From: [car l v] at [godzilla] (Carl Vickery)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns
Subject: Re: CA Assault Weapons Law Slows AK-47 Use
Date: 24 Apr 1994 05:53:46 GMT


1.  I presume by "AK47" you really mean "semi-automatic weapon with
    styling similar to that of the AK47".  Most RKBA supporters are
    sticklers for accuracy on these issues.  Unfortunately, the
    same is not true of those drafting gun control legislation.
    In fact, ignorance of the subject of legislation seems to be
    something of a badge of honor among gun control advocates.

2.  The trace numbers probably tell more about changes in CA and US
    police/BATF procedures than anything else.  If you seriously
    believe that banning the "weapon of choice" (snicker) among
    criminals has reduced crime in CA, perhaps you would care to
    take a stroll through South Central LA one evening.  Please
    post your experiences.

3.  Some "fun facts" I ran across regarding "assault weapons" in
    CA.  These were previously posted in another thread, but what
    the heck.  They illustrate that the assault rifle ban did more
    to address the political goals of CA politicians than to
    address crime.
    

    S.C. Helsley (Asst Director of California DOJ Investigation
    and Enforcement Branch) memo dated Oct 31, 1988 :

      "Last year, I surveyed the firearms used in violent crimes
       ... assault-type firearms were the least of our worries.
       It's really the .22 and .38 caliber handguns and 12-gauge
       shotguns that inflict the majority of carnage."

    memo dated Feb 14, 1991 (as the Roberti-Roos "assault rifle"
    ban neared passage) :

      "we experienced what I would describe as a 'feeding frenzy'
       as it became clear that the NRA was in retreat... (T)he
       list had become an odd collection of firearms, which range
       from the long out of production, to exhorbitantly expensive,
       to the 'evil' AK-47.  As no specifically defined problem
       drove our efforts, such an odd collection should not be
       surprising."

    memo from 1991 (after the Calif Senate President and Attorney
    General decided NOT to examine the data from state forensic
    labs to determine how many "assault weapons" were used in
    violent crimes)

      "Information on assault weapons would not be sought from
       forensic laboratories as it was unlikely to support the
       thesis on which the legislation would be based."

    Torrey Johnson (Calif Bureau of Forensic Services)

      "It is obvious to those of us in the state crime lab system
       that the presumption that 'assault weapons' constitute a
       major threat in California is absolutely wrong."

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|  Carl Vickery                           |  [car l v] at [dadd.ti.com]               |
|  Texas Instruments - Design Automation  |                                  |
|  Dallas, TX                             |                                  |
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