Media Guide to Reporting on Guns and Gun Crime

Gun violence, guns, and gun control are very volatile issues and supercharged with emotion. We have an obligation to report accurately on these subjects.

About the writer:

Richard C. Rhodes is a former Marine, ATF (then A&TTD) agent, CIA agent, and a law graduate. As a civilian, he worked for years with the Dallas police and others on crime prevention programs.

During his tenure as a U.S. Treasury agent, he was for several years a specialist on the enforcement of the Federal firearms laws (while stationed in Philadelphia). For over 20 years he has been writing on crime-related subjects.

DEFINITIONS

Semiautomatic - A weapon that fires one shot for each pull of the trigger (without manual reloading). Cartridges are usually stored in a magazine or tube.

Automatic - A weapon that fires more than one shot, without manual reloading, with a single pull of the trigger. That is, it will fire all the cartridges in its magazine with one continuous pull of the trigger.

All, repeat all, automatic weapons have been controlled by Federal law since 1934 (National Firearms Act.) Also included in this law are rifles with "barrels of less than 16 inches or an overall length of less than 26 inches." Shotguns with barrels of less than 18 inches or an overall length of less than 26 inches" are similarly controlled by federal law. The penalty for illegal possession is up to a $10,000 fine, up to 10 years in prison, or both. There is a lengthy procedure and a background check for anyone who wishes to legally possess one of the named guns.

The manufacture of new fully-automatic weapons for sale to civilians was outlawed in 1986. The limited number of automatic weapons that are for sale among civilians were in private hands before 1986. Thus, there is not much of a legal market in civilian automatic weapons. Collectors are reluctant to part with their weapons.

A journalist should not fall into the trap of writing about the need to enact new Federal laws regarding "automatic weapons," "sawed-off shotguns and rifles," as they are already covered.

Any fully-automatic weapons, sawed-off rifles and shotguns in the hands of criminals is an indication of a failure to detect offenses, make arrests, and prosecute under stringent existing Federal law.

When is an Automatic not an Automatic?

Many weapons that are actually "semiautomatic" are reported in good faith as "automatic" weapons. The appearance of the semi- and fully-automatic versions of many families of weapons are nearly identical. For example, there are fully-automatic and semiautomatic AK-47s and UZIs. There are fully-automatic and semiautomatic .30-caliber military style carbines.

The famous Thompson .45-caliber submachinegun (Tommy Gun) is also made in a semiautomatic version (a "carbine" model) which looks just like the fully-automatic model, and so on. There are no standard

"automatic pistols," that is, ones that fire in a fully-automatic mode. For example, the fully-automatic UZI pistol is classed as a "machine pistol."

Semiautomatic pistols are often erroneously referred to as "automatic" weapons. This came about because the word "semiautomatic" was shortened to "automatic" or "auto."

Further confusing the issue, semiautomatic pistols and semiautomatic shotguns are often referred to as "autoloaders." This just means that these guns reload themselves (automatically) from a magazine or tube. You still have to pull the trigger once for each shot.

In these days of tremendous focus on "automatic weapons," it is advisable to use the word "semiautomatic" when referring to pistols, rifles, carbines and shotguns that fire one shot for each pull of the trigger - and that then reload a round from a magazine or a tube under the barrel. Reserve the word "automatic" for commenting on fully-automatic submachineguns and machine guns.

Machine gun - A full-sized fully-automatic weapon that is usually mounted on a stand, or fired from a bipod, such as used by the military. They do not fire pistol cartridges, e.g., .45 caliber and 9mm. By definition, any shoulder-fired automatic weapon chambering a pistol cartridge is classed as a "submachinegun."

The .50-caliber machine-gun cartridge is about six inches long and fires a bullet of enormous destructive power. When we report that a criminal fired a "machine gun," we conjure up an image of one of these formidable military-type weapons - or at the least a Thompson or UZI submachinegun.

