Copernicus
Industrial Grade Linguist
Since the argument is that banning assault weapons should reduce the killings due to assault weapons, the only problem exposed by your response is your knee jerk regurgitation of NRA bullsit.The issue is using people killed by "assault rifles" as evidence for banning them despite the fact that most gun kills are handguns. It's exposing a problem with the argument.
And it isn't just about banning the type of weapons favored by mass shooters. The gun lobby opposes any modifications to guns or restrictions that would make them less convenient to commit mass murder--for example, a ban on large capacity magazines, limitations on ammunition sales, raising the age of legal purchase, waiting periods, mandatory training, registration and licensing, etc. The idea is to keep the market for purchase of these weapons as large as possible, because it is the gun manufacturers who benefit from lack of regulation. It isn't just about an individual's right to own a gun, although the manufacturers want it framed that way in public debates.