Although Dayton has experienced 98 homicides in the past three years, a high-ranking Dayton Police Department official said none involved military-style assault weapons, the kind President Barack Obama wants restricted as part of his $500 million gun control proposal.

“You’re looking at zero being used on murders,” Lt. Col. Robert Chabali told News Center 7’s Yuna Lee on Thursday.

However, one percent of aggravated assaults in the past three years involved rifles, which could include military-style assault rifles.

He explained that weapons sold on the black market will continue to be a problem even with the proposed restrictions, which under the president would include universal background checks for all gun buyers.

“By enacting this law, you’re still not going to remove illegal weapons from the street because they will be there,” Chabali said. “The black market exists and will exist.”

He also said issues of mental health pose an additional complications.

“Reality is, when we mention the mental health issues, it’s a very complex where your HIPPA laws prevent exchange of information on that,” Chabali said. “So we’re dealing with a very complex, if you will, problem.”

— Meredith Whelchel, a junior at the University of Dayton, is a staff writer.