It takes an elaborate plot and many actors to take over an airliner and it isn't easy to methodically kill 27 people with a car. Don’t you think Islamic State operatives might be smart enough to have Bibles in their carry-ons rather than Korans? Should there be universal background checks for gun purchases? We’ve tried that course of action many times, and it doesn’t work. Carrying firearms by the citizens is a risk; hence the assault weapons should be banned. After its 1989 ban, California’s … The Orlando murderer — I don’t want to use his name, either — was born not overseas but in New York, just like the presidential candidate in question. All I can say is I wish the author was in Russia or China or any of fifty other countries when the Communists and fascists took over, or even Nazi Germany when guns were taken. Had he been armed with the pistol alone, he still would have killed people — but not so many. For 10 years there was a ban on the production, ownership and use of assault weapons in the United States until Congress and the Bush Administration allowed it to lapse when it sunset and came up for reauthorization in 2004. Here's why people think assault rifles should be banned. No end of school massacres and other slaughters have tallied horrific body counts because of military-grade weapons in the hands of mass murderers. The ban didn’t apply to guns in existence at the time it was enacted, and it contained a sunset provision allowed it to expire after ten years, in 2004, which is what happened. Eugene Robinson writes a twice-a-week column on politics and culture and hosts a weekly online chat with readers. Stop them for further questioning if they “look” Muslim, whatever that means? Allowing easy access to assault weapons guarantees that terrorists, criminals and mentally unstable people will use them to commit future acts of mass murder -- it's that simple. Some people believe that assault weapons are a danger to society. Here's why people think assault rifles should be legal. Part of HuffPost Politics. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. But from all accounts, the weapons used in the Connecticut murders were purchased legally by the shooter's mother -- who herself appeared to be perfectly sane right up to the moment that Lanza used those same weapons to end her life. Columnist focusing on politics and culture, A makeshift vigil Monday in San Francisco for those killed in the terrorist attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando on Sunday. Grandfathered firearms and magazines will still be available. Majority of Americans argue that Assault Weapons should be banned nationwide because of the amount of mass shootings caused by Assault weapons. They were designed for use by the military to achieve that mission in combat -- and that mission alone. Assault Weapons: The roots of many murders and other shootings Assault Weapons: Killing Machines that have no reason to be in the hands of hunters or recreational shooters California's Senator Dianne Feinstein's proposed assault weapons ban bans 157 guns. It should apply to all semi-automatic assault weapons, including the AR-15. Enough said about this loathsome idea. When the former President of Mexico visited the United States some time ago to discuss the drug-fueled violence on the Mexican border, he pointed out that the end of the assault weapons ban in the U.S. had resulted in an explosion of smuggling of assault weapons from the United States to Mexico. Attempting such a prohibition would also be obscene in a nation that enshrines religious freedom in the First Amendment. Some forums can only be seen by registered members. Which would be impossible, of course. … No one argues that other combat weapons like rocket-propelled grenades (RPG's) or Stinger Missiles should be widely available to anyone at a local gun shop. By banning anyone from buying Stinger Missiles that are used to shoot down airplanes do we make it more likely that the government will one day prevent people from hunting ducks? Of course you hear people say -- oh, a car or an airliner can be turned into a weapon of mass destruction -- many things can become weapons of mass destruction. None of us needs such a weapon to defend our families against intruders. 2,258 guns used by Today it is not only imaginable but also tragically commonplace. But no “assault weapon” ban takes this into consideration. Assault weapons are extremely deadly in the hands of private citizens and should be flat out banned. Criminals and murderers use assault weapons and semi-automatic weapons because they are readily available. An assault-weapons ban (really a ban on future sales; proposed laws would not take a single so-called assault weapon off the streets) would be aimed at … Try as we may, we are not going to prevent some of those seven billion people from becoming terrorists, criminals or mentally unstable. In January 2019, California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced her latest gun ban legislation, the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2019.” We’ve been tracking her attempt to pass the legislation since 2013; this page is an ongoing attempt to track and update what firearms would be affected in the never-ending attempt to kill the second amendment by the Senator from California. