Many people feel that banning assault weapons in the U.S. is the answer to stopping gun-related crime. Sadly, this view is often expressed and little understood. The assault weapons ban of 1994 has not been nor will it be effective if renewed.
The ban disallowed the production of so-called "assault weapons." It was legal to sell or trade any weapon produced prior to the ban. Since there was no shortage of available weapons produced before 1994, it's hard to see how the ban could have been effective. Now that weapons have once again been produced from 2004 to the present, there is sure to be no shortage of weapons should anyone really want to buy an assault weapon.
It dismays me that there are still people who have not learned from history. Simply banning things they don't like doesn't stop people from acquiring them. How did Prohibition work? How is the war on drugs working out? Every year we spend more money trying to stop people from smoking marijuana, with no effect. Most prisons are full or over capacity to the expense of the taxpayer, with many in our prison population incarcerated for a marijuana-related offense. What does that tell you?
Banning ordinary citizens from acquiring any type of weapon means that the people who are likely to safely own and operate these weapons will not be able to. Criminals always have no trouble obtaining whatever they like. All we would succeed in doing is driving up the price. It is long past time that people realize that where there is demand, supply will find a way. I wish I had the answer to solving the problem of criminals' obtaining weapons but I do not. What I do have is the ability not to promote the illusion of security.
Casey Finegan
Ketchum
