"This Is What a Gun Control March on Washington Looks Like"

[legaleagle_45]

141. Rifles and shotguns

About 40% of all firearms in private hands are either hunting rifles or shotguns used in hunting. Of the remaining 60%, many are handguns which are designed for self defense purposes (ok killing people) with about 5%-10% being sporting models designed for competition or to fend off rather large animals (not the human variety--- thus the largest caliber handgun was specifically designed for use by persons working in the wilds of Alaska to fend off bears). But that is a small amount of the market. Most are smaller caliber 9mm or .38 which are also employed as standard issue for police.

Most firearm homicides are of the handgun variety. Rifles and shotguns, including the sub-class of assault weapons, account for fewer homicides than are committed with knives annually in the USA... at least according to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports.