Regarding Margorie Casswell’s Jan. 22 letter, “Unite with Bob Ferguson and ban assault weapons,” law-abiding firearms owners have been told for years by sly activists and politicians, “nobody wants to take your guns away!”
With the antics of the governor and legislature in Virginia, we see the unvarnished attempt to seize lawfully-owned firearms from citizens, accompanied by threats from the government.
There is a nationwide push for this unconstitutional activity.
The founders did not carefully craft the Second Amendment so that Daniel Boone could go deer hunting.
They knew from experience what tyrants are capable of, and they understood that citizens must be able to defend themselves from criminals, mad men and totalitarians.
The assault rifles of the founders’ day included the “Pennsylvania Rifle,” a muzzle-loader with grooved barrel that was capable of accurate 300-yard shots, the long land Brown Bess, a smoothbore muzzle-loader, locally-produced and authorized “Committee of Safety” muskets, the French-built Charleville musket and the British-built Ferguson, a breech-loading musket accurate to 100 yards.
These weapons were capable of firing multiple rounds per minute, and when Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore the west, they were equipped with a Girandoni air rifle which could fire 22 .46 caliber lead balls (liberal politicians would call that ‘high-capacity’) in 30 seconds.
It was demonstrated effectively at targets several times to impress overly-curious Native American groups and discourage aggression.
All of our nation’s technologies have improved since those days
Under Clinton, a 10-year assault weapons ban was enacted, which ended when authorities determined that the ban had no effect on overall criminal activity, firearm homicides, lethal gun crimes and was actually associated with a decrease in mass shootings.
Proven not to work, assault weapons bans are still the darling of anti-gunners.
Making the scary-looking guns go away appeals to the timid and uninformed among us, even though mass shootings, including the recent Texas church shooting, are often committed using shotguns, bolt-action rifles and handguns.
Many shootings have been stopped by law-abiding firearms owners.
Semi-automatic firearms, including rifles, shotguns and handguns used by millions of target shooters and hunters, are feared and misunderstood by anti-gun folks, and “high-capacity magazines” are also a target of their crusades.
This although mass shootings last only six to 12 seconds statistically (911 calls are a faint hope), and rarely involve large magazine counts, with shooters often being tackled, shot or otherwise disabled while they attempt to reload.
Casswell dramatically agonizes about guns “terrorizing our communities,” but it is reasonable to ask:
What does she suggest when a criminal violates numerous gun laws, breaches security at a school, theater, mall, restaurant or other public place and gains access to a group of terrified citizens?
Harsh language?
Point meaningfully at the “Weapons Free Zone” sign?
Wave a sheaf of gun laws at them?
Call 911?
There will eventually be SWAT Teams, ambulances, media vans, coroners wagons, candlelight vigils for the dead, but gun laws do nothing to stop criminals.
They only harm honest citizens.
