“He Purchased Multiple Guns Legally”
By
Leonard Zwelling
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/06/us/highland-park-illinois-shooting-july-fourth-parade-wednesday/index.html
When are we going to become sufficiently sick and tired of this phrase to actually see the law surrounding the acquisition of assault-style weapons change?
In Highland Park it appears that the suspected shooter was planning this massacre for some time before July Fourth and that he had legally acquired the guns to do the damage. He may well have had a previous history of run-ins with police or had reported mental health issues. He is reported to have used a military-style weapon which put military-style holes in his victims, killing seven. There must be a point when the Congress of the United States realizes that the risk to the many citizens outweighs the rights of the many to own these weapons. Hunting rifles and handguns are another matter although I suspect that more people are killed with handguns every year than with assault-style weapons and few with hunting rifles. Both the use of guns for recreational hunting and the use of guns for home and self defense can be understood even to someone with a license to carry a concealed weapon who never bought one, like me. At least I took the time to learn what a gun can do, how it works, and actually gain some proficiency using one. Assault-style semiautomatic weapons have no legitimate use in the hands of civilians. They need to be banned.
We have always been a violent nation. The United States was born in blood. It has fought many wars—some unnecessary—and weathered the wild west, the Ku Klux Klan, the Branch Davidians and enumerable criminals from Bonnie and Clyde to John Dillinger. It is also obvious that the country harbors domestic terrorists some of whom stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Most of these enemies of the people had guns. The decision for Congress now is whether or not to stop hiding behind the Second Amendment which was written in the wake of the British occupation of the 13 American Colonies and update our laws for our times and our 50 United States.
Yes, it is likely that the shooter in Highland Park was mentally disturbed, but doesn’t that mean there should be something between him and purchasing a weapon of war? Is mental illness an excuse for not doing the right thing and banning these weapons? How good are we at screening such people away from having weapons? Poor. Thus, the logical conclusion is to get rid of the weapons from the hands of anyone who is not in the military or on a police force. There ought to be no legal way for anyone to buy an assault-style weapon. Period.
This one is really not that complicated. You just have to step back and ask what would do the most people the most good? Allowing these weapons to be easily and legally acquired or not? That’s an easy one.
Justice Thomas may be right and most gun owners are responsible citizens. But enough aren’t that the 400 million guns put the rest of the 300 hundred million of us in jeopardy. Get rid of these assault-style weapons. Now. They have no legal reason to be available to anyone.
2 thoughts on ““He Purchased Multiple Guns Legally””
Len, without rehashing the same old pro-gun arguments, I’ll merely say this: If people want an assault weapons ban, then the first step needs to be securing every square inch of our border. If we ban “weapons of war” in the name of public safety, with our current border all that will result is the cartels adding AR15s to their litany of imports. Fentanyl, cheap labor, sex slaves…now AR15s.
I’m not saying YOU want it both ways. I’m saying the average Joe on the street does. We have a system built on “these policies” exacerbating “those problems.” This has to stop or we’re a snake eating its own tale until, in the words of Jim Morrison, “the whole $hithouse goes up in flames.”
Simply disagree. Get rid of the assault rifles AND fix the border, but don’t wait for one to do the other. LZ