There are over 300 million guns in the US. This means there are roughly as many guns as people. I think it is safe to say that if we take away the most deadly and rapidly lethal guns, Americans will still have plenty to play with (or “defend themselves” as many say). There are too many semi-automatic rifles – simply banning them won’t do the trick. We need to get them the hell out of here. President Obama, Hilary Clinton & the Democratic party may not want to take any of your guns away, but they are dead wrong. Any gun that can fire 150-300 rounds per minute should not be in the hands of ANY citizen. I don’t give a shit if the Pope wants to buy an AR-15 – it shouldn’t happen.
If someone wants to purchase a handgun, shotgun or hunting rifle – he or she can have at it as long as that person can wait patiently for 10 minutes while a background check is conducted. I know it’s a pain in the ass to fill out a form and wait 10 minutes, but I would argue the minor inconvenience is worth it. But assault rifles? Sorry, no mas. The idea of taking these weapons away from citizens is really not that crazy. We can implement a mandatory buyback like Australia did in 1996 after they had their deadliest mass shooting in history. In case you were wondering, they have had ZERO mass shootings since then.
I am not naive enough to think we will have the same level of success as Australia. There will still be incidents in the US even after such measures, as the most determined criminals will find a way to wreak havoc. That being said, we should not make it easier for criminals and terrorists to murder innocent people. If you look at the number of mass shootings we had in 2015, it is clear we are making it way too easy (spoiler alert: there were 372 separate mass shootings in 2015). No law ever works absolutely. We have countless laws that seek to limit and reduce certain behaviors and NONE of them have succeeded in completely eliminating that behavior. We have pretty strict drunk driving laws but thousands still drink and drive -does that mean we should abolish drunk driving laws? Of course not.
MASS MURDERS AND WATERMELONS
Semi-Automatic rifles are good for two things: killing a lot of people & shooting watermelons in your backyard.
I do sympathize with the rights of watermelon shooters. However, there are more important matters than your Saturday leisure activities – such as doing everything we can to prevent the murder of 26 small children in an elementary school OR a mass shooting in a movie theater full of people OR the slaughter of 49 dancing gay people in a night club. So I am deeply sorry watermelon shooters, but we’re gonna need to take away your guns because the price for you to shoot at inanimate objects is not worth the thousands of lives ruined by assault weapons.
SELF-DEFENSE MY ASS
Anyone who argues that these guns are used for self-defense is full of shit. If you need an AR-15 to defend your home, you are doing some bad shit and should probably be in jail. I am pretty sure you can defend yourself against home intruders with shotguns and/or handguns. Also, who actually carries their AR-15 with them? I am gonna go out on a limb and say that the 90-99% of gun owners don’t carry ANY of their guns with them, EVER. I know a few gun owners and I have NEVER seen any of them carry in public “to defend themselves”.
WE CAN TAKE YOUR GUNS AWAY
Before you gun-nuts lose your shit, take a breath and attempt to practice logical reasoning before you scream your nonsensical bullshit about the 2nd Amendment. First, please read the literal text of the 2nd Amendment which states:
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Although the literal text clearly states guns are meant for a “well regulated militia”, our Constitution is open to interpretation to reflect current times (as it should). In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled that individuals do have the right to bear arms in DC vs. Heller. Even in this ruling, the Court clearly states limitations should be put in place:
“Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose”
You can look at most of the Amendments in our Constitution and you will see there are limitations. For instance, the 1st Amendment (arguably the most important amendment in our constitution), is littered with limitations. Although we have freedom of speech, you cannot falsely scream fire in a movie theater. Although we have freedom of the press, libel laws prevent intentional sabotage. Although we have the right to peacefully assemble, you cannot protest in the middle of the street or impede the freedom of others. Limitations are as necessary as the amendments themselves.
POLITICAL BULLSHIT
57% of Americans say Assault Weapons should be banned
90% of Americans say we should mandate background checks on ALL purchases
So if America is on the side of reason, why can’t we get this passed? Simple – the NRA.
Although the NRA is a relatively small lobbying group, it yields tremendous power and commands great attention among the American public, especially the conservative right. The NRA does not hesitate to spread misleading information or fiery rhetoric to achieve their political goals. Just look at their latest ‘Call to Arms‘ in the last 24 hours as it appears Sen. Chris Murphy’s 14 hour filibuster has pushed the GOP Senate to allow a vote on (1) expanding background checks to all purchases and (2) ban anyone on the FBI terror watch list from buying a gun (Tyranny, I know). The NRA is not on the side of responsible gun ownership and saving American lives, they are on the side of gun manufacturers and selling guns.
Although semi-automatic rifles should clearly be banned, and most people agree they should, there is ZERO chance of it happening. We live in a country that includes many many ignorant, paranoid and stupid people – which is essentially the perfect storm of inaction as long as the fear mongering NRA keeps its tune. I guess on a positive note, at least rednecks will still have their Saturday afternoons to look forward to. On the downside, we will continue to have daily mass shootings. #freedomisntfree #itcostsfolkslikeyouandme #merica
-El Chapo
