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Abstract
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Testimony of Kyleanne Hunter The RAND Corporation Before the Committee on Judiciary United States SenateJuly 20, 2022
... My goal today is to present to you what is known about assault weapons—and their role in mass shooting events—so that you can make informed policy decisions that will keep our communities safer. I will begin by discussing the unique impact that these weapons, particularly when coupled with high-capacity magazines, have on injury and death rates. I will next discuss what is known about the effectiveness of bans on these weapons and some of the unique challenges faced by municipalities or states enacting their own regulations. I will end with a discussion of the impact that the restrictions on research have on the ability to meaningfully address this topic.
Thankfully, weapons typically referred to as assault weapons or modern sporting rifles are not used in the majority of firearm homicides. However, when they are used, they have an outsized impact on injury and death. These weapons are frequently used in conjunction with high-capacity magazines. The available evidence suggests that these weapons are used disproportionately in mass shootings relative to their use in gun crimes more generally.4 Although there is no standard definition of what constitutes a mass shooting, one definition used by some sources is shootings that kill or injure four or more people, not including the shooter, which can take place either in a private residence or a public place.5 While mass shootings are rare when compared with all firearm homicides, these have been on the rise. Between January 1 and July 5, 2022, there have been more than 300 mass shootings in 36 states, resulting in 343 people killed and an additional 1,391 injured. In 2021, there were 700 mass shootings, a jump from 611 in 2020 and 417 in 2019. Prior to 2019, there had not been a year with incident rates over 400.6 ...
The majority of mass shootings (approximately 60 percent) occur in private homes and never make the headlines. Although shootings in public places are the minority of mass shootings, they represent the majority of deaths. Between 2009 and 2020, mass shootings in a public place represented 39 percent of all mass shootings and 51 percent of mass shooting deaths.7 The FBI reports that public shooting events are on the rise. Between 2019 and 2020, there was a 33 percent increase in active shooter incidents—defined as one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a public place. Between 2020 and 2021, there was a 52.5 percent increase in these incidents. The number of those killed and wounded also increased each year; between 2020 and 2021, there was a 63 percent increase in casualties resulting from these events.
Considering these mass public shootings in their own right is important, as there is often a different motivation for public mass shootings than other types of homicide. Examinations of mass shootings show that, unlike other types of homicides (such as those that involve the commission of another crime), public mass shootings are motivated by a broader sense of hate or fear and a desire to kill many people in a short period of time.
These public shootings are what grab the headlines and have ripple effects throughout communities. Mass public shootings tend to dominate news cycles and include a greater number of people killed or injured per event than shootings that occur in residences or in connection with another crime.10 Estimates show that approximately one-third of public mass shooting events include the use of an assault weapon, and nearly 40 percent involve a high-capacity magazine.11 When an assault weapon and/or a high-capacity magazine is used in a public mass shooting, nearly 14 times as many people are injured, and twice as many people are killed.12 Not only are there more injuries when assault weapons are used but the types of injuries are far worse ... |