Assault weapons ban is nonsensical

By Dan Ward, Las Vegas

Saturday, June 25, 2016 | 2 a.m.

The shooting at Pulse in Orlando, Fla., was a horrific tragedy, but not an assault weapon issue. There are more than 9 million assault weapons owned by civilians in the U.S., and those types of weapons are responsible for less than a few hundred deaths every year. The only time anyone pays attention is when someone goes off the deep end every couple of years. By comparison, there are around 9 million motorcycles in the U.S. killing more than 4,000 people every year, but no one mutters a word about banning them. More people are killed with hammers and baseball bats than assault weapons.

When shootings like those in Newtown or Orlando occur and journalists vilify the AR-15 rifle as “the problem,” they are implying a direct association between someone with severe mental and/or emotional problems to millions of law-abiding citizens who own these weapons. The visceral nature of a disturbed individual destroying innocent lives is incomprehensible, but it is the act of one human deliberately and consciously taking the life of another human in the most violent manner.

As humans, we strive to make changes and adapt through history to improve our lives and prevent suffering whenever possible. When we experience catastrophic loss like this, we want to do whatever it takes to prevent it from ever happening again. But it will do no good to pass laws that won’t make a difference. The only way to severely decrease the probability of mass murder like this is mandatory confiscation of all firearms from the general population. Good luck with that.

Enforce the laws we have, initiate and improve watch-list restrictions and thorough background checks, and reinstate waiting periods for purchases of all new weapons. Banning assault weapons will only create a dangerous black market and turn law-abiding citizens into criminals; it will not contribute to our safety. The previous assault weapons ban, from 1994-2004, had no affect on gun-related deaths and subsequently was not renewed.

Omar Mateen didn’t need an assault weapon to do what he did. He systematically assassinated the weak and wounded who were lying on the floor over a three-hour time period in between phone calls. Anyone with a demented mind, hard heart and a firearm of any kind can walk into a building full of people at 2 a.m. and go berserk. He was a deranged killer facing no resistance, and someone like that has nothing in common with millions of law-abiding citizens who purchase and own these weapons for sport and recreation.