Hopefully, anyone taking part in this quiz either already understood, or is coming to the realization, that the federal ''assault weapon'' ban of 1994 was a symbolic and stupid gesture devoid of substance.

Certain rifles were designated "assault weapons" based, more than anything else, on some very picky details of their appearance.  These are cosmetic details that would be lost on most people, and even many gun owners.  Thus, it's not surprising to see forum posts with titles like "Is my AK pre-ban or post-ban?"

Most gun owners did not (and do not) oppose the "assault weapon" ban because it was draconian.  We opposed it (and still do oppose it) because it was stupid, and the people who voted for it were either ignorant of firearms and/or they just didn't care.

They were at least smart enough to know they'd get killed politically if they voted for a law that actually banned something, but they didn't have the cojones to stand up to Sarah frickin' Brady, so they rolled over for this inane law.  Politicians exhibiting that woeful level of knowledge and/or intestinal fortitude should be turned out of office just as a matter of principle.

That said, on to the next round...

First, yesterday's question was:

Which of the following cartridges, if any, were in the "Top 5" cartridges responsible for the deaths of police officers shot in the line of duty in 1994?

The answer:

The top 5 "cop killer" cartridges of 1994 were:

 

.38 Special (revolver) - 25.2%

.357 Magnum (revolver) - 12.1%

.22 Long Rifle (handgun and rifle) - 9.8%

9 mm (handgun) - 9.5%

12 Ga. (shotgun) - 7.4%

Of note is the fact that none of the above ammo types is associated with the AR (.223 Rem.) or AK (7.62x39mm) variants which were the primary focus of the 'assault weapon' ban.  Statistics show that police officers are most often killed with revolvers, semiauto pistols and shotguns.  Although police officers are occasionally killed with AR and AK style rifles (see below), these deaths were (and are) rare compared to the number of officers killed by revolvers.  These statistics put the lie to the anti-gunners' oft-repeated argument that a federal "assault weapon" ban was necessary in 1994 because our law enforcement officers were being "outgunned" by supercriminals wielding assault weapons and were being "gunned down" in the streets by these weapons.

Question 4:

The federal "assault weapon" ban expired in 2004, thus removing certain restrictions on manufacture and importation of "AK-47" or "Kalashnikov"-style guns.

 

At the time, proponents of the "assault weapon" ban predicted that the expiration of the ban would result in open season on police officers, and that our men and women in blue would once again be "outgunned" by criminals wielding "assault weapons" similar to the AK-47.

 

The total number of police officers killed in the U.S. by 7.62x39mm bullets ("AK-47 bullets") over the 2002-2004 time frame immediately preceding the expiration of the "assault weapon" ban was was 15 police officers.

 

The number of police officers killed in the U.S. by 7.62x39mm bullets ("AK-47 bullets") over the 2005-2007 time frame immediately following the expiration of the ban was...

 

a. 8 officers.

b. 17 officers.

c. 31 officers.

d. 43 officers.

e. 106 officers. 

Please share your answers below (then check your answer here).

And remember...NO GOOGLING!! ;-)