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? Consequently, the country’s economy will go down, and the gangsters’ illegal assault weapon business will go up rapidly. In a three-decade career at The Washington Post, Robinson has been city hall reporter, city editor, foreign correspondent in Buenos Aires and London, foreign editor, and assistant managing editor in charge of the paper’s Style section. Should it really take precedence over the fact that today in Newtown, Connecticut there are 20 families with holiday presents on a closet shelf, that were purchased for an excited six-year-old who will never open them? A serious response to the tragedy in Connecticut requires that Congress act to reinstate the assault weapons ban before the children of other families fall victim to the fantasies of some other mentally unbalanced individual -- or the ideology of a terrorist who has been empowered by our failure to act. We Must Ban Assault Weapons Essay 2393 Words10 Pages The controversy over assault rifles is one of the most problematic issues related to the contributions of gangs, drug traffickers, and most criminal activity. Firearm manufacturers, in response to declining sales of handguns, began selling assault rifles in the civilian market in the 1980s as part of a broader effort to create a new mark… An Islamic State sympathizer was able to go into a gun store days or weeks ago and buy both a pistol and an AR-15-style semiautomatic assault rifle, which he used to kill 49 men and women at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Is the NRA's concern that banning assault weapons will put us on a "slippery slope" more important than the lives of those 20 first graders? But that wouldn’t have helped in Orlando. The half-life of military-style rifles ensures they’ll be with us for many generations. Also, other countries took legal action by banning assault weapons due to tragic events. That if people are no longer allowed to purchase these weapons, gun violence will decrease. I count myself among the many Americans who at various points in their lives have owned and used long guns -- hunting rifles and shotguns -- for hunting and target shooting. In contrast, if assault weapons are completely banned, the government will make less money, and the gangsters will start selling and buying illegal guns. It does matter whether they have easy access to the weapons that make mass murder possible. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A. The firearms are highly visible, inaccurate, and bulky. The tragedy in Connecticut forces America to confront a simple question: Why should we allow easy access to a weapon of mass destruction just because it could conceivably be referred to as a "gun"? But cars and airliners have to be converted from their primary use in order to become instruments of mass death. The Reasons Why Assault Weapons Should Not Be Banned Or Restricted. When the framers wrote of “arms,” they were thinking about muskets and single-shot pistols. They could not have foreseen modern rifles or high-capacity magazines. That’s because magazine size has nothing to do with lethality. There are seven billion people on the planet. But guns used for hunting have nothing in common with assault weapons like the ones that were used last week in the mass murder of 20 first-graders -- except the fact that they are referred to "guns.". The simple fact is that no right is absolute because rights come into conflict with each other. We certainly don’t take that attitude with nuclear weapons or dirty bombs. Our recent New York Times article provided important new empirical evidence that the federal assault weapons ban (AWB) – in place from 1994-2004 – was an important tool in the effort to reduce the death toll from public mass shootings. Families grieve and … Now, someone here is foolishly writing something about an “assault weapon” and how they should be banned. Weapons that were previously unavailable in large numbers, became plentiful. The only reason to purchase an assault weapon, instead of a long gun used for target practice or hunting, is to kill and maim large numbers of human beings. There has already been many cases that many have heard of where many people have died because of a bullet. He was apparently on a terrorism watch list for a time but was removed after authorities decided there was no need to keep him under suspicion. Every time I hear of another mass shooting I go through the same process: I start with sadness for all the lives lost, then later in the day I completely forget about it. Why in the world should we allow pretty much anyone to have easy access to assault weapons? If it insults the Constitution, so be it — any other response would do far greater harm to our freedoms. In 1989, California lawmakers — horrified by a mass shooting at a Stockton schoolyard — adopted the first assault-weapons ban in the country. Freedom is possible, however, without the right to buy military weapons designed for killing sprees. The bottom line is that there is no reason why weapons of mass destruction of any sort - chemical weapons, biological weapons, RPG's, improvised explosive devices (IED's), missiles, dirty bombs, nuclear devices, or assault weapons -- should be easily accessible. If assault weapons are not banned and opened to the public, many more people would have died. By all means, Congress should immediately ban gun sales to anyone on such a watch list. Banning them would not end mass killings, but it would mean fewer deaths. For example, Erler states that some mass shootings, criminals use assault weapons with high-capacity magazines. Are the NRA's fears more important than the terror faced by