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Potsdam man says arguments against gun control are weak

Posted 3/6/13

To the Editor: Reading various Sound Offs and Letters the past few weeks, it seems some anti-gun control folks are engaging in one big circular argument. The claim is made that these semi-automatic …

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Potsdam man says arguments against gun control are weak

Posted

To the Editor:

Reading various Sound Offs and Letters the past few weeks, it seems some anti-gun control folks are engaging in one big circular argument. The claim is made that these semi-automatic military style assault weapons (MSAW) which are no or less effective at killing human beings than are hunting rifles. A paranoid claim is being circulated that the gun control issue is about the confiscation of hunting arms because ‘msaw’ weapons are the same thing as hunting firearms!

Even though hunting firearms are designed for hunting game and military style assault weapons (msaw) are specifically designed for hunting human beings, we get the claim that it is all just ‘cosmetics’ making ‘msaw’ appear more formidable and badder than they really are. No more lethal than hunting weapons.

The next claim is that we have a right (2nd Amendment) to own whatever weapons we want to own without any restrictions whatsoever. And military style assault weapons are superior to hunting weapons when fighting the coming civil war.

This is a slippery-slope to an arms race among citizens seeking be better armed than their neighbors or even the government! Where would it end?

Gen. Stanley McCrystal is on record saying that rounds fired from these weapons can inflict massive damage to the human body. They are designed for that purpose and have no business being in the hands of civilians.

These pro-assault weapons folks know this, but they will try to hoodwink the average citizen who may never have been exposed to guns into believing all kinds of contradictory claims.

The best way to remember the difference between hunting firearms and military style assault weapons in their capacity to kill human beings - To paraphrase the Old Testament “Saul has slain his thousands. But David has slain his tens-of-thousands!” - ‘Hunting rifles may murder several victims. But Semi-automatic military style assault weapons can massacre several of dozens of victims!

Those citizens (a solid majority) who seek registration and background checks for gun sales/transfers, are said to be uninformed, ignorant, unpatriotic, radical, hopelessly naive and knowing nothing about firearms…even those of us who are sane and rational gun owners wanting sane, rational and enforced gun laws are said to be ignorant, unpatriotic, radical.

From observations thus far, those pejoratives can more than adequately describe many of those who are irrationally against rational gun-control regulations and laws, starting with Mr. Wayne Lapierre of the NRA.

A very good start would be limiting ammunition that feed these murder machines.

Frank J. Thies, Potsdam