(U-WIRE) - Assault weapons such as high-powered and fully or semi-automatic rifles are weapons of war. Why any group would want weapons of war on the streets of America is beyond me. Why a president who has so heavily supported organizations such as the Department of Homeland Security would want to relax or even do away with the assault weapons ban is counterlogical. However, the National Rifle Association has a friend in the White House in the form of President Bush, and he is not pushing for a renewal of the assault weapons ban.
The NRA recently held its 133rd-annual convention with guest stars such as over-the-hill rocker Ted Nugent, who serenaded the audience with his God, guns and rock 'n' roll spiel, and Vice President Dick Cheney in attendance. Both voiced their massive detest for the assault weapons ban and preached a tired doctrine of enforcing existing laws before creating new ones. Just because there are laws in place - which should be enforced to their fullest - does not mean new legislation is not needed, especially when something as deadly as assault weapons is the focus of the legislation.
Cheney used the opportunity presented by the NRA convention to rally an already Republican base: Gun-nuts. John Kerry's approach to the Second Amendment has been to regulate
regulate and then regulate some more Cheney said, citing presidential hopeful Kerry's votes against legislation that would protect gunmakers from lawsuits. Kerry is in favor of allowing federal authorities to randomly inspect gun dealers without notice. Regulation of weapons is necessary to ensure the well-being of America; a lack of it could only allow guns into the hands of criminals more quickly. NRA members complaining about the amount of time it takes to get a background check to obtain a gun is inane. If you can't wait a month to shoot your gun, too bad - Bambi will be around next season.
After voting to allow federal authorities to randomly inspect gun dealers without notice - an important piece of gun-control legislation - Kerry said in March 2004: The right to bear arms is a right that should be protected for law-abiding Americans who want to protect themselves and their families. There is however
no right to place military-style assault weapons into the hands of terrorists and/or criminals who wish to cause American families harm. While renewing the assault weapons ban should be a top priority, the number-one weapon used in gun-related crime in America is the handgun. Cheap and easily concealable, a handgun is an obvious choice for criminals. In fact, handguns account for 86 percent of all firearm-related crime, according to the Violence Policy Center. Why a handgun ban hasn't been attached to the assault weapons ban is ludicrous. These weapons endanger the well-being of every American. Please, don't write us with that tired, Guns don't kill people - people kill people
line. We know. However, people would kill fewer people if handguns were unavailable.
17
Archives
Bill Luecke
