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Quite possibly the dumbest of all gun control policy proposals.
According to the NRA, there are between 8.5 and 15 million "assault weapons" in the United States. Other estimates range from 10 to 20 million. I'll pick 10 as a conservative guess.
According to the NRA, there are between 8.5 and 15 million "assault weapons" in the United States. Other estimates range from 10 to 20 million. I'll pick 10 as a conservative guess.
An entry-level AR-15 costs around $650. Let's assume the government "buys back" all assault rifles at this cost. That's a total of $65 billion for this "buyback", assuming 100% compliance and that each rifle is bought at that cost.
Now, how many lives would this save? According to the FBI, out of the 15,070 murdered in the US in 2016, 11,004 (73%) were murdered with firearms. Rifle murders accounted for 374 of those deaths - 2.5% of all murders, 3.3% of gun murders. ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u…
Keep in mind that total includes all rifles. It is unknown what percentage of rifle deaths were caused by "assault weapons", but let's assume it's 100% and the "buyback" is 100% effective. Deaths drop from 374 to 0.
We'll have paid an average of $173 million per life saved.
We'll have paid an average of $173 million per life saved.
Keep in mind this is the best-case scenario. The fewest number of weapons, 100% compliance, 100% effectiveness. And all that to solve 3% of gun violence. That's pathetic. Completely and utterly pathetic.
Obviously this would not be 100% effective. There are still millions of rifles out there even if you take every "assault weapon". There will not be 100% compliance - New Jerseyans ignored a ban in the 90s, and New Zealand's turnout is extremely low.
This is a dumb proposal suggested by dumb people who have no idea what the problem is or how to fix it. Gun control advocates would be wise to ditch this idea even on their own goals because this doesn't fix anything.
