Feinstein Questions Expert on Deadly Nature of Assault Weapons

Press Release

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today questioned Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, a Marine Corps combat veteran and senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, about the need to remove military-style weapons of war from civilian communities.

Hunter, an expert in military weapons and former director of the Strategy and Warfare Center at the Air Force Academy, described in detail the difference between AR-15-style assault weapons commonly used in mass shootings and other types of weapons.

An excerpt from Hunter's testimony: "There is quite a bit of medical research that shows the combination of the .223 or .556 round -- because a lot of this does comes from the military medical community as well -- in combination with the muzzle velocity on these weapons, do an incredible amount of damage to the human body, and that's what they were designed to do.

"And that is substantially different than a 9mm round that was designed for a clean entry, kill-type wound. As opposed to a type of round that was designed not to just kill, but to maim and disable and disarm -- and if you injure someone, have a far greater extent for injury, which is something that is good for combat, but we're seeing it happen here."

A transcript of the exchange is below:

Senator Feinstein said: "For me, this is a very emotional hearing. On May 14, an 18-year-old killed 10 people in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, using an assault weapon. A week later, an 18-year-old killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, using an assault weapon.

"On the Fourth of July, a 21-year-old killed seven people and injured dozens more at a community parade in Highland Park, Ill., using an assault weapon. And just this past weekend, a 20-year-old killed three people and injured two others at a shopping mall in Greenwood, Ind., using an assault weapon.

"The 41 people killed in these four shootings in just the past two months -- think about that, they would all still be with us today if it were not for the easy access that people, and particularly young people, have to assault weapons.

"I also believe it's Congress's job to make sure people feel safe going to the grocery store, to school, to parades and to shopping malls. And that safety is not happening.

"I believe the solution is simple: we must ban assault weapons. Assault weapons are basically weapons of war. They have no place in our communities.

"The federal Assault Weapons Ban was in place from 1994 to 2004. A 2016 study showed that during that time, the number of gun massacres fell by 37 percent, and the number of people dying from gun massacres fell by 43 percent. In the 10 years after the ban lapsed, there was a 183 percent increase in massacres and a 239 percent increase in massacre deaths.

"So it's clear that the Assault Weapons Ban helped make our communities safer. I strongly believe we must pass it again.

"Dr. Hunter, how do assault weapons differ from other types of firearms, and do you believe a ban on assault weapons would be effective?"

Dr. Kyleanne Hunter: "When we talk about these weapons, there's a lot of discussion around semi-automatic versus automatic versus three-round burst. And that refers to a firing mechanism. Each time you pull the trigger one bullet comes out.

"But there are far different characteristics between different types weapons. Shotguns, you pull the trigger one time, one bullet comes out, very different type of round, very different muzzle velocity. So if we start… there is quite a bit of medical research that shows the combination of the .223 or .556 round -- because a lot of this does comes from the military medical community as well -- in combination with the muzzle velocity on these weapons, do an incredible amount of damage to the human body and that's what they were designed to do.

"And that is substantially different than a 9mm round that was designed for a clean entry, kill-type wound. As opposed to a type of round that was designed not to just kill, but to maim and disable and disarm -- and if you injure someone, have a far greater extent for injury, which is something that is good for combat, but we're seeing it happen here.

"There's also some substantial differences of just the size and creation of this rifle. It was designed to be lighter. If we look at the M16 as opposed to the M1, which was the previous service weapon, there's a three-pound differential, so this is a lighter, more maneuverable weapon than several of the other hunting rifles that you might commonly see.

"So I think it's important that when we talk about weapons, we talk about more than just if they're semi-automatic or fully automatic because the caliber, the muzzle velocity, the weight, the maneuverability, all of these are characteristics of the weapons that are important as well."

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