For Immediate Release
New Study Reveals One Assault Rifle is Traced Back to Crime in Maryland Every 48 Hours
September 5th , 2006
Contact: Sue Peschin
CeaseFire MD Board Member
(301) 802-4850
BALTIMORE, MD:One semiautomatic assault rifle was traced to a Maryland crime every 48 hours, according to a study by CeaseFire Maryland, Inc. released today.
The data, from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) show that 789 assault rifles were traced to crime in Maryland from January 2, 1998 to December 31, 2001, but the actual number of assault weapons traced to crime in the state is likely to be higher.
“With assault weapons being traced to crime in Maryland an average of every 48 hours, more needs to be done to get these guns off Maryland streets and to help law enforcement keep our communities safe,” said Lisa Delity, President of CeaseFire Maryland Inc. Lisa’s brother, FBI Special Agent Mike Miller, was gunned down with an assault weapon at Washington, DC police headquarters in November 1994.
The report, authored by CeaseFire Maryland, Inc. board member Sue Peschin, identified firearms that had certain common military calibers then narrowed the list by make and model. Entries with unknown makes and models were deleted. Finally, with the exception of the M1 Carbine, only those firearms that would be banned in Maryland under proposed assault weapons legislation from the 2006 legislative session were kept on the list. Therefore, the current data does not capture every assault weapon.
According to the tracing data, the most common assault rifles traced to crime by make and model include: 21 Colt AR-15s; 46 USA Military Surplus M1 Carbines; 55 Ruger Mini14s; 92 HiPoint 9mm carbines; and 294 North China Industries SKS variants.
Delegate Neil Quinter (D-TK), lead sponsor of legislation that would expand Maryland’s pistol ban to include assault rifles and shotguns, stated, “research has shown that Maryland's existing ban on assault pistols has been effective in reducing their use in crime. Today's report shows that we need to finish the job and pass my legislation to ban assault rifles and shotguns, as well, to end their deadly use in Maryland. These weapons of war have no place on our streets, threatening our citizens, children and police.”
The report was released today outside Valley Guns in Baltimore County. ATF recently revoked Valley Guns’ license to sell firearms due to thousands of Federal gun law violations. According to Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence President Paul Helmke, the store was chosen as the location for the report’s announcement because, “its proprietor represents what’s wrong with our gun laws. Valley Guns got away with thumbing its nose at state and federal laws for more than a decade. Meanwhile our state elected leaders continue to allow the sale of weapons that present a clear and present danger to Maryland communities.”
The Federal ban on assault weapons expired on September 13, 2004. Since early 2003 Maryland legislators have introduced legislation that would renew and strengthen the federal ban in Maryland. The most recent bill introduced in the 2006 legislative session would maintain the major elements of the expired Federal assault weapons ban by adding 45 long guns that have been defined as “assault weapons” under Maryland law to the assault pistol ban statute.
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CeaseFire Maryland, Inc. is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization that advocates for policies to prevent and reduce gun violence in Maryland.
As the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence, the Brady Campaign, working with its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters, is
devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe
at home, at school, at work, and in our communities.