The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S.Department of Justice and prepared the following final report:Document Title: Updated Assessment of the Federal AssaultWeapons Ban: Impacts on Gun Markets

andGun Violence, 1994-

200

Author(s):Christopher S. KoperDocument No.: 204431Date Received:

July

2004Award Number:98-IJ-CX-0039This report has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice.To provide better customer service, NCJRS has made this Federally-funded grant final report available electronically in addition totraditional paper copies.Opinions or points of view expressed are thoseof the author(s) and do not necessarily reflectthe official position or policies of the U.S.Department of Justice.

An Updated Assessment of the Federal AssaultWeapons Ban: Impacts on Gun Markets andGun Violence, 1994-2003

Report to the National Institute of Justice,United States Department of Justice

Christopher S. Koper

(Principal Investigator)WithDaniel J. Woods and Jeffrey A. Roth

June 2004

Jerry Lee Center of CriminologyUniversity of Pennsylvania3814 Walnut StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19104

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by

he Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface iAcknowledgments ii1. Impacts of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, 1994-2003: Key Findings andConclusions 12. Provisions of the Assault Weapons Ban 42.1. Assault Weapons 42.2. Large Capacity Magazines 62.3. Foreign Rifles Capable of Accepting Large Capacity Magazines forMilitary Rifles 82.4. Ban Exemptions 102.5. Summary 113. Criminal Use of Assault Weapons and Large Capacity Magazines Before theBan 143.1. Criminal Use of Assault Weapons 153.2. Criminal Use of Large Capacity Magazines 183.3. Summary 194. Overview of Study Design, Hypotheses, and Prior Findings 204.1. Logical Framework for Research on the Ban 204.2. Hypothesized Market Effects 214.3. Prior Research on the Ban’s Effects 235. Market Indicators for Assault Weapons: Prices and Production 255.1. Price Trends for Assault Weapons and Other Firearms 255.2. Production Trends for Assault Weapons and Other Firearms 335.3. Summary and Interpretations 366. Criminal Use of Assault Weapons After the Ban 396.1. Measuring Criminal Use of Assault Weapons: A MethodologicalNote 396.2. National Analysis of Guns Reported By Police to the FederalBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms 406.3. Local Analyses of Guns Recovered By Police 466.4. Summary 517. Market Indicators for Large Capacity Magazines: Prices and Importation 617.1. Price Trends for Large Capacity Magazines 617.2. Post-Ban Importation of Large Capacity Magazines 657.3. Summary and Interpretations 65

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by

he Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official