msteelers wrote:I look at this issue from the benefit that guns and weapons provide to society, just like with most other rights. Freedom of Speech means we have to put up with KKK a-holes, but there's no question that we need Freedom of Speech in order to have any kind of free society. The drawbacks from clan rallies do not outweigh the benefits of being able to speak truth to power.
I feel the same way about most types of guns. While I do not want them in my home, I understand the value of the feeling of safety that people get from having handguns. I understand there are benefits to owning certain types of firearms, and that to most gun owners they are worth the drawbacks. I would never bring a firearm into my home knowing that it's more likely to be used on myself or a family member than it is a stranger trying to do my family harm, but millions of Americans do. And that's fine I guess. I don't want to see those weapons go away.
What I don't understand are the AR-15 and other assault style weapons that are so popular today. Here is a timeline of the
10 deadliest mass shootings in US history.
- Austin, TX - 8/1/66 - 18 killed, 31 wounded
- San Ysidro, CA - 7/19/84 - 21 killed, 19 wounded
- Edmond, CA - 8/20/86 - 14 killed, 6 wounded
- Killeen, TX - 10/16/91 - 23 killed, 27 wounded
- Assault Weapon Ban takes effect - 9/13/94
- Assault Weapon Ban expires - 9/13/04
- Blacksburg, VA - 4/16/07 - 32 killed, 17 wounded
- Fort Hood, TX - 11/5/09 - 13 killed, 33 wounded
- Newton, CT - 12/14/12 - 27 killed
- San Bernadino, CA - 12/2/15 - 14 killed, 24 wounded
- Orlando, FL - 6/12/17 - 49 killed, 60 wounded
- Las Vegas, NV - 10/1/17 - 58 killed, 500 wounded
Mass shootings have increased both in frequency and in their deadliness since the Assault Weapons ban expired in 2004. Now, I know not all of these mass shootings were committed by people using assault style rifles. And I'm not trying to say that the assault weapons ban was perfect. But I don't think that there's any question that these type of weapons are making these events more deadly.
So what's the benefit of being able to be able to buy an AR-15? Where does society as a whole benefit? Because I've asked family members who own them, heard interviews with gun store owners that sell them, and various other gun enthusiasts who love their AR-15... and the common answer that I've heard is that they are "fun to shoot".
I'm sorry. That's just not good enough. Not for me.
First, AR-15s show up in shootings a lot mainly because they're just really popular and really common. There are plenty of other rifles that can perform as effectively as an AR-15. Focusing on just that one gun is like cracking down on Toyota Camrys because they showed up a lot in statistics about speeding tickets. Cracking down on AR-15s specifically is like cracking down on shoes and baby bottles at airport security and allowing laptop batteries through.
As for the chart, I'm skeptical that the 1994 assault weapon ban had anything to do with that period.
The chart leaves out Columbine in 1999, for example, I guess because it ties with Fort Hood but with a smaller injured count. I'm in favor of new gun control legislation being enacted, but the 1994 assault weapon ban is not a good model to try and emulate.
It banned semi-auto rifles with 2 or more of the following features:
- Folding or telescoping stock
- Pistol grip
- Bayonet mount
- Flash suppressor, or threaded barrel designed to accommodate one
- Grenade launcher
Of those, the flash suppressor is the only feature that might have a chance of coming into play in a mass shooting scenario, and even that was allowable under the ban as long as you didn't have any of the other features. (I'm ignoring the grenade launcher bullet point just because the grenades themselves were already illegal, and I can't fathom why we wouldn't be able to outright ban grenade launchers instead of putting on a list equal to bayonets.)
The 1994 assault weapon ban results in just one of these two functionally identical weapons getting banned:
The top one doesn't have a black polymer frame, a collapsible stock, a flash suppressor, or a pistol grip. They're both the same gun. If you want new gun regulations to be enacted, don't settle for something as empty as the 1994 ban.