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Nov. 4, 2005 One of the major political issues that have resurfaced since sliding below the radar in 1994 seems to be the American electorate?s interest in the specifics of the 2nd Amendment. Though not the polarizing hot-button issue it was a decade ago, the touchy subject of gun rights has certainly taken on a new level of importance with the collapse of the Assault Weapons Ban and has become a permanent part of the Republican Party?s political machine. The truth is, though, as it is with so many other things, not quite so interesting if you look beyond partisanship and push forward a strong moderate position that puts logic over ideology and common sense over partisanship. There is no reason why Democrats and Republicans cannot come together for the common good of the people and compromise on this important issue. The question is, will they? When the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban failed to gain reauthorization last year, many Democrats predicted a world in which criminals carried around AK-47 combat rifles with armor-piercing rounds, holding society hostage through the very liberties meant to make us free. However, we see now, almost a year later, that this apocalyptic prediction of Senators Diane Feinstein and Ted Kennedy has not happened. We can still walk the streets without entering a Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome type of world. Once again, political exaggeration served only to undermine what could have been a great discussion on a deserving subject. What can be agreed upon through government and private studies over the past 10 years is that the rate of violent crimes using guns did not waver in the least in the decade when the AWB was supposedly making it harder for criminals to buy guns. In fact, for those who fear that criminals will now run rampant with Uzis and AK-47?s, it would be wise to note that both guns are still outlawed under a 1989 bill prohibiting the import of automatic weapons. In fact, the only real action the AWB took was to make certain modifications to semi-automatic weapons illegal. The AR-15 is the civilian version of the M-16, and has been available on the market even during the AWB. Why is that? First off, the AR-15 only becomes an ?assault weapon? if the owner decides to put a collapsible stock of flash suppressor on it. Keep in mind that through all this, the AR-15 fires the same ammunition at the same rate of fire. It is just as dangerous with the additions as without. These ?cosmetic changes? as they are defined in the AWB do nothing to enhance the lethality of being shot by one of these guns. So why is everybody getting bent out of shape at the idea of this backwards and redundant law not being on the books anymore? If anything, not having the hoops to jump through will make it easier to track down criminals who have imported weapons illegally! However noble it seems to ?keep assault weapons off the street,? the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 did nothing to keep anything off the street. Until both sides can come together and start working on ways to actually reduce the amount of gun violence in our country while respecting the rights of Americans, lives will continue to be tossed around Congress like a cheap political football. ------------ About the author: Max Burns is an 18 year old moderate Democrat and student at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va, where he is a Government and International Relations major. He is a political columnist for the George Mason Broadside and author of the novel Alcardia, as well as several short stories. Email: centristdonkey@gmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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