When Neil Heslin testified before the senate committee investigating gun violence, he turned to the audience and asked if anyone there could give him a good reason civilians should be allowed to own assault weapons with high capacity magazines. When he made it clear to the audience he was asking in earnest, a number of people attempted to answer and were admonished by the committee chair. This is a part of the answer to Mr. Heslin’s inquiry.
Helsin asks the audience why they should have these weapons
- When target shooting, a high capacity magazine means you spend more time shooting than reloading. If for no other reason, shooters enjoy using high capacity magazines as a matter of convenience. Conservatives understand that reducing magazine capacity will do nothing to deter criminals, terrorists, and psychotics from massive destruction. All they need do is bring more magazines and guns.
- Government costs for purchasing these items are reduced by a factor of ten. For manufacturers to produce a few weapons for the military only, the cost would be ten to a hundred times greater for each rifle. The government would have to raise taxes much higher to be able to afford rifles for the troops. By selling to civilians in mass quantities, the cost is reduced and spread among citizens more willing to support their manufacture.
- A foreign invader would not just face a million armed American soldiers, but would face a hundred million armed Americans. And they wouldn’t be restricted to five shots and having to reload. That would reduce their firepower by so much as to make a modern weapon the equivalent of a WWII rifle.
- Deter our own government from becoming a tyranny. The American Revolution began because the tyranny of King George attempted to disarm citizens in order to more easily control and tax them. Democrats have wanted to disarm citizens and govern by dictatorship since they created the Federal Reserve Bank and bankrupted the country. Then they wouldn’t have to bother spending money on buying votes.
- Weapons sold to civilians that are identical in appearance to military assault rifles are no different than other rifles sold to civilians. They cannot be made fully automatic. A special assembly is required for this so someone can’t just pull a pin or file something down and have a machine gun.
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