How to give our kids and cops a better chance of surviving a massacre

A recent Washington Post article documents how the U.S. military’s assault rifle in the Vietnam War, the M-16, became the cherished firearm of America’s civilian gun owners. Civilian variants of the rifle, particularly the AR-15, have produced record profits for the gun industry. All the while, AR-15-style firearms have become the weapon of choice of those perverted individuals who use mass gatherings of Americans, including school kids, for their target practice. Ten of the 17 deadliest mass killings in the U.S. since 2012 have involved AR-15s. In the most recent mass shooting, which took six lives in Nashville, the shooter used two AR-15s.

Why might shooters prefer the AR-15 as an instrument of mass murder? Well, it looks cool, is lightweight and can spew out over 100 rounds per minute, if accuracy is not a priority. Of course, accuracy is not really necessary if one is shooting into a crowd and the objective is to get the highest body count. The shooter in Dayton, for instance, managed to kill nine people and wound 17 others in just 32 seconds with his AR-15 pistol.

Probably the greatest attribute of the AR-15, from a mass shooter’s viewpoint, is the killing power of the weapon. After all, it came into being as a war weapon, designed to inflict the maximum damage possible on the bodies of enemy soldiers. It performs in like fashion when American civilians are the target.

The AR-15 round comes out of the barrel going almost three times faster than a bullet fired from a typical handgun. Consequently, it has much more energy and causes much more damage in a victim’s body, virtually liquifying flesh and nearby organs. A non-lethal hit can cause catastrophic damage. The Washington Post has prepared some chilling 3D animations, showing how AR-15 bullets blew apart the bodies of actual victims.

A Texas Tribune report on the Uvalde massacre, which took the lives of 19 kids and two teachers, disclosed the horrendous damage caused there by an AR-15. “Several victims lost large portions of their heads,” requiring DNA testing to identify them. The report also provided an answer to the question that has puzzled so many of us: Why did it take so long for law enforcement officers to respond when there were so many present?

Interviews disclosed that when officers learned the shooter had an AR-15, they feared that its high velocity rounds would easily pierce their body armor — that taking him on was too dangerous. Those who protect our streets and schools should not have to worry about being outgunned by mass murderers. But it should not prevent them from carrying out their sworn duty to protect the public.

The cowardice of the Uvalde officers was atypical of law enforcement response to mass shootings and an abhorrent dereliction of duty. Children died as a result. Nashville police officers gave a remarkable demonstration of the proper response to a school shooting in the heart-pounding body-cam video that has captivated America.

But this raises a critical question: Why is it that Americans are willing to allow gun makers to flood the streets, schools and entertainment venues of the country with weapons of war that meet or exceed the firepower of our law enforcement departments? It is unconscionable to allow these shooters to continue having easy access to these instruments of death. Our children, peace officers and everyone else deserve safety and security.

So, what do we do considering that there are upward of 20 million of these war weapons in the hands of Americans? The best answer would be to outright ban their ownership by civilians. The present Congress would never do that. With a change in Congress in the 2024 election, it might be possible to enact a ban on the manufacture and sale of new assault rifles in the U.S., specifically including a new super weapon, SIG Sauer’s new MCX-Spear, a civilian take-off of a new military weapon.

There are any number of other life-saving measures that Congress could take, short of an outright ban, to protect Americans from the ravages of assault weapons. I outlined some of them in a piece that appeared on these pages last July. They include a prohibition of magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds, including assault weapons in the law that has regulated machine guns since 1934, removal of the immunity that gun makers have against civil lawsuits for injuries caused by their firearms and secure storage requirements. Prohibition of the sale of these guns to anyone under the age of 21 is also a necessary step.

But nothing will happen to bring this horrendous slaughter to a halt unless Americans rise up to demand action from a Congress that is dependent upon the support of gun makers and radical gun organizations. Until recalcitrant members of Congress become more fearful of losing their jobs because of public outrage over assault weapons than of losing the money and support of lobbyists, the carnage will continue. Until then, we can expect more of our kids, cops and others to be blown apart by these deadly instruments of war.

Jim Jones is a Vietnam combat veteran who served eight years as Idaho attorney general (1983-1991) and 12 years as a justice on the Idaho Supreme Court (2005-2017). He is a regular contributor to The Hill.