Lighting Strike More Likely than Murder by AK-47

The leftist have again started calling for an "assault weapons ban"- saying it is sensible and reasonable gun control. They suggest there is a grave crisis and anyone who does not support a ban on these scary looking guns is anti-children, pro-violence, pro-death, and all sorts of evil.

Interesting Fact: in the US, you are about 1.24 times more likely to be STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AND SURVIVE, than you are to be murdered with ANY TYPE Rifle (all rifle types- bolt action, lever action, grandpa's .22 rifle, dad’s .30-06 he uses for deer hunting, John Wayne's Winchester and so called “assault rifles”) based on most current complete year data from the FBI.

According to the FBI 2012 extended homicide data (table 8) the total number of murders using a rifle was 322 (that is "three hundred twenty-two" so no one thinks I typed the number wrong). Again, that is for ALL TYPES OF RIFLES - not just so-called "assault rifles." The number of murders with shotguns are even less. These numbers do not include persons killed with a rifle by law enforcement (justified death).  There were 30 total for 2012. It also does not include the 20 persons killed with a rifle in self defense by private citizens- defined by FBI as "the killing of a felon while committing a felony, by a private citizen.” This does not include the number of times a felon was wounded by a private citizen using a rifle, and this figure does not include handguns used in self defense. (table 15). 

The lightning data came from National Geographic "Flash Facts About Lightning." According to this article about 400 people are struck by lightning each year and survive.

The fact is that according to data from the FBI, more people were murdered by blunt objects including hammers, clubs, etc. (518) , knives (1,589), and even using hands, feet and fists (678)  than were murdered by ALL rifles, not just “assault rifles.”  The FBI data for year 2012 also provides four previous years data for reference.  The number of murders with any type rifle was lower for each year than for knives, blunt objects or hand to hand.  On top of it all, the number of murders using a rifle as a weapon has decreased each and every year.

The FBI data is publicly available.  The leftist in Congress, the administration, Brady and Bloomberg ALL have access to this data.  They KNOW that an “assault weapons” ban would do very, very, little.

So I ask, what is the REAL reason the leftist are calling for an “assault weapons” ban?

(No NRA sources were used in the compiling of this data or writing this article).

Lighting Strike More Likely than Murder by AK-47