Some gun advocates disingenuously argue that assault weapons are only fully automatic machine guns, and that their semi-automatic versions are merely “like many hunting rifles.”

That’s false.

The only difference between an automatic and a semi-automatic assault weapon is about 3.5 seconds.

Time for yourself the difference in rate of fire between these two weapons, each loaded with a 30-round magazine.

Then decide which one you need to “hunt” with.

Automatic AK-47 Assault Rifle:

Semi-automatic AK-47 Assault Rifle:

Would you feel safer having more loaded and concealed guns being carried in the public places you and your family visit?  The issue has been in the news recently, including editorials in the New York Times last Friday and the Washington Post today.

On the one hand, the gun lobby wants to force concealed weapons (unconnected to law enforcement) into nearly every place you can imagine, including National Parks, college campuses, airports, even churches.

On the other hand, most Americans probably agree with the statement President Obama made on concealed weapons during his campaign:

I am not in favor of concealed weapons.  I think that creates a potential atmosphere where more innocent people could (get shot during) altercations.

Gun advocates – including many who comment on this blog – repeat the mantra that gun owners with concealed carry permits are all “law-abiding citizens,” and that the public can trust all permit-holders to be responsible no matter where they insist on carrying their loaded semi-automatic pistols.

In the comments to my post last week, for example, someone pointed to a Tennessee concealed carry permit-holder recently charged with murder.  In a response characteristic of many gun advocates, another commenter replied, “After years, you got one. When you get to thousands … let me know.”

Yet examples of criminals and other dangerous people with concealed carry permits are not hard to find.  A new report seems to pop up every week, and the incidents that find their way into newspapers very likely under-represent the phenomenon.  Indeed, one of the agenda items for the gun pushers is keeping information on who have these permits private, thus making it less likely that the public will know whether permit-holders are contributing to the violence.

The fact is that too many gun owners with concealed carry permits are not law-abiding citizens, while some permit-holders are so incompetent they shouldn’t be allowed near a firearm in the first place, whether they’ve committed a crime or not.  Just having a permit isn’t reason enough to force loaded, concealed handguns into churches, airports, colleges, National Parks, and other places that Americans want to keep protected from gun violence.

Here is a look at just a few examples of dangerous or careless holders of concealed carry permits reported since last June:

• In Florida, a permit-holder pleaded guilty to second-degree murder; another was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm after a road rage incident; another was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and impersonating a law enforcement officer; another was charged with attempted second-degree murder, multiple counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and battery; a permit-holder and teacher (who is also reportedly a suspect in a battery case with a DUI record) faces felony charges of possessing firearms on school property; another was charged with violating his license after allegedly admitting he was under the influence of alcohol and armed in a bar; another allegedly shot his wife in the chest by accident while showing off his gun; another was charged with the negligent manslaughter of his girlfriend; another was charged with the murder of a Federal Customs agent; another accidentally shot himself in the leg outside a Wal-Mart store; another allegedly killed a man in a road rage incident; another accidentally shot himself in the leg at a “Downtown Disney” parking lot; another was charged with first degree murder.  There is also the revelation that a Florida-certified firearms instructor allegedly sold concealed carry permits to people who hadn’t passed a training test.  Finally, New York Giants football player Plaxico Burress had a Florida permit until last May, just six months before he shot himself in the leg in a New York City bar.  These incidents come on the heels of the Florida Sun-Sentinel series of investigative reports in 2007 finding 10 times as many Florida concealed carry permit-holders with dangerous or criminal records than previously admitted by the state.  Ever since Florida first passed concealed carry in 1987, it has been one of the four most violent states in America.

• In Ohio, a permit-holder pleaded no contest to negligent assault after accidentally shooting a 10-year-old girl in the stomach; another was charged with aggravated menacing; another was convicted of aggravated menacing in a road rage incident; another was killed in a confrontation in an apparent “case of a person committing suicide by provoking police“; another was arrested with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit and pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while impaired and improper handling of a firearm; another was charged with inducing panic after firing shots over a school baseball field; another is on trial for the aggravated murder of a police officer.