(Note: the word "fully" in "fully-automatic" is superfluous, but is used here to emphasize the difference between automatic and semiautomatic weapons.)

Machine Pistol - A fully-automatic handheld weapon that holds a large number (circa 20-30) of cartridges. The UZI is made in a fully-automatic version, and a semiautomatic version. Contrary to popular misconception, the fully-automatic "machine pistol" is not common in criminal hands. (Refer to info on National Firearms Act of 1934.)

(Note: There are fully-automatic 9mm UZIs, there are semiautomatic versions, and there are many look-alikes. There are several production guns that look very much like an UZI. There are pellet-gun UZI look-alikes, water pistols, and so on. Unless you have very good evidence that a weapon was an UZI, or an AK-47, etc., caution is advised in reporting. Where appropriate, the use of "semiautomatic UZI" or "semiautomatic AK-47" "semiautomatic TEC-9," and so on, is suggested.)

There is enough fear and paranoia about crime. We don't need to add fuel to the fire by talking about people roaming the streets with "automatic" weapons or "machine guns," when the facts are not there.

Submachinegun - A fully-automatic weapon that generally fires a pistol cartridge, such as the .45-caliber or 9mm. It normally has a shoulder stock. Classic examples are the Thompson .45-caliber submachinegun used by Dick Tracy and by John Wayne in some of his Marine movies. Another example is the fully-automatic UZI carbine popularized in combat films and TV shows like "Miami Vice."

Note! Both the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual and the New York Times Manual of Style and Usage incorrectly define a submachinegun as a weapon which fires automatically or semiautomatically. A submachinegun, by definition, fires only automatically, that is, all cartridges in the magazine can be fired with one continuous pull of the trigger.

Carbine - This is basically a lighter-weight rifle with a short (but legal-length) barrel and probably a shorter shoulder stock. The most famous example is the military M1 .30-caliber semiautomatic carbine. The M2 carbine is fully-automatic, and thus covered by the National Firearms Act.

Pump - As in pump-shotgun or rifle. A weapon, usually shoulder fired, that requires the user to load each cartridge or shell by "pumping" a slide-type device on the underside of the gun. The police-type shotgun is an example of a "pump shotgun." Pump shotguns normally hold about five shells in a tubular magazine under the barrel. There are only a few models of pump rifles in current production.

Lever Action - A rifle that requires each cartridge to be loaded by the cycling of a lever on the gun. The classic .30-30 lever action is the type gun the movie cowboy carries in his saddle scabbard. They are still popular with ranchers, farmers and hunters. The lever-action rifle normally holds about six cartridges in a tubular magazine.

In the old TV show, "The Bounty Hunter," the hero (?) carried a sawed-off lever-action rifle, which is currently regulated by the National Firearms Act as a "rifle with a barrel of less than 16 inches or an overall length of less than 26 inches."

In the period after the show came on the air, Federal agents seized many Bounty Hunter "copy-cat" sawed-off lever-action rifles. Because they fire powerful cartridges such as the .30-30 and .30-06, sawed-off rifles are many more times lethal than the average handgun. A good lever-action rifle actually costs far less at retail than the average 9mm pistol on the market. A hacksaw costs a few bucks. (See ballistics chart at the end.)

Assault Rifle - Originally, Assault Rifle meant a light-weight military weapon that was either fully-automatic or "select fire." Select-fire weapons can be switched between semiautomatic, burst-fire, or fully-automatic - sometimes allowing for all three modes. "Burst fire" is when three rounds or so are fired with each pull of the trigger.

The AK-47 has become the public image of an Assault Rifle. Because fully-automatic weapons are controlled by the Federal Firearms Act, most of the so-called Assault Rifles we read about are semiautomatic.

It is very difficult to arrive at a definition for an Assault Rifle, as we have come to know them. Thus, the California legislature, the U.S. Senate, and others have opted to ban or regulate Assault Rifles by manufacturer's name and model number.

