Petition to Reinstate the Assault Rifle Ban

[SecularMotion]

Aurora, Colorado Rep. Ed Perlmutte has called on US Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban.

Rep. Perlmutte represents the district where a recent movie theater shooting left 12 dead and 58 wounded. He points to the fact that the shooter, James Holmes, was able to gather a colossal amount of lethal weaponry in a short amount of time: "enough ammunition for a small army".

Incidents of mass shootings have increased drastically since the 1970s. The carnage is much greater when assault weapons are involved. In Aurora, James Holmes was able to use his own assault weapon to shoot dozens of people in the 90 seconds it took for police to arrive.

Banning assault rifles would, at the very least, decrease the number of individuals killed or injured in these situations, saving lives.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/727/105/036/reinstate-the-assault-rifle-ban/?z00m=20367275

[ileus]

1. This AWB...what firearms did it actually ban?

colossal amount of lethal weaponry in a short amount of time





All four of them..........

[armueller2001]

2. Really.

How, specifically, would banning assault rifles "decrease the number of individuals killed or injured in these situations"?

What makes an "assault weapon" more dangerous or deadly than any other regular ol' semi-auto hunting rifle?

[krispos42]

3. Stick a pin in the "assault weapon" myth.

Rep. Perlmutte needs to stop pretending there's a difference between semi-automatic magazine-fed sporting guns and semi-automatic magazine-fed assault weapons. Rep. Perlmutte needs to come out and call for a ban on all semi-automatics, plain and simple, instead of trying (and failing) to draw an imaginary and arbitrary line between the former and the latter.

[Simo 1939_1940]

17. I sure wish we could take a chainsaw to this myth.

Check out what's happening in my home state if you're not aware - more useless and politically damaging horse manure:

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/08/08/3750327/california-democrats-look-to-toughen.html

Hopefully this goes down in flames, as it richly deserves to......but once again we step in it during an election year - reminding educated voters how ignorant and emotional we get on the gun violence issue.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

4. Question for the poster:

How would banning new sales of assault rifles save lives?

[Callisto32]

5. "Question for the poster:"

LOL

Best one all week, so far.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

6. Wink, chuckle n/t

[Clames]

7. It wouldn't.

But they would feel good and that is ultimately what counts.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

18. Yes, I know.

I have the following issues:


1- This petition alternates between asking for a ban on "assault rifles" and "assault weapons". This makes either the petition author or Mr. Perlmutte (or both I suspect) appear entirely uninformed about the topic. This does effectively relegate both the petition and Mr. Perlmutte's call to the pile of stuff best ignored by those able to think logically.


2- Such repeated interchanging of the terms "assault rifles" and "assault weapons" evinces only a deliberate effort at both confusing the general public and minimizing the clear differences between these two types of firearms.


3- Considering that full auto firearms are not and have not been for sale to general public without extensive investigation and approval by ATF and local LE since the NFA of 1934 and that the 1986 Hughes Amndmt banned all sales and transfers of newly full autos, calling for a ban on what is already banned, exhibits only the disinformation that assault rifles are not already banned and that such a ban as proposed would have meaningful influence on possible future crimes.


4- Regarding "enough ammunition for a small army"; hell 6,000 rounds would be enough ammo for a large army...




...unless they were actually doing any shooting. 6,000 rounds would keep a small squad busy for say 45 minutes.

Hey, squad or army, they're the same for those who believe "assault rifles" and "assault weapons" are the same.

[Reasonable_Argument]

13. It's less about saving lives

And more about making people afraid of firearms feel safer. Once you understand that it all pretty much makes perfect sense.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

20. IMHO...

It's less about saving lives and more about making people that are either entirely uninformed, willfully ignorant and/or huffing too much glue, feel safer.

[Trunk Monkey]

8. Yeah, that's gonna fly in Colorado

Anyone here want to bet Mr. Perlmutte is looking for a job come the next election?

[rDigital]

9. Obama doesn't want any new gun legislation, I agree.

Quit putting the fire to our President's feet. I don't want RMoney & Ayn Ryand to have a chance in hell this November.

These wedge issues are killers for our guys.

[HALO141]

10. Sales of new assault rifles

(to civilians) have been banned since the NFA registry was closed in 1986. Can't see what banning them AGAIN is supposed to accomplish.

[armueller2001]

11. I'm sure they're playing on the fact

that most of the public does not know the difference between an "assault weapon" and an "assault rifle", and they think you can just go down to the ol' Wal Mart and pick up a machine gun.

[HALO141]

12. No doubt.

It's not always clear whether the mistake is made through ignorance or subterfuge but, either way, I'm inclined to vehemently resist even discussing such a measure on GP.

[petronius]

14. And that's a big reason why pro-RKBA DUers constantly insist that clarity

of terminology and a basic understanding of what words mean is important, even though that insistence is met with bogus accusations of 'disrupting and obfuscating by delving into the minutia.'

But I'm convinced that the confusion is deliberate, and many AWB proponents refuse to define "assault weapon" precisely for that reason - to avoid letting on that it isn't about machine guns...

[HALO141]

16. I think you're right. n/t

[slackmaster]

22. Yes, it's intentional exploitation of fear and ignorance

[Jenoch]

15. Huh?

"In Aurora, James Holmes was able to use his own assault weapon to shoot dozens of people..."

His Smith & Wesson M & P 15 jammed because of the crappy magazine. How many people were actually shot with the rifle he brought?

If the anti-gunners are going to use this shooting as a reason to ban guns, then the answer to the above question is significant.

[Simo 1939_1940]

19. Hit-and-run post number 2,493 NT

[rDigital]

21. Google Golem isn't posting in this thread because the op is full of fail. nt

[Tuesday Afternoon]

23. Please focus your energy on Mental Health Care. Thanks.

[rDigital]

24. This, times 10000000000000000000000000000000000000. nt

[bluestateguy]

27. Indeed

Nobody seems to be talking about that, including the gun grabbers.

[Hoyt]

28. Agree. In meantime, keep dangerous weapons out of hands of general public.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

29. Dear Sweet Hoyt --- such a big ole Daddy. Wanting to tell everyone how to behave

and what toys they can play with. It is endearing that you care and your heart is in the right place. I truly believe that.

[Hoyt]

30. Guns are the toys of callous people.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

31. Guns are NOT toys and you ain't my daddy.

[Hoyt]

33. You mentioned guns as "toys. " and they appeal to callous people.

Not a good combination.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

34. I can not speak for others but, my gun appeals to me about as much as my hammer or my

chainsaw. I can use any of them in a positive or negative manner as I see fit. I choose to use my tools to enhance my quality of life not, destroy it.

[X_Digger]

25. My petition against.. is the sales figures for so-called assault weapons.

Your vote? Costs a few electrons. Mine? $500-$1,500.

Wanna know who's winning? According to the BATF's 2009 report, over 800,000 per year.

http://www.atf.gov/statistics/download/afmer/2009-firearms-manufacturers-export-report.pdf

[bluestateguy]

26. And what would you have happen to people who run afoul of this law?

I happen to think we have too many people in jail, on probation or under the supervision of the criminal justice system.

And giving the police more powers to bash down people's doors on the basis of amorphous "weapons charges" does not sound like a good idea to me.

We have crime levels at 50 year record lows without that ban in place, BTW.

[Hoyt]

35. We want to keep it low. Such a ban will help change perception of guns.

That's how tobbaco use rates have declined.

[Union Scribe]

36. Avatar irony. nt

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

37. I have thought the same on occasion and...

...I just love irony.

[ileus]

32. So what weapons were banned again?