’m making light of a tragic situation. But it is important to understand that it is the person who is the danger, not the weapon. I also make this point to stress the futility of proposed “assault weapon” bans, such as the one making its way through Congress right now.
These proposed bans on so-called “assault weapons” (termed multi-purpose rifle, or MPR, by much of the gun industry) are as pointless as the hammer ban I propose above, and will do little to curb firearm related deaths. Want proof? I offer data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report database.
For example, between 2012 and 2017 rifles of all types – including assault weapons – accounted for only 2.3% of homicides. By comparison knives or sharp instruments account for 11.5% of homicides, personal weapons (hand, feet, fists) for 4.9%, and blunt objects for 3.3%. In summary, you are 5 times more likely to be stabbed to death and more that 3.5 times as likely to be beaten to death (without or without a weapon) than you are to be shot to death with an “assault rifle”.
Why then do some lawmakers, politicians and anti-gun organizations favor these restrictions? In my opinion, it is solely to punish those who are ideologically different from themselves. Consider it the ideological equivalent of racism; it’s not that these people hate guns, it’s that they hate gun owners. I have come to this conclusion because there is simply no reason to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens by creating onerous rules or restrictions that will have little to no impact on crime.