• In Pennsylvania, a permit-holder (who allegedly had cocaine in her system) was charged with the murder of an FBI agent; another was charged with two counts of terroristic threats; another was charged with reckless endangerment, aggravated assault and discharging a gun in public; another was charged with two counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault; another was charged with simple assault, stalking and harassment, and endangering the welfare of a child; another was charged with a triple murder.

• In South Carolina, a 4-year-old girl shot herself in the chest inside a Sam’s Club store with the gun of her grandmother, a permit-holder and magistrate judge; another permit-holder was arrested after leaving his loaded pistol on a playground for a 7-year-old girl to find; another was charged with wanton endangerment after admitting that “he brandished a Glock Model 27 at [a] woman because he was angry with her for driving too slowly.”

• In Tennessee, a permit-holder was recently charged with murdering someone in an argument over a parking space (mentioned above); another pleaded guilty to assault after allegedly threatening his wife; another was arrested for impersonating a police officer; another permit-holder, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Brandon Jones, pleaded guilty to taking his loaded gun into Nashville International Airport; another 99 Tennessee permit-holders were found to have felony convictions, DUI charges or orders of protection against them; as many as 200 were discovered to have disqualifying domestic violence records.

• In Texas, a college-age permit-holder was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after an altercation at a child’s soccer game; permit-holder and country singer Billy Joe Shaver was indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawfully carrying a handgun connected with a shooting outside a bar; permit-holder and talk-show host Russ Martin was charged with beating his fiancee and brandishing a handgun; another permit-holder shot himself in the groin.  This is eight years after the Los Angeles Times reported that Texas had “licensed hundreds of people with prior criminal convictions – including rape and armed robbery – and histories of violence, psychological disorders and drug or alcohol problems.”

• In Utah, a permit-holder was charged with impersonating a police officer; another, a suspected sex offender, committed suicide in a police station; a college-age permit-holder was charged with aggravated assault after pointing his handgun at a carload of teenagers; another shot himself in the foot; another accidentally shot an acquaintance in the back, killing him; another accidentally shot a toilet inside a restaurant while pulling up his pants.  Utah’s weak permitting system has come under scrutiny in recent months, leading to a rare, but welcome partnership between elements of the gun lobby (though not the NRA) and gun violence prevention advocates to help strengthen it.

• In Virginia, a permit-holder was charged with second-degree murder; another was charged with possessing a weapon on school property while allegedly drinking beer; two other Virginia permit-holders recently were caught at the point of sale by a Brady criminal background check, showing that between receiving a permit and buying a firearm, permit-holders can easily fall into prohibited categories without having their licenses revoked.

The list goes on.  Again, since last June:

• An Alabama school teacher and permit-holder was charged with marijuana possession and selling counterfeit merchandise;

• An Arizona permit-holder was charged with 14 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and four counts of endangerment after a shootout with police.

• In Arkansas, permit-holder and University of Arkansas defensive tackle Ernest Mitchell was cited for possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm.

• In Colorado, a man who apparently held permits in both Colorado and Utah was arrested while being armed and intoxicated on the grounds of a high school.

• A college-aged Connecticut permit-holder was charged with breach of the peace and reckless endangerment after allegedly brandishing his handgun at a mall.

• A Georgia permit-holder was arrested in Florida and charged with driving while intoxicated, racing and possession of a firearm while intoxicated, after allegedly driving drunk at 90-mph with two semi-automatic pistols on his lap.  (Georgia and Florida share reciprocity.)  As a spokesman for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation later said, “I don’t know of any way to prove [that Georgia permit-holders] are law-abiding or disprove it, because there’s no record to say one way or the other.”

• In Idaho, a permit-holder shot and killed himself in an apparent gun-cleaning accident.

• An Indiana permit-holder was charged with operating a car under the influence of alcohol, a concealed carry permit violation, possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle while intoxicated, and marijuana possession; two others were charged in connection with separate road rage incidents; another was just arrested for allegedly waving his gun at a Mardi Gras party after reportedly saying, “I’ll shoot anybody.”

• In Iowa, a permit-holder was charged with possessing more than 150 pounds of marijuana.

