Thread by @igorvolsky

The shooter who killed 3 people at #garlicfestival couldn’t legally purchase alcohol. But, he was able to cross state lines and legally buy a powerful firearm that’s virtually identical to the one used by our military. Here's why those weapons MUST be banned 1/

Semi-automatic rifles virtually indistinguishable from M-16s & thus NOT protected by #2A. In #garlicfestival police said they were out-gunned by shooter’s assault rifle. (SKS assault rifles were used in at least 5 mass shootings between 2004 and 2017) vpc.org/wp-content/upl… 2/

1998-2016: 24 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty w/ SKS assault rifles like the one used in #garlicfestival

ATF describes SKS as “the rifle model most frequently encountered by law enforcement officers.” vpc.org/wp-content/upl… 3/

The Supreme Court has found that #2A does NOT protect “weapons not typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes.” These are weapons like: machine guns or M-16s, which are considered “dangerous and unusual weapons.” 4/

Fed courts, including U.S. District Court Central District of California just 7 days ago, found: Assault weapons like the one used at #gilroygarlicfestival may be banned. Indistinguishable from M-16s weapons used in military services and are NOT in common use for self defense 5/

The key difference between an M-16 and an assault weapon is that the M-16 is capable of automatic fire and an assault weapon is not. However, that is a distinction without a difference. Here's why: 6/