  Misconceptions on guns  March 2, 2013 The Leader Herald   A
misconception of so-called "assault" weapons is the idea they
fire continuously while the trigger is pulled or until the
magazine is empty. They do not. For a real challenge, look up
"assault weapon" on Wikipedia and discover confusing
explanations with no clear definition.  The misuse of various
studies is a common tactic of anti-gun politicians because they
know the 1994 ban had no real impact on crime.  The FBI reports
annually on the crime rates in the United States. From 1992 to
2011, the rate of violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in the
U.S. dropped 50 percent. The murder rate went from 9.3 per
100,000 in 1992 to 4.7 in 2011. Additionally, from 2005 to 2011,
the FBI reported the murder rate decreased 14.7 percent. The
number of murders in the U.S. in 2011 was 14,612. Murders by
"assault" weapons are less than 1 percent (0.01) of the total.
In fact, the total number of murders by all rifles for 2011 was
323; murders by all shotguns, 356. I