• In Kentucky, a permit-holder was charged in the murder of his wife.  According to the report, before she was shot and killed, “she said police told her William Seidl [her husband] had a permit for the gun, so there was nothing she could do.”

• A Michigan permit-holder accidentally shot himself in the backside trying to move his weapon from one back pocket to the other.

• In Nevada, a permit-holder pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery as an accomplice to O.J. Simpson.

• A permit-holder in New York is now the suspect in a quadruple murder.

• In North Carolina, a permit-holder was charged in a double murder; a licensed firearms instructor was just arrested for selling firearms safety certificates required to get concealed carry permits, and was charged with solicitation of another to commit a felony.  According to the report, “Deputies said they had not yet been able to determine how many of Smith’s certificates were authentic and how many were fake.”

• In Oklahoma, a permit-holder faced felony charges after apparently firing his weapon into the ground when his neighbor sprayed a garden hose at him; another pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in connection with a road rage incident.

• In Washington, a permit-holder “with a history of drug addiction and schizophrenia” pleaded guilty to negligent assault in a shooting at the Seattle Folklife Festival.

…

To be clear, this shouldn’t be seen as an indictment of all gun owners, and it has nothing to do with the Second Amendment.  Most gun owners (as well as most non-gun owners) are law-abiding and responsible.

However, given incidents like these in just the past few months, and the life and death consequences of firearm misuse, Americans have good reason to want most places in public life to be gun-free – including free from guns in the hands of concealed carry permit-holders.

(Note to readers: This entry, along with past entries, has been co-posted on bradycampaign.org/blog and the Huffington Post.)

Whether or not you agree with a policy idea, the government is supposed to follow the rules before it can give that policy the force of law.  That is essentially the principle now at issue in a case pending in U.S. District Court here in Washington, DC.

A last-minute rule adopted by the Bush Administration after the election forces states to allow loaded, concealed weapons in National Park lands within their borders – even if states specifically prohibit the practice in their own state parks.  Whether you believe that’s a good idea or not – and clearly we do not – just-uncovered government documents show that the previous Administration ignored warnings from Interior Department officials that the rule was being changed in violation of Federal law because of a rush to get things in place before Bush left office.

These internal Bush Administration documents were acquired by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence in response to our lawsuit against the Interior Department.  You can read the documents here.

These documents show that the Bush Administration ignored the procedural concerns and safety warnings of at least two federal agencies in order to push through the rule in time to deny the Obama Administration a chance to review it.

For example, on April 3, 2008, the National Park Service’s Chief of Environmental Quality, Jacob Hoogland, warned that the rule “required additional NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act] analysis” and that “at minimum an Environmental Assessment should be prepared on the proposed revision to the existing firearms regulation.”

In the same vein, Michael Schwartz, the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Chief of Policy and Directives Management, warned on May 14, 2008 that “The rule was published before they did any NEPA analysis.  Last week, I pointed out that this is a procedural flaw.”

Documents also show the rule was strongly opposed by the National Park Service, whose Bush-appointed Director, Mary Bomar, wrote a letter in July 2007 saying, “We believe that the [previous] regulations [restricting guns in parks] provide necessary and consistent enforcement parameters throughout the National Park System.”

Nevertheless, the Bush Administration Interior Secretary responded with a memo on August 22, 2008, stating that the rule is “one of my top priorities.” The rule was later issued without the environmental analysis required by law.

This incident highlights a lame-duck Bush Administration more concerned with handing the gun lobby a parting gift after they were soundly defeated in the November 2008 elections, rather than following the procedures required by law.  Appropriate action needs to be taken by the courts and the Obama Administration to review the validity of this rule.

(Note to readers: This entry, along with past entries, has been co-posted on bradycampaign.org/blog and the Huffington Post.)

With over 100,000 gun deaths or injuries every year in America, it is clear what we’re doing now to reduce gun violence is not working.  Last week, the Brady Campaign released our State Scorecard for 2008, the latest in our annual rating of the 50 states.  Each state is evaluated according to a detailed set of gun violence prevention laws that it does, or does not, have.  You can read the Scorecard here.

