Assault Weapons Ban

The banning of Assault Weapons. Is it necessary? Will it make America a safer place? In my opinion, absolutely not. As I see it, it is nobody's business to tell another person what they can and cannot have in their household, especially when told by the uninformed. Assault weapons are used by sportsmen and responsible, law abiding citizens who practice home defense. Unfortunately, criminals can also get their hands on an assault weapon through illegal means. Assault weapons are not committing crimes, people with bad intentions are committing crimes. Every weapon is lethal but it becomes dangerously lethal in the hands of a criminal who has no problem breaking the law. Let's take a closer look at the actual statistics pertaining to assault weapons. According to Mark Gius in his peer reviewed journal publication, "The impact of state and federal assault weapons bans on public mass shootings" Gius explains in his journal that there have been multiple bans on assault weapons in the United States which have expired since. A mass shooting by definition is an attack involving a firearm which results in the death of four or more people. Contrary to popular belief, the primary weapon used in mass shootings are concealable handguns. According to Gius and Senior Legislative Attorney, Janet L. Kaminski Leduc, assault rifles were used in only 8.25% of all mass shootings whereas handguns were used in a whopping 32.99% of all mass shootings. Other weapons such as hunting rifles, shotguns, and other weapons make up the remaining percentage. But of course, which gun looks scarier? (Picture below)

On top: Semi Automatic Handgun
On Bottom: AR-15 (Assault Rifle)

Many assault weapons ban activists will argue that the ownership of a weapon that has the ability to kill multiple people at a quick rate is unnecessary and dangerous so therefore should be deemed illegal. However, the primary weapons used in mass shootings were handguns. Are these activists genuinely trying to make America safer or are they simply uninformed and intimidated by the way an AR-15 looks?





Citation:

Gius, Mark. “The Impact of State and Federal Assault Weapons Bans on Public Mass Shootings.” Applied Economics Letters, vol. 22, no. 4, 2014, pp. 281–284., doi:10.1080/13504851.2014.939367.

Janet L. KaminskiLeduc, Senior Legislative Attorney. “WEAPONS USED IN MASS SHOOTINGS.” WEAPONS USED IN MASS SHOOTINGS, OLR Research Report, 18 Jan. 2013, www.cga.ct.gov/2013/rpt/2013-R-0057.htm.