David Kopel & Jarret B. Wollstein, “Will You Be Safer If Guns Are Banned?“ “Only 1% of residents of Denver and Boston have voluntarily complied with laws requiring them to register their semi-automatic weapons. In New York City there are an estimated 700,000 to 3 million unregistered firearms. In California, less than 2% of the 2 million owners of semi-automatic rifles have registered their guns in compliance with state law – even though failure to register is a felony!