Assault Rifles are no more (and often less) lethal than a common semiautomatic hunting rifle. The main difference is the use of large capacity (20 plus) cartridge magazines in the Assault Rifles. But large capacity magazines can be made for any semiautomatic rifle that uses a "box magazine."

Much is made of the fact that many foreign-made Assault Rifles have a place to attach a bayonet. When was the last time you heard of someone being robbed "at bayonet point"? Or of drug dealers fighting it out "hand-to-hand" with bayoneted rifles?

The average Assault Rifle shoots a cartridge that is much weaker than the average hunting rifle. The average Assault Rifle has no more rapid "rate-of-fire" than any decent semiautomatic hunting rifle.

For example, the AR-16 used buy our troops in Desert Storm fires a .223 caliber cartridge. In some states that cartridge is considered to be too weak to use humanely for deer hunting and is outlawed for such hunting. The Colt Sporter (aka AR-15), which is on the list of guns to be banned in a Senate bill, is a semiautomatic civilian version of the AR-16.

The use of Assault Rifles (99 percent are semiautomatic) by criminals is a problem. However, it is only about one to three percent of the problem of gun crime. Criminals continue to do most of their dirty work with handguns and shotguns.

Pistol - Generally refers to a semiautomatic handheld weapon, although there are "single-shot" pistols, such as used in target shooting and some hunting.

Statutes sometimes use the term "pistol" to include all semiautomatic pistols, revolvers, or any weapon designed to be fired with one hand. This is a legitimate use of the word pistol and was used by Colt when he patented his "revolving pistol," which became known as the "revolver" or "six-shooter."

Revolver - A handheld weapon that holds its cartridges in a revolving cylinder. Most revolvers hold six cartridges. Some revolvers, primarily snub-nosed, such as carried by many plain-clothes police, hold only five cartridges. Some .22-caliber revolvers hold nine cartridges.

Pistols are either "double action" or "single action." Wild West type guns are "single action." The hammer must be pulled back and cocked for each shot. Double action pistols can be fired just by pulling the trigger, but they can also be cocked and fired "single action."

The trigger on a double action revolver is much more sensitive when it is cocked in the single-action mode. Single action cocking is used where there is time to take an aimed shot, since there is less chance to move the barrel off target with the lighter trigger pull.

(The almost universal practice of cops and criminals on TV and in movies of cocking their revolvers and semiautos as a means of intimidation is a tragic idea to plant. Many accidental shootings and deaths have resulted from the "hair-trigger" that is presented when a double-action pistol is cocked by those who are not skilled in its use.)

On the average, it takes about 11-12 pounds of pressure to pull the trigger on a double-action trigger. It takes about 4-5 pounds to pull a single-action trigger (where the hammer is cocked).

Some revolvers are double-action only, such as the S&W Centennial. It has a concealed hammer, thus you cannot cock the hammer by hand. This type of handgun is probably the least likely to be discharged unintentionally.

Single-action Semiautomatic Pistols - Older semiautomatic pistols were single action. That is, you had to cock the weapon before it could be fired. Pulling the "slide" back loads one cartridge from the magazine and cocks the hammer. If a cartridge is already in the chamber (barrel) and the hammer is down, you can ready the gun just by pulling back on the hammer to cock it.

Double-action Semiautomatic pistols - Many newer semiautomatic pistols can be fired by just pulling the trigger (the hammer does not need to be cocked manually or by pulling on the slide). Of course, a cartridge must already be cycled into the chamber.

After the first shot, the pistol is placed into a single-action mode, which then requires only a short (light) trigger pull. You can usually spot a "double-action semiauto" by the curved trigger that hangs down near the middle of the triggerguard, similar to a trigger on a double-action revolver.

(The Browning Hi-Power 9mm is a single-action semiautomatic pistol that has what looks like a double-action trigger. )

Double-action Only Semiautomatic Pistols - A recent trend in semiautomatic pistols is one that can be fired "double-action" only. A long, fairly heavy trigger pull is required. There is no exposed hammer to cock and no safety. No safety is required, just as there is none on a double-action revolver.

