Assault Weapons - What's Real and What's Hype

While cleaning up my hard drive, I ran across a letter I wrote to the editor a local high school newspaper. My wife's sister was attending this high school and there was an article written by the editor stating we need to ban "assault weapons." Of course its written by a kid with no real world experience, but it aggravated me nonetheless. The media and politicians have been teaching kids that guns are bad, and that we all can go down to the local gun shop and buy automatic weapons. Well as most of you know, it's not that easy. The letter is long winded but worth the read and contains a lot of facts. If you think that politicians are trying to ban "assault weapons" or if you think its easy to get automatic (select fire) weapons then you couldn't be more wrong...

A Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor and staff,

            I am writing in regards to a recent article concerning the recent gun control debate. First, let me preface by saying the article was well written and contains some valid points. However, my concern lies with an inaccuracy in information given to the reader. This particular misinformation problem does not just pertain to this article but to a lot of media outlets. What I am referring to is the term “assault rifle.” What is an assault rifle? Merriam-Webster defines it as:

Military firearm that is chambered for ammunition of reduced size or propellant charge and has the capacity to switch between semiautomatic and fully automatic fire.

My concern is with the term “automatic.” In your recent article you mentioned there should be a ban on these automatic assault weapons. Well, let me inform you on the subject. The automatic assault rifle has been banned since May 19, 1986. The law was passed under the Firearm Protection Act and it prohibited the transfer and possession of machine guns (referring to automatic weapons). Any automatic weapon made after that date are illegal to possess, manufacture or distribute. Automatic weapons made before that date are allowed to be owned still, as they are grandfathered in. The National Firearms Act of 1968 required that these firearms were to be registered with the ATF specifically and any movement of them is monitored extensively, including the transport over state lines. The average person may own these firearms. The process is as follows:

Private owners wishing to purchase an NFA item must obtain approval from the ATF, obtain a signature from the Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) who is the county sheriff or city or town chief of police pass an extensive background check to include submitting a photograph and fingerprints, fully register the firearm, receive ATF written permission before moving the firearm across state lines, and pay a tax.

In addition to the regulation, the distributors are required to pay special taxes and are monitored by the ATF. So it seems to me that “assault weapons” are already very well regulated.

                So now that we have established what an assault weapon is, the question begs “What are we trying to ban then?” What the media portrays as an assault weapon is actually a semi-automatic firearm, with no selective fire feature, that has been modeled with tactical features and cosmetic upgrades.  Case in point, we will look at the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (commonly called the Clinton gun ban) that was passed September 13, 1994 and lasted till September 13, 2004. In The FAWB, they were unable to ban assault weapons, as they were already banned. What they did, however, was ban weapons that had similar cosmetic features of actual assault weapons. Items such as collapsible stocks, pistol grips, flash suppressors, etc., suddenly turned a hunting rifle to an assault weapon. Did these features improve or modify the firing, capacity, or lethality of the weapons? No. So in fact, these weapons are no different than your grandfather’s hunting rifle, except for some black plastic pieces.

                Now onto the crux of the matter. Were assault weapons (once again rifles with automatic capability) used in recent shooting like the ones in Colorado or Sandy Hook Elementary? Once again, no. they are semi-automatic weapons. They are designed and operate exactly like any pistol, revolver, auto loading shotgun and yes, hunting rifles.  The media and movies portray images of automatic weapons sweeping whole rooms, killing several people with a single trigger pull. That’s just not the case. The people who were firing these weapons would have to aim and pull the trigger each time, looking at each victim one by one. So I ask you, who is the evil one? The gun, or the man?

                Speaking of the FAWB, I would like to mention some research studies associated with its success.

• ·         In 2004, a critical review of research on firearms by a National Research Council panel noted that academic studies of the assault weapon ban "did not reveal any clear impacts on gun violence" and noted "due to the fact that the relative rarity with which the banned guns were used in crime before the ban ... the maximum potential effect of the ban on gun violence outcomes would be very small.”

• ·         In 2004, a research report submitted to the United States Department of Justice and the National Institute of Justice found that should the ban be renewed, its effects on gun violence would likely be small, and perhaps too small for reliable measurement, because rifles in general, including rifles referred to as "assault rifles" or "assault weapons", are rarely used in gun crimes

• ·         University of Pennsylvania found no statistically significant evidence that either the assault weapons ban or the ban on magazines holding more than 10 rounds had reduced gun murders

• ·         Research by John Lott in the 2010 third edition of More Guns, Less Crime provided the first empirical research on the 2004 sunset of the Federal Assault Weapon Ban. Generally, the research found no impact of these bans on violent crime rates, though the third edition provided some evidence that Assault Weapon Bans slightly increased murder rates.

• ·         The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence examined the impact of the Assault Weapons Ban in its 2004 report, On Target: The Impact of the 1994 Federal Assault Weapon Act. Examining 1.4 million guns involved in crime, "in the five-year period before enactment of the Federal Assault Weapons Act (1990-1994), assault weapons named in the Act constituted 4.82% of the crime gun traces ATF conducted nationwide. Since the law’s enactment, however, these assault weapons have made up only 1.61% of the guns ATF has traced to crime."

In conclusion, I would like to commend your thinking on increased background and mental health checks. I believe these types of measures would properly reduce the amount of violent crimes where a firearm is used. However, I do not believe that punishing the law abiding citizen with new legislation is the answer. I am a firearm owner, and concealed carry licensed holder. I do carry a firearm with me, not only to protect my family and my property but to protect you and yours. I stand ready to defend myself and others against deadly threats, day after day.  Wayne LaPierre once said “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun. ” I plead with you to look into these facts and research and not play into media hype. Don’t take away the rights of the good guys, but limit the power of the bad ones.