The “assault weapon” ban is set
to expire in just weeks.
Because of this, there has been much chatter about it
in the media. It seems like many if not most people
agree that they are for the second amendment but
against those big bad “assault weapons.” I have
one
question for them: why?
In all
likelihood, they do not even know what was
banned or if any of these “weapons” were used
in
many crimes.
The first
thing that strikes me about the “assault
weapon” ban is the
name. Apparently the designers of the bill never
consulted a
dictionary. Something does not become a
“weapon” until someone
uses it with the intent to kill someone. Anything can be
a “weapon.”
In the game of Clue alone, the weapons include: a knife,
rope,
revolver, wrench, lead pipe, and candlestick.
Calling the
firearms that were banned “assault weapons” is
an
attempt by the gun grabber crowd to demonize them. The
left knows
that to control politics they must control language.
What will
probably shock most people is that the firearms that were
banned were not banned because of how much damage they
can
cause. They were banned, essentially, because they look
scary.
Really what they should call it is the
“Scary-looking firearms to
people who are emotionally driven and have never handled
a firearm”
ban.
The
“assault weapons” that were outlawed are all
semi-automatic,
i.e. fire one round per one pull of the trigger. They are
functionally
no different than many other semi-automatics that have
been used
for 100 years. It was based mostly on cosmetic or
ergonomic
design that these firearms were banned, or based on
things that are
already heavily regulated. I will call it the “ban
on various
semiautomatic firearms” from now on.
The firearms
in question were and are used in a miniscule amount
of crime. (More information at www.awbansunset.com). So why
did the gun grabber crowd go after them? Because it sets
a precedent.
The gun control lobby has now made it a precedent that
various
firearms can be outlawed in the name of being
“extreme.” If they
can ban these firearms, based on an arbitrary standard,
why can’t
they go after any other firearm?
Leftists are
more worried about semi-automatic firearms in the
hands of law-abiding, regular citizens than they are of
nuclear
weapons in the hands of Saddam Hussein. (Ask yourself
why).
The ban on various semi-automatic firearms is an attack
on the
individual rights of regular citizens. Fortunately, it
will likely expire
in September. Let’s make sure it doesn’t return
Send your questions
comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
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We distribute in Andover, North Andover, Methuen,
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