Assault weapons/An important ban expires

Minneapolis Red Star ^ | September 13, 2004

[craig61a]

Over the last decade, buying an assault weapon hasn't been as easy as it once was. For that you can credit Congress, which decided in 1994 that rapid-fire killing machines have no proper place in American life. Apparently that conclusion has been renounced, for assault weapons are even now rushing back into gun shops. Today marks the expiration of the ban -- and the coming of a great shopping opportunity for gunsters. Never mind that most Americans strongly backed the ban. Somehow, the prohibition was allowed to wither without regard for the public will -- and despite past support from major-party presidential candidates. Last March, Sen. John Kerry voted for renewing the ban, which cleared the Senate but died in the House.

[uncbob]

Dear Troll, You are wrapped around the axle on AK's. Let me tell you something. I can hit an idiot carrying an AK-47, at 500 yards, with my BOLT ACTION 03 OR my Garand. No scope. Open iron sights. The AK-47 is effective at 150 yards or LESS.

HOw about you read all my posts before yoiu call me a troll you boob

Yeah right the terrorist is going to be carrying a flag sayin I AM A TERRORIST so you can see him 500 yds away on some Golf Course or farmers field

No they won't be in in cars or trucks they will marching down the street at 500 yards

Get real

You see what happened in that Russian school

[uncbob]

Uhhhh...when last I looked, this is not Russia.....

What has that got to do with it our borders are just as porous as Russias

[Joe Brower]

Lori675,

You couldn't be more wrong. Actually, military-pattern weapons are ideal for hunting in a climate like the one we have here in Florida, where their durability alone keeps them working when fancier firearms have seized up from rust. I hunt hog here with a Romanian SAR-1. Works great.

You might also want to ask the Korean shopkeepers in Los Angles in April, 1992 about how "insane" it was to have huge mobs rioting and burning down whole neighborhoods, and when they called the police, all they were told was "You're on your own". At that point, so-called "assault weapons" was the only thing that kept them alive and their businesses intact. I know. I was there.

But there is a moral issue here that you are missing entirely. But advocating the complete ban of a type of private property because one bad person out of a nation over a quarter billion souls might do something bad is to be allowing criminals to dictate what rights are to be allowed to the law-abiding. Is this what you desire? If so, why are you not demanding the banning of cars, since they are so often used in crime?

[Joe Brower]

At ease there, gunny!

"unbob" is no troll, trust me. As for the viability of an AK-pattern rifle versus your bolt-action, well, we here all know that they all have their applications. So do what I do: OWN BOTH. $:-)

[snooker]

You ask the wrong question. Criminals will use any weapon they can get until they can get no more locally. Then they will just import or buy them from Al Quada. Those high capacity magazines make fine cocaine shipping containers so they get a twofer by importing them.

The whole argument about what guns criminals use is specious to begin with. We call them criminals for a REAL reason. Disarming law abiding citizens doesn't affect criminals one wit.

But arming citizens does. Criminals tend to go into another line of work when citizens are armed. Works everywhere it's tried.

[NRA1995]

Well.....so the rest of us law-abiding gun owners should suffer the consequences of our government's failure to secure borders? Tell me....if you have 3 children and one does something wrong, do you also punish the other two?

[risk]

Doesn't this mean that the congress/senate girly men (Feinstein included) who made this a career have sort of wasted a lot of time and American money on this thing? Shouldn't that imply that they're now has beens? Doesn't that mean that other people, perhaps who are more patriotic and more likely to uphold the American constitution now have a chance to run against these pork-slopping, influence misusing fat cats?

[NavyCanDo]

DEAR SANTA
Please bring me one Colt AR-15 for Christmas.
And for my son, one Red Rider BB Gun. I promise neither of us will shoot our eye out.


I bought an AR-15 from my ships Gun Club when I was in the Navy (price in 1980 $440). Ten years ago I sold it to help pay for my Wifes wedding ring. Dang! I miss that weapon.

[uncbob]

Well.....so the rest of us law-abiding gun owners should suffer the consequences of our government's failure to secure borders? Tell me....if you have 3 children and one does something wrong, do you also punish the other two?

You obviously aren't reading my posts are you

Where have I said anything about continuing the ban

[ArrogantBustard]

Lori, dear, try thinking. I know it's hard, but let's work on the timeline here...

In what year did a democRat congress pass, and democRat president bill clinton sign the ugly gun ban?

In what year did drug-crazed killers eric harris and dylan klebold violate about two dozen gun laws, in addition to committing several acts of murder at Columbine High School?

Why do you think anti-gun laws have any effect on the behaviour of drug-crazed killers (or even cold sober killers)?

[Blood of Tyrants]

I wouldn't put it past the freedom haters to put an "assault weapon" in the hands of some poor deranged soul who went out and killed someone just to "prove" that AW's are "just too dangerous".

[Joe Brower]

I'd like to think so! It's certainly what I'm working overtime to acheive. My state of Florida has Bob "Crackers" Graham going out the door finally, and I'm pushing to get a GOP replacement elected. Gun-grabber Bill Nelson (D-FL) is another one who's going to get the boot when his re-election bid comes due.

I can hardly wait.

[NRA1995]

And your strategy for determining, in an absolutely foolproof way, who is and who is not a citizen?

[epow]

Even Fox news is jumping on the bash-Bush wagon about the expiration of that useless ban. The crawl is saying that now people can buy "assault weapons" like "Uzi submachine guns" again, and in effect saying Bush allowed it to expire after promising to extend it.

Where do these idiots get their information, from Sarah and Jim?? The AWB had nothing at all to do with full auto firearms of any type, those have been strictly controlled by the feds since 1934 and there is no hope for ever having that stupid law repealed. Sometimes I think Fox is no better than the rest of the media slugs.

[slowhandluke]

I am saying we need a way of preventing terrorists from easily obtaining ANY GUN

Take a deep breath, then try a deep thought ... THEY ALREADY HAVE GUNS! In Iran, Iraq, Afganistan, Spain, Germany, Russia, Columbia, Mexico, the USA. Try yet another deep thought ... We only know how to keep honest people from having guns.

Really deep breath here ... The new security regulations have to follow the Constitution, which states that people get to own guns.

Watch out for angina now, deep thought coming ... the purpose of owning said guns is to shoot the b*st*rds before they shoot you.

[Lori675]

What happens when the Colin Ferguson types get the AK 47s.
What happens when criminals and gangs get these weapons.

[ArrogantBustard]

They already have them!!! Duh! They don't give a rat's hairy behind about the law. That's why we call them criminals.

Now try answering my questions.

You don't even have to rely on your memory, here ... google is your friend.

[Blue Collar Christian]

People like me(the good guys in the white cowboy hats)when finally permitted to defend innocents, shoot them and minimize the damage. DUH!

[ArrogantBustard]

OBTW, to answer your "what happens" question (questions are usually indicated with punctuation called Question Marks, exemplified here: '?')

In Virginia, the honest folk shoot them down like rabid dogs. It doesn't happen very often, because it doesn't need to happen very often. The crooks get the message and stay in the gun-control-freak peaceful paradise of Washington, DC.

[coloradan]

Legally, that wasn't an AW.