Speedloader - Generally refers to a cylindrical device that holds a full resupply of cartridges for a revolver (usually 5 or 6 ). The revolver cylinder is reloaded by dropping only the nose of the cartridges into the empty cylinder and twisting a cam that drops all the shells into the revolver chambers at the same time.

Silencers - Silencers are regulated by the Federal government (BATF). A gun can be effectively silenced with a baffler (silencer) only if it fires a sub-sonic bullet. The speed of sound at sea level is 1130 feet-per-second at 68 degrees F. You can see from the later chart which of the pistol cartridges qualify as sub-sonic. There is, for example, a sub-sonic 147 grain 9mm round not shown on the chart.

A revolver cannot be effectively silenced, because gas (noise) escapes from the gap between the cylinder and the barrel.

Cartridges, Shells, Rounds and Bullets - The proper name of the explosive device that is loaded into rifles and pistols is a "cartridge." It consists of the shell case (casing), the primer, the powder, and the bullet.

Most people also refer to cartridges as "shells," and that is okay. The word "round" is also used to describe a cartridge. A gun holds so many "rounds," "five rounds were fired," and so on.

The Bullet is the projectile that is fired. There are at least 25 ways to describe bullets, other than by weight and caliber. A common cartridge is a 158 grain .38 Special. It might have a "full metal jacket" (FMJ), that is, the bullet is completely encased in a copper jacket. The bullet could be a "jacketed hollow point" (JHP), which is partially jacketed, but with the lead nose hollowed out to provide for greater expansion when it hits. And on and on.

Shotguns shoot "shells" with either "shot" or solid slugs. There is "birdshot" and "buckshot."

Magazine - The device that holds a quantity of cartridges. A detachable "Box Magazine" is often called a "Clip." Many .22-caliber rifles, lever-action hunting rifles, and pump shotguns have a "tubular magazine" which lies under the barrel and holds the supply of cartridges. The tube has to be reloaded by hand each time, as it is permanently affixed to the gun.

Rimfire Cartridge - A cartridge that is struck on the edge of the rim by the firing pin. The .22-caliber is the most common example of a "rimfire" cartridge. Another popular rimfire is the .22 Magnum (.22 WMR). Rimfire cartridges cannot be reused (reloaded), because the "primer" is an integral part of the shell casing.

Centerfire Cartridge - The primer that ignites the powder inside the shell casing is situated in the center of the cartridge. In most cases, it is replaceable, that is, the cartridge can be "reloaded" with a new primer, powder and bullet - and used again.

A Definition Can Mean What A Legislature Wants It to Mean

A definition in a statute can mean anything a legislature wants it to mean. For example, in the laws of the District of Columbia, a machine gun is defined as "any firearm which shoots automatically or semiautomatically more than 12 shots without reloading." These aberrations of normally-agreed-upon definitions are not common. Journalists should stick with the normally understood definition unless reporting or commenting on a specific law that uses a different definition.

If there is a Federal definition (as there is with "machine gun"), legislatures generally follow the Federal guideline.

RATES of FIRE, RELOADABILITY, FIREPOWER, et al.

Part of the dilemma of reporting on the capacity of a weapon to produce disabling or lethal injuries is the lack of understanding about rates of fire, reloadability, and the actual destructive power of certain cartridges.

The trend among legislatures is to restrict handguns and semiautomatic rifles that fire a large number of cartridges without reloading. The focus of most of the attention has been so-called "assault rifles," "assault pistols," and the 9mm semiautomatic pistols that have magazines that hold 13 or more cartridges.

The emphasis on the number of cartridges held in a magazine is somewhat misplaced. A competent shooter with a 7-shot semiautomatic pistol or rifle can fire seven shots, insert a fresh magazine and fire the next shot within about 1.5 seconds! That puts him or her only a slightly behind the speed with which a person can empty a 14-round semiautomatic weapon.

