Assault Weapons Are a Problem Even in States With Otherwise Strict Gun Control Laws

Some 43 out of 50 states in the U.S. allow civilians to buy assault weapons. That means that it’s possible for the average 18 year-old to buy an AR-15 with little to no restrictions in the vast majority of the U.S. Even the few states with an existing statewide ban have seen issues with these types of weapons because the porousness of travel between states in the U.S. means that it’s relatively easy to secure an assault weapon in a neighboring state and bring it back to a state with a ban in place. For instance, Connecticut was one of the first states to ban assault weapons in 1993 (even before a federal ban in 1994). However, the state still saw one of the worst mass shootings in recent history when an assailant massacred 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2011. The state has since sought to create even stricter legislation. In 2013, Connecticut passed additionally sweeping legislation in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting that added another 100 firearms to the assault weapons ban and placed additional restrictions on the purchase of ammunition magazines. Gun enthusiasts and lobbyists are still challenging the bill. The fact remains, however, that assault weapon the Sandy Hook shooter used was obtained legally by his mother. It’s unclear how she was able to do that given the weapons ban already in place, but the fact that she was able to demonstrates that state-by-state bans are far from sufficient.