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By Jonah Marshall, Staff Writer
“How many times must the cannonballs fly before they’re forever banned? …How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see?…How many deaths will it take ‘til he knows that too many people have died?”
The answer may still be Blowin’ in the Wind for some, but face it, thoughts and prayers are not bringing an end to gun violence in this country. We need more than thoughts and prayers; it’s time for Congress to act, to put their pro-life stance into action to actually protect the living citizens of this country by banning assault-style weapons. Even two assassinations attempts on a presidential candidate, and a shooting at a GOP Congressional baseball practice have not prompted action from our elected legislators. We need a change.
According to BBC News, there have been more than 385 mass shootings in the United States this year through September 5, 2024.
In the last four years, there have been more than 600 mass shootings. At least 2,400 people are murdered – two a day on average – in mass shootings. According to CNN, there have been at least 50 school shootings as of September 19, 37 of them on K-12 school grounds.
Assault weapons, derived from the term “assault rifles,” were originally created for military use. These weapons enabled soldiers to fire quickly and repeatedly. Unfortunately, these weapons have been the pick for some of the most brutal mass killings in the United States.
A shooting can be in the most unpredictable places. These include music festivals, nightclubs, elementary schools, shopping centers, parades, and many more. Each of these shootings are often see fatalities and severe injuries. According to Axios, 15 of the 25 deadliest shootings in US history involved a semi-automatic rifle, AR-15 style, AK-47 style, or bump stock weapon.
This should naturally make everyone want to ban assault weapons and put them as far out of reach for civilian use as possible, right? Hopefully, we are on the right track. Studies from Pew Research report that 58% of adults are in favor of stricter gun laws. About 15% favor less strict laws, and 26% are complacent, have no opinion or are undecided.
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994. This act included a ban on the sale of assault and semi-automatic weapons. This bill also allowed citizens to keep their assault weapons if they had been purchased prior to the bill being passed.
Though the ban expired in 2004, The Ohio Capital ran a study that found that if the ban were in effect from the start of the study in 1981 all the way to 2017 it would have prevented anywhere from 314 to 448 mass shootings. An average of 1,256 –1,792 lives could have been saved, at an average four people dying in each of the 314 to 448 events. Contrary to widespread belief, banning assault weapons is not in violation of the second amendment. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of keeping Illinois’ assault weapons ban so the sale of assault weapons remains illegal in Illinois.
Terms to understand:
Assault weapon refers to any firearm designed to fire one bullet with one trigger squeeze, then automatically reload the chamber with a cartridge from a magazine and be ready to fire again or have detachable magazines. According to Polifact.com. Includes semi-automatics as well. Assault weapons were originally used as a military weapon.
Semi-automatic gun: Any gun that utilizes a portion of the energy of a firing cartridge to extract the fired cartridge case and chamber the next round and requires a separate pull of the trigger to fire each cartridge. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, tobacco, and firearms.
Bump stocks: An attachment that replaces a rifle stock to fire faster. (Which the Supreme Court recently decided not to ban.)
AR guns: Armalite gun. Currently not classified as an assault weapon.
Mass shooting: The FBI classifies a mass shooting when four or more people die in a single event by a firearm.
Banning assault weapons does not stop your Second Amendment rights. It stops mass shootings from happening.