Pros And Cons Of Assault Weapons

Fortune Favors the Well-Armed

Political Science class 1333
Dr. Sugumaran Narayanan

“No free government was ever founded, or ever preserved its liberty, without uniting the characters of the citizen and soldier in those destined for the defense of the state… Such are a well regulated militia, composed of the freeholders, citizens and husbandman, who take up arms to preserve their property, as individuals, and their rights as freemen.” Richard Henry Lee (Signer of the Declaration of Independence), 1777 During the 2012 second presidential debate, President Barack Obama was asked what his administration has done or is planning to do to limit the availability of assault weapons in the light of so many public shootings involving…show more content…
With their sophistication, they can undoubtedly strike a more decicive and devastiating blow than any other weapon or firearm that one can legally purchase. With such powerful weapons, the problem of these “life-enders” falling into the wrong hands is unavoidable. Criminals in possession of weapons that will give them a fighting chance against the law enforcement officers will only make things difficult for the good guys. In the article “This Is Gun Country: The International Implications of U.S Gun Control Policy”, Laura Mahalko shed some light on the implications of how high powered weaponry are used by criminals. She states “Mexican drug trafficking organizations are the largest providers of illicit drugs to the United States. They have also grown to rely on advanced, high-power weaponry and to use their nearly military-grade armament to maintain control over smuggling corridors, and local drug production areas.” She further claimed that, “The United States is likely the most prevalent source of weapons for the increasingly violent cartels.” Despite these claims we can be confident that with better federal and state regulations we can drastically reduce the problem of “high-power weaponry” getting into the hands of criminals and drug traffickers. The evidence has shown that making something illegal at times only increases the problem. In cases such as…show more content…
The public must not however get carried away with only the potential harm that these weapons can cause, and must focus instead on the little amount of actual harm and the great benefit we get each day by having them. The facts show that other types and varieties of firearms have contributed to more homicides than assault weapons have. As a matter of fact weapons other than firearms (i.e. knives, cars, and rope) have contributed more to the death toll than assault weapons have. If we are truly concerned about our safety, our right and our duty to protect ourselvesand all that we love and stand for, then we must be able to own and knowledgeably operate the kinds of firearms that will allow us to do just that. Admittedly, there is the growing concern with regard to assault weapons getting into the hands of non law abiding persons (criminals and drug dealers). However, we must be confident that with better regulations with regards to ownership of assault weapons and with better enforcement of these regulations we can keep assault weapons out of the hands of those who intend to use them to harm others. When every assault weapon is banned, the only ones left with guns are the criminals.

WORKS CITED

Robertson v. Baldwin, 165 U.S. 275 (1897) United States v. Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (1939) District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570