Jean-Pierre Falsely Claims ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban Reduced Mass Shootings

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre falsely claimed during Tuesday’s press conference that the result of the 1994-2004 ban on so-called “assault weapons” was that

Jean-Pierre began the press conference by discussing two recent mass shootings in California, a state with more gun control than any other state across the country.

Despite the fact that California already has an “assault weapons” ban, these two shootings have become the left’s newest talking point to push their anti-Second Amendment narrative.

Jean-Pierre then pushed for an “assault weapons” ban at the federal level, claiming: “The last time we had an ‘assault weapons’ ban on the books, thanks to the President and Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) leadership, mass shootings actually went down.”

The press secretary’s claim is completely false, as proven by information discovered and published by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) National Institute of Justice (NIJ). The NIJ’s findings were originally published just as the “assault weapons” ban was ending.

The findings made it clear that the anti-Second Amendment legislation could not be credited with any reduction in crime.

University of Pennsylvania professor Christopher Koper, the author of the NIJ report, stated: “We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation’s recent drop in gun violence. And, indeed, there has been no discernible reduction in the lethality and injuriousness of gun violence,” according to the Washington Times.

The NIJ report also stated: “The ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.”

The report further noted that “assault weapons” were “rarely used in gun crimes even before the ban.”

Breitbart News reported in January 2013 that “‘assault weapons’ were tied to less than .012 per cent of overall deaths in America in recent years (2011).”

This point is especially important considering the NIJ report’s statement that “assault weapons” were “rarely used” in crime to begin with.

The so-called “assault weapons” are bulky and difficult to conceal, which makes them the wrong choice for criminals seeking to avoid detection.

Meanwhile, the Democrats’ use of the recent California mass shootings to further their narrative does not make sense, as the Monterey Park shooter used a pistol, while the Half Moon Bay shooter reportedly used a handgun as well.

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