Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, Department of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
J Urban Health. 2018 Jun;95(3):313-321. doi: 10.1007/s11524-017-0205-7.
Policies restricting semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines are intended to reduce gunshot victimizations by limiting the stock of semiautomatic firearms with large ammunition capacities and other military-style features conducive to criminal use. The federal government banned such weaponry from 1994 to 2004, and a few states currently impose similar restrictions. Recent debates concerning these weapons have highlighted their use in mass shootings, but there has been little examination of their use in gun crime more generally since the expiration of the federal ban. This study investigates current levels of criminal activity with assault weapons and other high-capacity semiautomatics in the USA using several local and national data sources including the following: (1) guns recovered by police in ten large cities, (2) guns reported by police to federal authorities for investigative tracing, (3) guns used in murders of police, and (4) guns used in mass murders. Results suggest assault weapons (primarily assault-type rifles) account for 2-12% of guns used in crime in general (most estimates suggest less than 7%) and 13-16% of guns used in murders of police. Assault weapons and other high-capacity semiautomatics together generally account for 22 to 36% of crime guns, with some estimates upwards of 40% for cases involving serious violence including murders of police. Assault weapons and other high-capacity semiautomatics appear to be used in a higher share of firearm mass murders (up to 57% in total), though data on this issue are very limited. Trend analyses also indicate that high-capacity semiautomatics have grown from 33 to 112% as a share of crime guns since the expiration of the federal ban-a trend that has coincided with recent growth in shootings nationwide. Further research seems warranted on how these weapons affect injuries and deaths from gun violence and how their regulation may impact public health.
政策限制半自动攻击武器和大容量弹药夹，旨在通过限制大容量弹药半自动枪支和其他有利于犯罪用途的军用风格特征的存量来减少枪击受害者。联邦政府于 1994 年至 2004 年禁止此类武器，目前有几个州也实施了类似的限制。最近关于这些武器的辩论强调了它们在大规模枪击事件中的使用，但自联邦禁令失效以来，很少有研究调查它们在更普遍的枪支犯罪中的使用情况。本研究使用了包括以下几个地方和全国性数据来源，调查了美国目前使用攻击性武器和其他高容量半自动武器进行犯罪活动的水平：（1）十个大城市警方缴获的枪支；（2）警方报告给联邦当局进行调查追踪的枪支；（3）用于谋杀警察的枪支；（4）用于大规模屠杀的枪支。结果表明，攻击性武器（主要是攻击性步枪）占一般犯罪中使用枪支的 2-12%（大多数估计不到 7%），占谋杀警察的枪支的 13-16%。攻击性武器和其他高容量半自动武器加起来通常占犯罪枪支的 22%至 36%，对于涉及严重暴力的案件，包括谋杀警察的案件，有些估计超过 40%。攻击性武器和其他高容量半自动武器在枪支大规模屠杀事件中（总共占 57%）的使用比例似乎更高，尽管关于这个问题的数据非常有限。趋势分析还表明，自联邦禁令失效以来，高容量半自动武器在犯罪枪支中的份额从 33%增长到 112%，这一趋势与全国范围内枪击事件的近期增长相吻合。需要进一步研究这些武器如何影响枪支暴力造成的伤害和死亡，以及它们的监管可能如何影响公共健康。
