Following a spate of mass shootings involving assault rifles, in 1994 they were banned from sale in the US.
In 2004, the republican-controlled congress rescinded the ban.
Much NRA contributed campaign gravy ensued.
Klarevas has compiled data on gun massacres involving six or more fatalities for the 50 years before 2016. His numbers show that gun massacres fell significantly during the time the assault weapons ban was in place, and skyrocketed after the ban lapsed in 2004.
“In the last three years we have had as many gun massacres with assault weapons as in the decade prior,” Klarevas said. “The trend is continuing to escalate.”