children in the Sandy Hook Elementary school last week? the 2004 expiration of the assault weapons ban 697 vii. And it is not the case that if assault weapons were banned ordinary people would get them anyway. Assault weapons should be banned because they encourage the infringement of people’s freedom and independence, encourage crime, and perpetuates violence. Yet we have allowed the ban on this particular weapon of mass destruction to expire. Robert Creamer is a long-time political organizer and strategist, and author of the book: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, available on Amazon.com. The Second Amendment enshrines the right to keep and bear arms, and the Supreme Court has ruled that this is an individual right, not a collective one. Why Assault Weapons Should Not Be Banned Essay, creative writing resume template, how lack of communication was a fundamental cause of the tragedy of romeo and juliet essay, how to write financials for a business plan. Assault weapons are semi-automatic firearms—meaning that they fire a round every time the trigger is pulled—that are capable of accepting a detachable magazine and have another military-style feature such as a pistol grip, a folding stock, or a threaded barrel. Like the previous ban, existing firearms … We certainly don't take that attitude with nuclear weapons or dirty bombs. Your free speech does not give you the right to cry "fire" in a crowded theater. Why focus exclusively on the guns? While some people believe they are a danger to society, assault weapons should not be banned because it is a constitutional right, provides protection, and the ban failed many times in the past. The court has made clear, however, that this does not preclude reasonable gun control measures. It is not possible to have a free society without the presumption of innocence. It says that according to studies of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, the ban had little effect on reducing gun crime. "If we ban assault weapons, shotguns will be next," they say. Another possible response would involve more vigilant surveillance. We make it very hard for a terrorist to get nuclear weapons or dirty bomb. He is a partner in Democracy Partners and a Senior Strategist for Americans United for Change. Why make it easy for them to do harm to their fellow human beings by giving them easy access to a weapon of mass destruction? Since this tragedy, there have been calls for greater restrictions and background checks on those who can buy guns -- and there should be. Time to deal with the world as it is. All else, I’m afraid, is just noise. The federal government banned military-style semiautomatic assault weapons for 10 years between 1994 and 2004, and deaths from mass shootings fell. I believe that the United States does have a problem of gun violence. First, it would be useless. Read more from Eugene Robinson’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. It’s a … We made it easy for you to exercise your right to vote. And after last week, can anyone seriously question whether assault weapons are in fact weapons of mass destruction? E.J. The only reasonable response to the massacre in Orlando is to ban the sale of military-style assault weapons. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images), Orlando shooter Omar Mateen used an AR-15 style rifle to kill at least 49 people, officials say. Banning them would not end mass killings, but it would mean fewer deaths. In 2004, the assault weapons ban expired, and the House didn't take up the issue, allowing the assault weapons ban to fall by the wayside. Here’s what you need to know about the gun some are calling “the gold standard for mass murder.” (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post). It used to be hard to get assault weapons. And it is not the case that if assault weapons were banned ordinary people would get them anyway. If we do not act, the blood of future victims will be on all of our hands. One of the presidential candidates — I don’t want to sully this column with his name — has suggested a ban on Muslim immigration. Not all weapons must be considered suitable for private hands. Yes, of course. We put people in jail for what they do, not what they think. The public does not need a military level weapon for protection. Discussion Assault weapons encourage infringement of people’s freedom and privacy due to scrutiny and surveillance by law enforcement officers (Hirsch, 2012). v. the 1994 federal assault weapons ban 692 vi. The Real Assault Weapon Is The Liberal Media.....Not Guns ( Six Reasons Why Assault Weapons Should Not Be Banned) User Name: Remember Me: Password : Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. The second reason is that the assault weapons ban targets the wrong firearms. In 2014, 660 people were murdered with what the FBI calls “personal weapons”–hands, fists, feet– compared to 248 with rifles. Assault weapons only many effect mass shootings, and even then not all mass shootings involve assault weapons in the first place. “Assault weapon” and “large” magazine bans have not reduced crime. The only reason to purchase an assault weapon, instead of a long gun used for target practice or hunting, is to kill and maim large numbers of human beings. Assault rifles fire bullets with greater velocity and energy, leading to more serious wounds. As a result, a terrorist named Adam Lanza was able to have easy access to the assault weapons he used to kill scores of children in minutes.