Two of the guns reportedly used in Tuesday's Colorado school massacre are designed specifically for use against human targets, the Violence Policy Center said today.
According to this morning's Denver Post, police have identified a modified Intratec TEC-9 assault weapon and a Hi-Point 9mm semiautomatic rifle among the weapons wielded by the assailants at Columbine High School. (Follow these links for pictures of the weapons and profiles of the manufacturers)
"These guns are designed to be anti-personnel weapons, not sporting firearms," said VPC Director of Federal Policy Kristen Rand. "These are far more deadly than mere handguns. Their features surely increased the carnage in this tragedy."
The VPC is posting photos of the guns and related documents on its web site, www.vpc.org. Additional material is available to members of the press, including:
- Pictures and copy from advertisements and catalogues featuring the guns
- Data on recent ATF tracing of the guns to crime, in Colorado and the nation
- Corporate information, including production figures
The TEC-9 was outlawed by the 1994 assault weapons ban, but guns produced before the ban remain widely available. In addition, the manufacturer of the TEC-9 now sells a modified, legal version of the weapon called the AB-10�in which "AB" reportedly stands for "after-ban." Among the slogans Intratec has used to promote the TEC-9 are "as tough as your toughest customer."
The Hi-Point 9mm is a relatively new rifle, which features a pistol grip and pistol ammunition. Dealer advertisements for the Hi-Point brag that it is "the hottest gun since the SKS," a notorious military-style weapon imported from China and sold in the U.S. for low prices.
Follow this link for pictures of the weapons and profiles of the manufacturers
The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America, conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease firearm-related death and injury.
