Those are weapons of war, weapons of death… These are not hunting guns. These are not target guns. These are made to put high-velocity, extremely deadly, long-range rounds downrange as quickly as possible, and they have no place in our great city.
— Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck, commenting on the success of the city’s most recent gun buyback, which resulted in 2,037 firearms, including seventy-five assault weapons, being taken off the streets and out of homes.