With all of the important issues dominating the political debate, the economy, health care, International Affairs to name a few it had slipped my mind that we did not have an assault weapons ban. Then a tragedy like the one in Aurora, Colo., reminds us of it. Maybe it had slipped my mind because banning assault weapons should be a no-brainer. No NRA lobbyist can argue that assault weapons are sold for any other purpose but to kill people. You can't use them for hunting or target shooting and they are not efficient for protecting your home and family. Therefore the only reason a person would buy one is to aggressively go out and kill people. The NRA wants to argue that any attack on guns is an attack on freedom. However no one should have the freedom to buy a weapon that is just intended to kill others.
Thanks to President Clinton, we had an assault weapons ban until 2004. For the safety of innocent Americans I hope a new one will be enacted soon. If there ever was an issue to put aside partisan bickering, this is it. Let's honor the dead of Aurora by banning the type of weapon that killed many of them.
but an assault weapons ban did not lower homicides. Very few homicides are comitted with military style carbines. Most homicides are comitted with handguns.
The Clinton assault weapons ban hurt the Democratic Party for 20 years.
Get over it. The American people do not want it. They do not like it. It is a political loser.
All you will do is produce a piece of legislation that will have huge holes in it like Clinton's and the NRA/GOP machine will get back to 60% support and roll Democrats coast to coast.
Give it up. It isn't the 1970s. The days of gun control are over.
It is an electoral dead end.
It only benefits the GOP and makes noone safer.
Gee, thanks for that insightful comment.... a weapon is used to kill people. And here I thought weapons were just for decoration on your wall.
That is the whole point of a weapon... to be able to kill people. That is why we HAVE weapons and Constitutionally protected... to protect against tyranny. For you to claim that guns are no good for hunting proves you lack an education and know NOTHING about the 2nd Amendment... it has NOTHING to do with huntin, its about protecting American citizens from tyranny.. foreign and domestic.
Is this guy serious? It's unconscionable that Hirsch would even remotely consider himself as a responsible journalist. First of all, why don't you check some stats? You have 150 million privately-owned firearms in the U.S. Given this number and by your insane logic, all of America should be an absolute anarchy or Mad Max-type environment.
Secondly, stating that assault weapons have no practical value for hunting or target shooting is again, utter nonsense. I have a privately-owned, civilian-purchased MILITARY STYLE RIFLE (not an "assault rifle", which is a cruel misnomer because my rifle has never assaulted anybody) and I use mine solely for target practice. Yes, I've never harmed anybody, nor do I intend to.
Oh, and by the way: I also happen to be a federal law enforcement officer for the past 14 years, yet here I am, advocating for the rights of RESPONSIBLE gun owners.
Last question for Mr. Hirsch, and this one deals with firearms as a whole and not military-style rifles in particular: if you were to happen to get that late-night knock on the door, followed by the sound of one of your windows being broken, which would you rather have to defend yourself: a gun...or your telephone?
NRA AND PROUD!
The sole reason that firearms replaced longbows and crossbows is that they required less strength and far, far less training.
And it's pretty hard to slash with a knife people who are on the other side of the room.
Mine has never killed anyone must be broken then should i return it
You can't use them for hunting or target shooting
yes you can I like many others do
and they are not efficient for protecting your home and family.
Try to break into my house and tell me how you feel when looking down the barrel
Deadly assault weapons have no place in Massachusetts, Romney said, at a bill signing ceremony on July 1 with legislators, sportsmen's groups and gun safety advocates. These guns are not made for recreation or self-defense. They are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people.