From 2005 through 2011, more people in the U.S. were killed with hammers and clubs, or with hands and fists, than with rifles.
There were 496 murders committed with hammers and clubs in 2011, as compared with 323 deaths connected to a rifle, according to FBI records. In 2006, there were 618 killings committed with a hammer or club, and 438 murders with a rifle. Many years, twice as many people were killed with hands and fists than with rifles.
Current owners of hammers and clubs are permitted to sell them or pass them to heirs. However, under this new bill, new hammers and clubs would remain with their current owners until their deaths, at which point they would be forfeited to the government.