Letter to the Editor: Semi-automatic rifles don’t need to be banned, but more restrictions needed

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Assault weapons are unnecessary for the average person. 

In most situations where one would need or want a gun, they are overkill, and semi-automatic guns are both frequently used in mass shootings and the most deadly of the weapon in these shootings. 

In a study by Dr. James Fox, a criminology professor teaching at Northeastern University in Boston, that was based out of Mother Jones’ mass shooting database from 1982 onward, 25 percent of mass shootings were done with semi-automatic rifles, but 40 percent of total deaths were caused by semi-automatic rifles, and so were 69 percent of injuries. 

There are situations where these rifles can be useful, like in wild boar hunting, but for the most part they really aren’t necessary. Semi-automatic rifles don’t need to be fully banned, but heavier restrictions should be put in place for them.



Sandy Schafte

Battle Ground