Hunting and range target practice are one thing but I don't see any logical reason why the average American needs to be walking the streets with an assault rifle. So I say, way to go Obama.
Ready for the certain repercussions President Barack Obama announced sweeping proposals last week for changes to gun laws that would mean background checks and bans on military style assault weapons as well as high-capacity ammunition magazines like the ones used in the recent Newtown, Connecticut school shooting.
As to be expected, a lawsuit has already been filed over the matter. A USA Freedom Watch organization says that people need to be consulted before such massive changes are made. "The American people, whose rights to gun ownership stem from colonial times and are enshrined in the US Constitution, are being illegally shut out of the process... As a result, our complaint demands that the meetings be opened up fully to members of the public who request... There is simply no excuse for the president and vice president... to make gun policy exclusively with lobbyists..."
I completely disagree. According to statistics, by the year 2015, US gun related deaths will exceed traffic related fatalities. "Gun deaths by homicide, suicide or accident peaked at 37,666 in 1993 before declining to a low of 28,393 in 2000, data shows. Since then the total has risen to 31,328 in 2010, an increase of 2,935, or eight more victims a day." That's a lot of needless and likely preventable deaths.
What would YOU do if you were the leader at the helm? The president says he will do whatever it takes to press lawmakers to act on his $500 million plan. He's not saying there will be NO guns in the US, or that hunters can pack in their plans for their next outing, just that there will be rules. Isn't it reasonable a person has a background check before being handed a gun? Does the average Joe REALLY need to tote a military assault rifle to his local coffee shop? I'm thinking not. Since the Newtown shootings alone, more than 900 Americans were killed by guns - isn't it evident there's a bit of a problem?
No, laws can't stop criminals. But if guns aren't so readily and easily placed into the hands of every nut job out there, you would think it should make at least a bit of a difference.
I'm not a gun hater, but seriously, something has to give down there.