In rapid-fire pistol competitions, those firing 6-shot revolvers (using speedloaders) can fire nearly as fast as some shooters using semiautomatic pistols. Thus, a competent shooter with a .357 Magnum 6-shot revolver and speedloaders has more "deadly" firepower than a person using a 14-shot 9mm semiautomatic pistol.

In the first place, the .357 Magnum is a much more deadly cartridge than the 9mm, so one good hit from a .357 will kill or disable, where it may take several shots from a 9mm. Secondly, the competent revolver shooter, using speedloaders, can nearly equal the rate-of-fire of a semiauto pistol.

You never see a discussion of the "fatal flaw" with 9mm and other high-capacity semiautomatic pistols. Once the magazine is empty, the shooter is out of action for a considerable period unless he has spare loaded magazines. It is extremely difficult to load cartridges into semiautomatic pistol magazines under stress. It's hard enough to do it at the kitchen table with no time limits. With a revolver, even without using speedloaders, loose cartridges can be loaded into the cylinder with comparative ease in a matter of seconds.

Then why did many police departments switch to 9mm semiautomatic pistols that hold up to 17 rounds? Why did the FBI switch from its reliance on .357 Magnum revolvers to issuing many 9mm semiautos - and then change the emphasis to a 10mm semiauto pistol?

To most people, having "firepower" means to have a large caliber weapon that will shoot a lot of shells without reloading. If you're not a good shot, get a gun that will shoot more shells, regardless of the stopping power of an individual cartridge. Among skilled shooters, this philosophy is known as "spray and pray." Strangely, both police and criminals are subscribing to this theory.

In few gun battles are more than about 3 or 4 shots fired! Police wound their assailants only about 20 percent of the time. Old handgunners have a saying, "I'd rather hit him once with a .22 than miss him 14 times with a 9mm."

(A few months ago, a Dallas officer, standing about 30 feet from an adversary, fired 14 times with a 9mm pistol, hitting the other man only once in a finger and once in the torso.)

For years the FBI issued .357 Magnum revolvers to their agents. A few years back they also authorized 9mm semiautomatic pistols for more "firepower." In a big gun battle in Miami in 1986 FBI agents wounded one assailant in the chest with 9mm handgun bullet. He lived to return fire and killed two FBI agents. There is little doubt that a comparable hit from a .357 Magnum revolver would have disabled or killed the assailant.

(Author note: The following discussion of FBI handgun choices is outdated, but is left in place for what light it might shed on the often irrational decisions law enforcement makes in the choice of weapons.)

Very upset, the FBI undertook a study of pistol "firepower." They are now switching to a 10mm semiautomatic pistol designed for them by Smith & Wesson. The 10mm has about the stopping power of a .357 Magnum revolver and a standard magazine capacity of 9 cartridges. (The first 750 10mm pistols issued were recalled due to a defective trigger on several guns.)

Curiously, the FBI standard 10mm cartridge will be loaded with less powder than the normal 10mm round. It has been dubbed the "FBI Lite," and is already the subject of much second-guessing. One explanation for the use of the weaker cartridge is that the regular cartridge causes so much recoil that it is hard to bring the pistol down on target and fire rapidly and accurately. Also, smaller agents and women have trouble handling the heavy gun and recoil.

The relatively new .40 S&W semiautomatic pistols fire the same size bullets as the 10mm at about the same velocity as the 10mm Lite. Thus, the .40 S&W is the equivalent of the FBI "10mm Lite" cartridge, but 11 of the .40 S&W cartridges can be held in a standard magazine.

Both the 10mm FBI Lite cartridge and the .40 S&W are considered by many to be about on par with the venerable .45 ACP in stopping power. If so, it is a convoluted and expensive path the FBI has taken to arrive at a quasi .45 caliber pistol that hold 9 rounds (versus 7 or 8 for the average .45 pistol).

