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Cathrin AhrensOn Sept. 13, Second Amendment defenders rejoiced as the sun set on the Assault Weapons Ban, which specifically made 19 weapons illegal, in addition to various other weapons possessing certain characteristics, including detachable magazines and grenade launchers.
While many viewed this ban as an intrusion on our Constitutional right to “keep and bear arms,” I believe the Second Amendment has been exploited at the cost of society. Citizens do have a right to bear arms in order to protect themselves; however, is an AK-47 necessary to provide self-defense?
The assault weapons that were banned are not common household guns that are kept on a shelf in case of an intruder. Instead, they are semi-automatic weapons that were designed by military specialists with the aim of inflicting severe damage. We do not need Uzis or guns with detachable, high-capacity magazines to protect ourselves like our soldiers do in war — our right to self-defense does not include the right to slaughter an offender. Do we really want to keep these military assault weapons on our streets merely to assert a civil right that only endangers others and ourselves?
A ban on these weapons does not obstruct an individual’s right to self-protection. There are numerous other guns with less potential for mass murder that can be used in self-defense. The ban does not inhibit hunters — you do not use semi-automatic assault weapons to go hunting.
Thus, we are left with the main question of why someone would want to possess one of these weapons. What is a person’s intent in owning a weapon that can rapidly fire up to 10 rounds and then easily add on a new magazine to continue firing? The likely intent is destruction, which ultimately means that these weapons will be abused.
Although the Assault Weapons Ban did not effectively target every gun that could be classified as an assault weapon, it was a symbolic step toward the eradication of offensive weapons. Though flawed, the ban served as a starting point while lawmakers continued to work on a more comprehensive ban that went beyond cosmetic features and identified functional elements.
Furthermore, halting production of new assault weapons and banning copycat weapons begins the process of slowly filtering assault weapons out of society. However, with the expiration of the ban, we have merely regressed, and now we must start our efforts over again as more previously banned assault weapons infiltrate our communities.
Given the Second Amendment groups’ success in impeding weapons bans, Congress will have a long, uphill struggle trying to introduce new gun laws. The American people, however, have indicated that they favor such laws. The National Annenberg Election Survey found that 71 percent of all households supported extending the ban, 64 percent of which were households that owned a gun. Therefore, should we allow a minority, which supports a law that essentially endangers the rest of society, to dictate policies?
Critics of the ban contend that assault weapons are rarely used in crime; however, their argument is undermined by the fact that in the 1999 Colombine shootings, one of the guns used was a TEC-DC9, which became illegal under the ban. At a school shooting in Stockton, Calif. in 1989, an AK-47 was used to kill several children. Or try convincing the people of Washington, D.C., that an assault weapons ban would have little effect on crime rates after they were terrorized for nearly a month by a sniper using a Bushmaster rifle, a model similar to the AR-15 rifle which was banned.
The Assault Weapons Ban was a necessary first step toward eliminating military weapons from our communities in order to protect our citizens — not control them, as many gun advocates claim. The Second Amendment does entitle people to own guns; however, this amendment was not intended to be an unrestricted protection of people with violent intentions. The Second Amendment is to ensure that guns are used as guard dogs. Therefore, bans are needed to chain down the guns that act as rabid beasts.
Submitted 09-23-2004
MALIBU, CA
