Here is the letter I was responding to:
Don't let assault rifle ban expire
THE DECATUR DAILY:
Regarding the tragic killing of two officers by a semiautomatic assault rifle ("Gun bought Christmas Eve"), it is important to note a few additional things. First, the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban did not ban automatic weapons, as Eric Fleischauer and Holly Hollman write, but rather banned 19 specific models of semiautomatic weapons, as well as other weapons that contain features commonly found on assault weapons. This ban is set to expire Sept. 13, and the killing of these two officers shows the immediate need to extend the ban.
Second, it is interesting that James Moses, head of the state National Rifle Association affiliate, would make the case for extending the ban when he states, "The federal ban on assault rifles is more words than reality. Some guns were outlawed and are no longer in the country, but there are all kinds of guns that do the same thing."
He is right "” not all assault weapons were banned in 1994, including the SKS used to gun down officer Tony Mims and Sgt. Larry Russell. It is simply good policy that if you are going to ban assault weapons that you ban all assault weapons.
If all assault weapons were banned, then the SKS used to kill these two officers would not have been available to the alleged shooter. It is therefore crucial that the ban be not only extended, but also expanded to cover all military-style assault weapons.
Finally, assault weapons continue to pose a threat to the lives of our law enforcement throughout the country. According to the FBI, an assault weapon killed one out of every five law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty from 1998-2001. It is time for Congress and the president to act and not allow the assault weapons ban to expire.
Hollie Sawyer
Project Coordinator
Handgun-Free America
Arlington, Va.
Here's My Response:
http://www.decaturdaily.com/decatur...rs/040118.shtml
Typical knee-jerk liberal reaction
THE DECATUR DAILY:
This is in response to the letter by Ms. Hollie Sawyer, project coordinator for Handgun-Free America. Ms. Sawyer exhibits the typical, knee-jerk reaction of liberal America today.
Ms. Sawyer, and others like her overlook the roots of gun crime and go straight to trying to ban guns. Banning certain kinds of weapons would accomplish nothing for public safety. There are many guns on the market today that are more powerful than the one used to murder the Athens police officers. Many are sold every day at your local sporting goods store. They are mechanically identical to the gun used to brutally murder those officers, and they are commonly called "hunting rifles." The only difference between these rifles and an "assault rifle" is their outward appearance. More often than not, assault rifles shoot a less powerful and smaller caliber cartridge than hunting rifles.
Ms. Sawyer, and those like her, hope to use tragedies like this to wedge their feet in the proverbial door to further gun control. Gun banners like Ms. Sawyer are aware the average citizen knows very little about firearms. As such, she and her ilk encourage the average citizen to support the ban of "assault weapons." Later on, those in favor of gun control will decide that the ban on "assault weapons" is not enough and they will want to ban all long guns. Finally, handguns will be deemed too dangerous to own and, as the name of her organization implies, necessary to ban. If we follow this path, only criminals will have guns because they never obey the laws in the first place.
If she really wanted to help, she would call for reform of the laws that let this man slip through the cracks, instead of trying to further her own personal beliefs.
Brian W. Terry
Hartselle
They Printed My Letter TO the editor! RE: Assault Rifles