You will probably see many police departments abandon the large-capacity 9mm pistols in the coming years in favor of the .40 S&W caliber semiautomatic pistols (many already have done so). We are also seeing a resurgence of the .45-caliber pistol for law enforcement. The 10mm pistol seems to have peaked like a rocket and fizzled, except for the 10,000 pistols ordered by the FBI.

A Shotgun Can be More Lethal Than an Assault Rifle

There have been several incidents where large-capacity semi-automatic rifles have been used to murder several people at one location. These incidents have triggered the quickest and most restrictive gun laws in our history. The largest caliber used by most of the so-called assault rifles is around .30-caliber. A 12-gauge shotgun firing #1 buckshot (magnum load) fires 20 .30-caliber projectiles with each shot.

The Colt AR-15 (Sporter) semiautomatic rifle, banned by a Senate bill and later rescinded, fires a .223-caliber bullet, with a typical magazine holding 5-20 rounds. A 12-gauge shotgun firing #4 buckshot shoots 41 .24-caliber projectiles! A five shot pump shotgun with one in the chamber could thus fire 246 .24-caliber projectiles in about 3-4 seconds.

We hear a lot about how a .357 Magnum or a .44-Magnum will go through car engine blocks, and so forth. Most of this is apocryphal. In one series of tests with everything from a .380 pistol to assault-rifles and shotguns, the only projectile that even went in one car door and out the other side was a 12-gauge shotgun "slug." A slug typically weighs around one ounce.

The effective range of a shotgun is about 40-70 yards with shotshells. Birdshot (the smaller diameter stuff) tends to lose its effect beyond about 40 yards. Buckshot can still be effective out to possibly 70 yards. Shotgun slugs can be effective to 100 yards or more. Against human targets, the shotgun is ideally employed from point-blank range to about 30 yards.

Which Guns to Ban?

The legislative trend is to ban or restrict assault pistols, assault rifles, and weapons with high-capacity magazines.

Bobby Kennedy was shot at very close range with a .22-caliber revolver. John F. Kennedy was shot with a bolt-action "hunting rifle." Several shots were fired at the caravan in a few seconds - with a bolt-action rifle! John Hinckley fired six shots from a .22-revolver in under two seconds!

All attempts to restrict guns by caliber or type of action are uneducated guesses. A gun is a gun is a gun. All can kill.

There is a trend in reporting (and in legislation) to say that the 9mm semiauto pistol is the preeminent handgun "killing machine," and that revolvers are less deadly. To surmise that revolvers in .357 Magnum, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, .45 Colt, .45 ACP and 10mm are "less-deadly" is simply asinine!

Many officers carry .357 Magnum revolvers, but in deference to the recoil and the potential for penetrating walls and so on, they shoot a .38 Special +P+ (a hot .38 load) in these .357s. The .38 Special +P+ has proved to be quite deadly. (The very hot +P+ ammo, in a variety of calibers, is sold only to law enforcement.)

Cartridge Ballistics

Although it is not a concrete guide to the lethality of a cartridge, the foot pounds of energy created by a cartridge is a benchmark which can be used to talk about relative killing capability.

For a given bullet diameter and weight, the amount of powder in the shell casing and the length of the barrel affect the muzzle velocity and the "foot pounds of energy" generated. Here are some figures to ponder when talking about a capacity to kill or disable:

Pistol Cartridges

Caliber - Bullet Weight (grains) - Muzzle Velocity (ft. per second) - Energy (ft.lbs.)

