Chickenboy -> RE: A new ACW.. (1/17/2013 4:30:04 PM)
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The first problem in banning 'assault weapons' is the definition. Non-gun owners just kind of wave their hand at the bunch and assume they're all 'assault weapons'. Kind of like porn, I guess-you can't really define it, but you 'know it when you see it'? One of the problems with the 'assault weapons ban' that ran from 1994-2004 was the 'whack a mole' phenomenon. When you define X model as an assault weapon because of 'Y' characteristic (or even just the model number!), manufacturers change the model slightly (and give it a new model number) to evade those sanctions. Poorly defined legislation is fallible and liable for exploitation. The majority of the 'assault weapons' sold in this country are semiautomatic rifles of small (.223 or 5.56mm) caliber. They DO make for excellent varmint rifles (squirrels, coyote, rabbit, other small game) because of the small caliber weapon and the flat ballistic trajectory offered by this particular cartridge. There are a fair number of handgun hunters out there that hunt sizeable game with large caliber pistols too. But even if there were absolutely no useful hunting purpose for a semi-automatic weapon (now, we're probably talking about small frame pistols), I couldn't care less. Because legal ownership is not predicated upon its functionality as an exclusively hunting weapon. I believe in reasonable restrictions on the availability of firearms or weapons of exclusively military value. Case in point: existing regulations and restrictions against ownership of grenade launchers, RPGs, crew-served machine guns (genuine MGs, not semi-automatic weapons that are misclassified as 'machine guns') and comparatively strict regulation of fully automatic weapons. These have been in place for some time, have broad support and are reasonable. For an honest discussion, both sides have to recognize what the other really really wants in the long run. Anti-gun advocates want abolition of all firearms of all types. Period. They'll go about getting it by 'nibbling on the edges' until de-facto abolition exists. It would be nice if they had the decency to underscore their end game. Some on the other side want access to anything and everything-all the time. They balk at ANY regulations, no matter how reasonable. Neither approach is reasonable. There IS a reasonable middle ground here. Perhaps something that could be done to limit the likelihood of this occuring in the future. In my opinion, the middle ground lies not with definitions of what an assault weapon is or isn't or what it 'feels' like. Nor is it in identifying the 'legitimate' use of said weapon model as a hunting platform. In my opinion, reasonable background checks with teeth, harsh punishments for 'straw' buyers / gun trafficers and discussions / integrations of mental health screens into the permitting process should occur. There's a slippery slope to some of these issues, to be sure. And this is a Constitutional amendment / Bill of Rights we're talking about-not some traffic law subject to constant re-interpretation. Maybe I'm a dreamer, but I think that reasoned men can make some reasoned decisions about these sorts of things. I've not seen too much from either side yet to suggest that we're approaching this in a reasoned manner, unfortunately.
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