Fallacies of the Assault Weapons Ban
Fallacies of the Assault Weapons Ban
Abstract
Violent crime is a growing problem in our country. Politicians are always looking for new laws to impose on their people in order to combat the problem. Unfortunately, some of these laws are written by individuals who do not possess a thorough knowledge of the topic they are attempting to regulate. One example of these laws is the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that was in place from 1994-2004. This law made it illegal to produce or purchase a firearm that had certain cosmetic features which had no effect of the lethality of the firearm when used as a weapon. The politicians had essentially banned firearms that they deemed looked scary. Now there is a push for a renewed Federal Assault Weapons Ban. It is imperative the people know that this infringement on our Second Amendment rights is constructed around banning firearms based on how they look instead of how effective they are as weapons.
Fallacies of the Assault Weapons Ban There are many political issues in the world that incite strong emotional reactions from people from all walks of life. These issues can turn the tide of a political campaign because of the emotions involved with them. Quite often, the most emotion inspiring issues are related to individual rights and public safety. A major issue that is constantly debated by opposing interest groups is gun control. This is a topic that creates a firestorm of debate between people all over the country. On one side, there are the gun owners who believe the Second Amendment to the constitution is absolute and that citizens of the United States should be permitted to own any firearms they want. On the other side, there are gun prohibition groups who believe that all firearms should be banned. Both of these points of view are the extreme ends of the spectrum. Most people tend to be in favor of reasonable restrictions on the ownership of firearms. But what is reasonable? There are many examples of
Abstract
Violent crime is a growing problem in our country. Politicians are always looking for new laws to impose on their people in order to combat the problem. Unfortunately, some of these laws are written by individuals who do not possess a thorough knowledge of the topic they are attempting to regulate. One example of these laws is the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that was in place from 1994-2004. This law made it illegal to produce or purchase a firearm that had certain cosmetic features which had no effect of the lethality of the firearm when used as a weapon. The politicians had essentially banned firearms that they deemed looked scary. Now there is a push for a renewed Federal Assault Weapons Ban. It is imperative the people know that this infringement on our Second Amendment rights is constructed around banning firearms based on how they look instead of how effective they are as weapons.
Fallacies of the Assault Weapons Ban There are many political issues in the world that incite strong emotional reactions from people from all walks of life. These issues can turn the tide of a political campaign because of the emotions involved with them. Quite often, the most emotion inspiring issues are related to individual rights and public safety. A major issue that is constantly debated by opposing interest groups is gun control. This is a topic that creates a firestorm of debate between people all over the country. On one side, there are the gun owners who believe the Second Amendment to the constitution is absolute and that citizens of the United States should be permitted to own any firearms they want. On the other side, there are gun prohibition groups who believe that all firearms should be banned. Both of these points of view are the extreme ends of the spectrum. Most people tend to be in favor of reasonable restrictions on the ownership of firearms. But what is reasonable? There are many examples of
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