Major Mass Shootings Continue to Increase Since Congress Allowed the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban to Expire

Washington, D.C., September 13, 2024 — Today marks 20 years since the expiration of the federal ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. The original ban, which was crafted by Brady and signed into law in 1994 by President Bill Clinton, was supported by Republicans and Democrats alike. However, after intense lobbying by the corporate gun lobby and NRA, Congress allowed the law to sunset in 2004. In the decade after the ban expired, mass shootings in which six or more deaths occurred increased by 347%.

Brady, the nation's oldest gun violence prevention organization, once again calls on Congress to pass the Assault Weapons Ban of 2023.

A Story of Survival | Ban Assault Weapons

Brady President Kris Brown said:

“From Sandy Hook, Buffalo, Uvalde, and now Apalachee High School in Georgia, assault weapons continue to wreak havoc in communities nationwide. These weapons of war have no place in our communities, and every day that we wait to regulate them, more lives are at risk.
Our namesakes, Jim and Sarah Brady, made history by passing the first ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines with then-Sen. Joe Biden. And countless lives were saved as a result: In fact, during the 10-year period the federal assault weapons ban was in effect, mass shooting fatalities dropped by 70%. But in the next decade after the ban expired, over 300 people were shot and killed in 34 mass shootings, representing a sharp increase in massacres and fatalities. Donna Dees-Thomases of the Million Mom March — which eventually joined Brady — warned of the harm if lawmakers failed to listen to American mothers about reinstating the original assault weapons ban 20 years ago this month. But assault weapons remain the weapon of choice of mass shooters, including school shooters like the Apalachee shooter.
The time for change is now, and the vast majority of the American people want to end this preventable bloodshed. According to recent Brady Campaign polling, 64% of adults agree that civilians should not have access to assault-style weapons. It is past time that Congress listens to the will of the people — not the NRA — and protects our communities and children from senseless gun violence. We call on Congress to stop the assault and ban assault weapons and large-capacity magazines now.”


About the Unique Lethality of Assault Weapons:

  • 155% more people are shot and 47% more people die in incidents where assault weapons or large-capacity magazines are used.

  • When an assault weapon and/or a high-capacity magazine is used in a public mass shooting, nearly 14 times as many people are injured, and twice as many people are killed.

  • During the 10-year period the federal assault weapons ban was in effect, mass shooting fatalities were 70% less likely to occur compared to the periods before and after the ban

  • Today, there are over 19.8 million AR-15-style rifles in circulation in the US, which is a 132.9% increase in the number of AR-15 rifles in circulation when the Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired in 2004.

  • 63% of Americans support a ban on assault weapons.

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