The state scores for 2008 reflect a sad reality that many Americans don’t realize.  Contrary to the assertion that “thousands” of gun control laws are on the books, there are really only a few designed to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people – and even those have loopholes.

Thirty-seven states scored less than 20 points out of 100 on this year’s Scorecard; 25 states scored 10 points or less.  That means nearly three-fourths of the states in America lack even a basic gun violence prevention safety net to protect communities and families from dangerous people who find it easy to obtain firearms.  America’s five most violent states, for example – South Carolina, Tennessee, Nevada, Louisiana, and Florida –– have no laws to require a Brady criminal background check for every gun sale, no laws to combat illegal gun trafficking effectively, and no laws to restrict access to military-style assault weapons.

One result is that – as the most recent figures show – South Carolina has the highest violent crime rate in America; Tennessee has the fifth-highest rate of gun homicide; Nevada has America’s fourth-highest gun death rate (including the fourth-highest rate of gun suicide); while Louisiana has the highest gun death rate, highest gun homicide rate, and highest accidental gun death rate in America.

Gun homicides in America rose over 14% between 1999 and 2005, according to the latest available figures.  Ten states with the highest gun death rates in America have some of the nation’s weakest gun laws, including Louisiana, Alaska, Montana, Tennessee, Alabama, Nevada, Arkansas, Arizona, Mississippi, and West Virginia.

Overall rates are influenced by a number of factors, but the consequences of dangerous behavior are only magnified by easy access to guns by dangerous people.  Reasonable restrictions on who gets guns, what types of guns they can get, where guns can be taken, and how guns are sold, can help mitigate dangerous behavior while still respecting the Second Amendment. Even though such limitations on guns are a central part of last summer’s Supreme Court decision, the gun lobby tries to ignore that part of the decision.

At the other end of the Scorecard is California. With almost 37 million people, California would rank among the most populous nations in the world.  It also has America’s strongest gun violence prevention safety net.  Laws such as mandatory background checks on all firearm purchases, a “one-handgun-a-month” law to prevent bulk handgun purchases that feed the illegal gun market, a tough restriction on access to assault weapons, and many other effective gun laws work together to help keep dangerous weapons from dangerous people. Not surprisingly, California ranks in the lower half of all states in total gun death rates, with a gun homicide rate half of Louisiana’s.

Other states are also making progress.  For example, the Illinois legislature is considering a bill to extend Brady criminal background checks to all handgun purchases from unlicensed sellers, a crucial way to screen out as many felons, fugitives, domestic abusers and dangerously mentally ill as possible from the gun purchasing process.

New Jersey just passed new restrictions on military-style assault weapons, and is now considering a limit on the bulk purchasing of handguns to cut illegal gun trafficking.  Also, New York has a bill pending to require handguns to “microstamp” ammunition each time a round is fired, helping law enforcement find criminal shooters faster.  California recently enacted similar legislation.

After last year’s Supreme Court decision in the Heller case, and the election of Barack Obama as President, it is a new day for gun violence prevention in America.  There is much work to do, however, and I hope that in the year ahead you consider joining our grassroots effort to help improve your state’s score, and make all of our communities safer from the threat of gun violence.

(Note to readers: This entry, along with past entries, has been co-posted on bradycampaign.org/blog and the Huffington Post.)

As former President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, I attended a session two weeks ago at their Winter Meeting here in Washington, DC, where an old law school classmate of mine – former President Bill Clinton – was invited to speak.

In an extemporaneous speech, President Clinton offered the audience his analysis of the changes that have rocked America’s cultural, economic and political landscape over recent years, and put them in the context of the last two generations.  He argued that understanding these changes helps explain not only the rise of President Obama and his historic election to the White House, but also the new “political culture” of today and the generation to come.

Interestingly, President Clinton also discussed gun violence prevention policy in this context in a way that I thought was instructive.  The President said:

…We are now poised, I think, to spend a generation operating as a nation the way you operate in your cities on your best days.  That does not mean the Democrats will win all the elections – if the Republicans reform themselves and develop a 21st century version of the second great Republican President’s – Theodore Roosevelt’s – philosophy, so that we have… a dueling communitarianism.  That is, “my way of bringing us together is better than your way of bringing us together.”  One can be a little to the right of center, one can be a little to the left of center.  But we will not go forward anymore, I don’t think, with the kind of politics of division and destruction that drug us down for too long.

