RSSYOUR TURN
Your Turn: Banning assault weapons
Yakima Herald-Republic
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“Your Turn” offers an opportunity for readers to tackle a specific topic in greater depth.
Here’s our most recent topic:
Assault Weapons Ban
The Obama administration has indicated it will ask Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. The original ban had outlawed 19 types of semi-automatic military-style guns and ammunition clips with more than 10 rounds.
Officials say part of the reason for possibly renewing the ban is due to the increased flow of guns going across the border into Mexico. Should the assault weapons ban be reinstated or should we allow the continued sale of these types of weapons?
And here are some of the commentaries that we received:
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On Feb. 18 in a report by Jason Ryan of ABC News, the Obama administration announced that it would seek to reinstate the ban on the sale of assault weapons. This would be a mistake! The federal ban was originally enacted in 1994 under President Clinton and was allowed to expire in 2004 during the Bush administration. Part of the impetus for reinstating the ban, according to Attorney General Eric Holder, is to “help cut down on the flow of guns going across the border into Mexico, which is struggling with heavy violence among drug cartels along the border.”
Mr. Holder adds that “I think that it will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum.”
Let me try to understand this: The Obama administration wants to ban certain types of constitutionally protected weapons because it might help Mexico with their drug problem? Since when has it been the responsibility of Americans to reduce crime in Mexico?
The assault weapon ban, while prohibiting law-abiding citizens from exercising their constitutional rights, has also had a negligible affect on violent crimes. That is because, according to statistics from police reports and federal felon surveys obtained by the National Rifle Association Institute for Legal Action, the banned assault weapons were only used in 1 percent to 2 percent of all violent crimes. Murders with knives, clubs, and hands outnumber those committed with assault weapons by over 20-to-1! Will they ban knives next? How about bats (they could be used like clubs)?
While it may be tempting for you to ask who really needs an assault weapon, you’d be missing the point: In a free society, the burden of proof is upon those who wish to restrict a freedom, not upon those who wish to exercise it. The rationale used by the Clinton administration to justify the ban was that because criminals sometimes use these firearms to commit crimes, honest and law-abiding citizens must surrender them. Hmmm, let me get this straight: My freedom and liberty depends on the behavior of criminals? Does this seem fair to you?
One thing to remember when considering the ban on assault weapons: It’s a slippery slope! It may begin with certain types of semi-automatic shotguns, but before you know it, the government will be banning all guns (wasn’t that the first step in Hitler’s totalitarian regime?). I say no to any ban!
Michelle Lynn Berthon
Yakima
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With our president’s trip to Mexico, Yakima should take special action to support an assault-weapons ban. Since we are known as one of the major drug-delivery points in the nation, and that drug dealers protect their operations with guns, we should definitely foster and support an assault-weapons ban.
People have been murdered in Yakima because of the attraction and profits of drug dealing. A good agreement between Presidents Calderon and Obama would put a stop on the drug industry and severely punish those who deal. Our convention center should multiply on such an agreement by shutting down the gun-show loophole.
Locally we have to insist that our own police stop hiding behind their union and agree to be drug tested. The only conclusion the public can draw from their refusal is that our cops have something to hide.
It is our city and it does not belong to some special-interest union. It only takes one brave cop or a city council with the right sting to do the right thing.
When President Obama is willing to visit the famously dangerous Mexico City and its 20 million people, on our behalf, surely we can do something right to support him.
Lawrence L. Breer
Yakima
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While I am sure that we as citizens do not need to own assault weapons, it makes me nervous when the government starts imposing restrictions. Where does it end? I do not think regulation would stop the illegal flow of guns. It seem all it would stop is the legal purchase of weapons. Those who are of the illegal world would still find a way to obtain the guns.
President Obama said recently that he is not, at this time, going to attempt to reinstate regulation. Rather, he says he is going to try to better control the transportation of weapons and drugs back and forth over the border. I do not believe the United States is the only or even the main source of guns to Mexico, but this plan, if carried out properly, would be a good place to concentrate our gun control efforts.Let’s stick to the Constitution. It gives the citizens of the United States the right to bear arms.
LUCY A. OLWELL
Yakima
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Obama has indicated he will reinstate the ban on so-called assault weapons.
One excuse is that they are “flowing” into Mexico.
Any instrument, a knife, a baseball bat, as examples, can be used as an “assault” weapon.
Rifles that can fire multiple projectiles in rapid succession have been labeled “assault” weapons. Why? Because, they are easy targets, pun intended.
If a person purposely drives a car through a crowd at speed, would it be considered an assault weapon?
Anything that is used by one person to injure or kill another is in effect an assault weapon.
To single out rifles that can fire multiple times is absurd at best.
It is, as has been repeated many times, not the instrument, but the one who uses it to harm another, who is the dangerous one.
Ron Anderson
Yakima
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Guns are a means to an end. They were used to provide food and protection. Used to defeat and overtake, but that is another story.
I believe that those kinds of rifles need to be banned and not allowed to be sold, because as we are now seeing our world becoming unsafe as a result of those sales. The need to increase commerce has overtaken the need for safety.
Next the government will have to provide a gun for every home, if the United States does not take a stand to develop and enforce standards. The drug cartel is peddling drugs into the United States and even into our area. Why do you think we are seeing all the gang violence and killings? They are fighting for territory for selling drugs to make more money and as we have witnessed, human lives are virtually worthless.
I support the original ban to outlaw the 19 types of semi-automatic military-style guns and ammunition clips with more than 10 rounds and our nation needs to disallow the continued sale of these types of weapons.
Marlene White
Harrah
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Before reinstating the ban on assault weapons I think we should ask this question: Just why does Mexico and Venezuela want to see the United States of America under such a restriction?
This question takes on even deeper meaning when you remember that Russia has been very friendly with our South American friends. Even if we ban assault weapons here, I’m sure the drug cartels would have no problem getting them elsewhere. America should not be blamed for the actions or the non-action of the governments of any other country.
Before anyone can fire back and say but if we didn’t have the drug demand here, I’d like to say it’s true the drug demand is high and in my heart I know that the drug lords had a hand in the addictions of thousands of American citizens. Including the addiction of thousands of unwary children. It’s called greed.
Sandra Coats
Yakima
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