by Curt_Anderson on June 6, 2022 3:38 pm
Donna,
Why would we stop at what Manchin suggests? That legislation wouldn't preclude further legislation. As has been said about legislation, "good is not the enemy of the perfect".
The earlier ban during Clinton's administration didn't work out well for Democrats. The west and south in particular resented it. Democrats lost control of both the Senate and House, the latter for the first time in 40 years. Al Gore lost largely because of it, losing his own state of Tennessee.
I don't think Democrats are eager to stick their heads in a noose again. Congress outlawed Saturday Night Specials purchases by those under 21 on a bi-partisan basis.
The assault weapon ban did not do much to reduce the incidence of gun violence overall.
However, it did reduce the number of people killed in mass shootings. But as the graph in my article to which I link to shows, outlawing the purchase and possession by those under 21 would practically eliminate all the school shootings.
A ban on assault weapons, no matter how inclusive, would not end murder and mayhem. The shooter in Uvalde was in that classroom for an hour. He didn't need a rapid fire weapon. But if that shooter wasn't able buy an AR-15 on his 18th birthday, as he did, chances are that 19 students and their teachers would be alive. Same goes for Buffalo.
by Donna on June 6, 2022 3:39 pm
I agree, Hts. The only purpose of an assault weapon is to completely obliterate large numbers of human beings quickly. For that reason, they shouldn't be legal.
I haven't heard about Biden wanting to ban 9mm guns.
But point taken by Curt. That graph says it all. Weird that <21 males account for such an overwhelming percentage of the carnage. But I also think we should go a step further and permanently ban assault weapons and create a universal background check system with no loopholes which is supported by 90% of Americans.
by Donna on June 6, 2022 3:44 pm
To Curt's commentary on the modest effects of the assault ban -
But as Biden correctly cited, mass murders almost tripled after the 1994 - 2004 assault ban was lifted.