Henry Bonilla: “I do not believe that restricting the legal purchase of guns will curb crime. The firearms listed in this bill--despite…”

“I do not believe that restricting the legal purchase of guns will curb crime. The firearms listed in this bill--despite their outward appearance--operate the same as, and are mechanically no different than, popular sport and hunting firearms. So I have to ask what is the agenda of the supporters of this ban and where will this Federal intrusion on constitutional rights end? If these firearms are being banned due solely for their looks, what is the point? Or rather what is the objective? Are sport and hunting rifles to be next? Banning these firearms would only be a cosmetic approach to crime prevention. According to FBI statistics more crimes are committed using fists and feet--5 percent--than with these firearms which account for less than 1 percent. This ban is the wrong approach. We can best address the illegal use of firearms by concentrating our efforts on the actions of criminals. According to the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, only 6 percent of criminals commit approximately 70 percent of violent crimes. A Rand Corp. survey found that the average career criminal-- just the average criminal--commits between 187 and 287 crimes a year, with each crime costing an average of $2,300. In one recent study of State prisoners, it was found that 10 percent of criminals committed 600 crimes a year. This ban is misdirected because it targets the people who live within the law not those who break it.”