“Assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines are the weapon of choice of mass murderers precisely because of their capability to kill the most people in the shortest time. Mass shootings account for a minority of gun fatalities, but the use of assault weapons greatly increases the rates of death and injury as well as the severity of injuries. As was vividly underscored by Saturday’s events, the risk they pose to law enforcement is great and should give lie to those who think the solution to gun violence is even more guns.
“Polls consistently show that a majority of Americans support laws prohibiting assault weapons. Significant numbers of gun owners — 48 percent, according to a 2017 Pew Research Center poll — also support a ban on assault-style weapons.
“The slaughter of little children at Sandy Hook Elementary School should have been enough to persuade Congress to ban assault weapons and enact other common-sense measures… But voters next week will have the chance to send their own message. They should elect a Congress that will protect them by enacting long-overdue gun reform that includes getting weapons of war off America’s streets and out of its schools, theaters, churches and synagogues.” – Washington Post Editorial Board, We Can Stop this American Carnage