Heritage Foundation "WATCH @AmySwearer opening statement before the House Judiciary Committee in a hearing titled “Protecting America from Assault Weapons.”
Notes: * Many policymakers don't know the facts about defensive weapons * Semi-auto rifles are seldom used for crimes; 2/3 gun deaths are suicides (where gun type is irrelevant) * Gun crimes: 90% committed with handguns; people 4x more likely to be stabbed to death than shot to death * Mass shootings: half are carried out with hand guns alone (last decade) * Semi-auto rifles: designated by Homeland Security as personal defense weapons for law officers * They are thus the weapon of choice for civilian defense too * Story of her mom, who--as someone who does not shoot guns--could not hit a target with a handgun at the range, but could hit a target very accurately using an AR-15. * Conclusion re this type of weapon: "When accuracy and stopping power matter, they are simply better." * "THAT is why law-abiding citizens buy millions of these firearms.”
