Americans own more AR-15s and AK-pattern rifles than ever before. If the people pushing to ban them were right, murders with rifles would be climbing right along with them. A new study of FBI data shows the opposite.
What the study found
The Crime Prevention Research Center looked at how often rifles are used in murders before, during, and after the federal “assault weapons” ban of 1994 to 2004, using the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports:
- Ownership is up tenfold. AR-15s and AK-47s went from about 1 per 100 Americans when the federal ban expired in 2004 to 10.2 per 100 in 2025.
- The ban didn’t work. Rifles were used in 4.8% of firearm murders before the ban and 4.9% while it was in effect. The researchers found no statistically significant difference.
- Since it expired, the share has fallen. Rifles accounted for 3.6% of firearm murders after the ban ended, even as these rifles became ten times more common.
And those numbers overstate the problem. The FBI counts every kind of rifle together, from deer rifles to .22s, so AR-15s and rifles like them are only part of an already small share.
Why it matters in Minnesota
The 2027 session opens January 12 with DFL control of the House, the Senate, and the governor’s office. The day after the election, Governor-elect Amy Klobuchar said the 2026 omnibus gun bill “is going to get passed” and “certainly should be one of our top priorities.”
That bill, SF 4067, passed the Senate 34-33 last May. It would have banned dealer sales of most semi-automatic rifles and of magazines over 17 rounds, and made every owner register the ones they already have with the state, pay a fee, and renew every three years, or face criminal charges. Other 2026 bills would have banned nearly all semi-automatic rifles outright.
In 2027, the DFL is poised to try to ban the sale, transfer, and possession of these firearms. The data says it won’t make anyone safer. It will only turn law-abiding Minnesotans into criminals for owning the most popular rifle in America. Here’s what to expect in 2027.
The Supreme Court is weighing in too
On December 2, the US Supreme Court hears Viramontes v. Cook County, a challenge to Cook County, Illinois’ ban on the AR-15 and rifles like it. The MN Gun Owners Law Center and the Caucus filed an amicus brief in the case. A ruling is expected by June, and it could decide whether bans like the one coming to Minnesota survive at all.
What you can do
- Get our action alerts so you know the moment a hearing is posted.
- Read our guide to getting in the fight: calling legislators, testifying, and the Second Amendment Day of Action.
- Join the Caucus and keep us at the Capitol and in court.