.22 Long Rifle 40gr 1060 100

(Winchester catalog)

.25 ACP 50gr 760 65

.380 Auto 95gr 955 190

.38 Special 158gr 755 200

.38 Special +P 158gr 890 278

9mm 115gr 1160 345

.45 ACP 230gr 850 370

.45 ACP +P 185 1140 534

(Remington)

.40 S&W 180gr 985 390

(Comparable to the FBI 10mm Lite)

.357 Magnum 158gr 1235 535

.357 Magnum 125gr 1450 583

10mm (FBI Lite) 180 950 360

(Federal for FBI)

10mm (Winchester) 175gr 1290 649

Bullet Weight Muzzle Velc. Energy

.44 Magnum 240gr 1180 741

.44 Magnum 180gr 1610 1035

Of the listed cartridges, the following calibers are used in both pistols and rifles: .22 Long Rifle, .38 Special, 9mm, 10mm, .45 ACP, .357 Magnum, and .44 Magnum. When used in a rifle, these cartridges have a higher velocity and foot-pounds-of-energy. See the comparison for the .22 Long Rifle, for example.

Rifle Cartridges

.22 Long Rifle 40gr 1255 140

.223 55gr 3240 1280

(AR-15 round)

7.62 X 39 123gr 2300 1445

(AK-47 round)

.30-30 170gr 2200 1830

.30.06 180gr 2700 2915

300 Winchester Mag 180gr 2960 3500

Even when a barrel is sawed off, the velocity is reduced by only a relatively small amount for each inch cut off.

.12 Gauge Shotgun 2- 3/4 inch shells

1-1/4 oz. Magnum Slug 1520 2805

All figures are for representative loads and are from the FEDERAL 1991 catalog except where noted.

Some Final Thoughts

If criminals had used .45 ACP and .40 S&W semiautomatics, and used.357 Magnum and .44 Magnum revolvers, instead of 9mm pistols in the thousands of recent shootings, hundreds more victims would be dead. Many more bystanders and unintended targets would be dead from the penetration of the magnum bullets through car doors, walls and even the intended victims.

But remember. A gun is a gun is a gun. A .22 or a .25 ACP is all you need if you go up to someone in the parking lot at a bar and shoot him in the head from one foot away. The .22 has long been a choice of many assassins. The cartridge is inherently quiet and the sub-sonic .22 cartridges can effectively be quieted with a "silencer."

If we stopped producing and legally importing all guns at noon tomorrow, the gun-crime statistics would not substantially change over the next few years. Two simple facts account for this seldom-talked-about phenomenon. There are already about 200 million firearms in private hands, with about 60 million handguns privately owned. Less than 0.4 percent of handguns are ever used in criminal activity (less than 0.2% of all firearms).

A gun can be serviceable for 50 to 100 years! Specific bullet calibers have longevity. The guns now on the street will outlive this generation of thugs, and be recycled to the next generation. With just the existing pool of guns, criminals of all ages will have enough guns to continue their violent ways until after you and I are long gone.

The guns seized by police each year are offset by the guns stolen each year.

Well then, the government needs to register all guns, which has historically lead to confiscation. I can tell you from long experience in working in and with law enforcement, and listening to gun owners from all over the country - registration and confiscation are two of the dumbest ideas going. Politicians and most in the media simply do not comprehend how vehemently gun owners feel about registering or giving up their guns. They have seen registrations and later confiscations - not only in totalitarian countries, but right here in New York City, California and elsewhere. Attempts to register guns will make instant criminals out of tens of thousands of law-abiding citizens. Criminals will not register, as they are by definition violators of the laws. Then, efforts to arrest otherwise law-abiding citizens will in many, many cases result in armed resistance by the citizens. Trust me! It will be a holy mess!

So, if you are an editorial writer, or a reporter who has a chance to write an article about gun registration, I suggest that you will not be furthering the cause of reducing violence - you will be fanning the fire in the long run.

Criminals seldom buy or steal guns for the express purpose of killing someone. They have guns to:

1) intimidate victims 2) protect themselves 3) be "cool."

We might find that the popularity among criminals of the 9mm semiauto pistol is largely the result of stimuli from movies, TV and the print media. If they were serious about killing people, they would carry .357 Magnums, .45s, .44 Magnums or shotguns with buckshot or one-ounce slugs.

Think about this the next time you start to write a sentence that contains the phrase "the weapon of choice is ... ." Old Joe Thug might just say to himself, "Geez, I better get me one of them babies."

The End