That’s essentially what is different [about today's new political culture], and what creates this great moment of opportunity – not just to bring the economy back, but to pass comprehensive health care reform, to be a renewed force of peace around the world – to do a lot of things that make sense – and to have conversations with people, instead of screaming matches over things like what former Mayor Helmke works on so much, over what is the best way to keep the American people safe.  Nobody wants to repeal the Second Amendment, and nobody wants to keep you out of the deer woods, but wouldn’t it be nice if your children didn’t have to worry about being mowed down by an assault weapon when they turn the corner?

A little later, President Clinton said:

…Again, I will say this, it’s not that the country has moved way left.  That is not what has happened….  It’s not a leftward movement.  It’s a forward, communitarian movement.  Shared opportunities.  Shared responsibilities.  Shared values, including the most important of all: “Our differences are really interesting, and they make life in America much more interesting, but our common humanity matters more.”  Those are the things that have driven us to this point….

I share much of President Clinton’s analysis, as well as his belief that the country is entering a time where voters – frustrated with “divide-and-conquer” tactics – are asking candidates “how” they plan to do what they promise and telling elected officials to solve real problems.  As someone who ran a city for 12 years, I know from experience that this pragmatic approach cuts across ideological and partisan lines and gathers support across the political spectrum.

Guns offer an opportunity to exercise pragmatism in this new political environment.  Polling for the Brady Campaign shows – and other public opinion surveys help confirm – the popularity of key gun violence prevention policies that cut across sectional, racial, gender, ideological and partisan divisions.  People of goodwill may disagree on gun policy at the margins, but over 80% of Americans do agree that we should require Brady criminal background checks for every gun purchase, and about two-thirds favor restricting access to military-style assault weapons.

These and other proposals are popular, common sense ways to help keep guns away from dangerous people while respecting the Supreme Court’s reading of the Second Amendment.  They also respect “our common humanity” rather than cater to the interests of a few who want access to firearms with few or no restrictions at all, allowing the easy access to guns that puts everyone at risk.

In this context, President Clinton’s prediction about “dueling communitarianism” could present itself not only through President Obama’s actions from the White House, but also through someone like Sen. John McCain, who defines his politics in the mold of President Theodore Roosevelt.

For example, Sen. McCain might once more propose legislation to close the gun show loophole, while reaching across the aisle to someone like newly-appointed New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and ask her to be a co-sponsor.  Solving a problem by working with members of the opposing party has been a hallmark of Sen. McCain’s service in the Senate.  Using that reputation to require background checks for all gun sales at gun shows would allow Sen. Gillibrand to begin to represent all New Yorkers on the gun issue.  In this way, common sense gun policy can help build a bridge to moderate voters across the ideological spectrum, while allowing both parties to stake a claim as to whose “way of bringing the country together” is better.

Surprisingly, this new political culture could see similar competition within the Republican Party, as well.  Last Friday, the Republican National Committee chose Michael Steele as Chair of the RNC, and showed that guns weren’t a wedge issue even in an intramural Republican election.  At a candidate’s debate at the National Press Club last month (which I attended), while the other candidates fell over themselves to describe their gun collections and shooting prowess, Steele stated distinctly and without qualification, that he owns no guns.  This was on top of statements Steele made in 2006 about his stance on restricting access to assault weapons that inflamed the gun community.  Meanwhile, Ken Blackwell, a member of the National Rifle Association Board of Directors, came in last place every ballot he appeared on. If the gun issue didn’t act as a wedge issue to divide voters in an RNC election, no wonder it failed to divide voters nationwide last November.

That’s a big change.  And if we want our elected officials to solve problems instead of just attack their opponents, that’s change for the better.

(Note to readers: This entry, along with past entries, has been co-posted on bradycampaign.org/blog and the Huffington Post.)