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Here you'll find the weblog for the member JDolla. Click
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Guns. Just so you know...
| 08-12-2007 02:41 | 5 reaction(s) | add reply |
 this is the paper i wrote about restrictions on semiautomatic rifles. all my sources are there too. kinda wanna know what you think after reading this. dont really want to know what you thought about before you red this...
Semiautomatic Rifles: Neither Weapons nor Assaulting
When I was about eight, I began to hunt. I started with small caliber rifles shooting smaller game. Then shortly after I turned 10, my grandfather took me to Canada. This was where I was introduced to my favorite gaming rifle: the Russian SKS. Since we were hunting big game, it was necessary to have a large caliber round. This rifle worked perfectly for gaming, and I have since used it many times. It became a major part of my late childhood.
But now that rifle that I loved so much is under scrutiny. Under a proposed bill last year, any firearm designed for combat would be considered an assault weapon and would be restricted. My favorite firearm would be given that label since it was designed for war. This is extremely unfair since the main use of this firearm today is hunting. Since it was developed for violence, it is considered an assault weapon. But just because it was developed for violence doesn’t make it any more dangerous.
The term “assault weapon” is not necessarily clearly defined. Under the 1994 Assault Weapon Ban, there was a list of features. Any firearm containing two or more of these features was considered an assault weapon. These features include: a detachable magazine, military style appearance, a folding or telescoping stock, a forward mounted pistol grip (Assault Weap.). This ban has since been lifted, and now there are those lobbying for another similar ban. This time, they want any firearm that was designed for or used in war. This is not the best solution since many firearms that were designed for war are better used for gaming.
These firearms have been scrutinized because of the general belief that these weapons are more dangerous. However, many of the things on the list are purely cosmetic. Pistol grips and detachable magazines do not really make a firearm any more dangerous, they just make it look more dangerous. These additions only make the gun look menacing; they don’t make the actual gun more prone to violence.
Semiautomatic rifles pose no more threat than any other firearm. David Kopel, in his essay “The Assault Weapon Panic,” tells us that “semiautomatic rifles may fire less rapidly than traditional pump action shotguns,” and thus may pose even less of a threat than firearms that are under no current regulations. Pistols are the most used firearms in crime. While supporters of the restrictions tell you that “Assault weapons have been used to perpetrate some of the worst mass murders ever committed in the United States (Assault Weap. Are a Threat to Pub. Saf.),” many more mass murders have been carried out with pistols and shotguns.
In fact, the decrease in gun violence after the 1994 “Brady Law” ban was in no way related to the removal of so called assault weapons. The NRA states that “Not only did that law take effect well after the decrease began, ‘assault weapons’ were and are used in only a very small percentage of violent crime (Fables).” If these firearms were not responsible for violent crimes, then why punish those who sue them for legitimate purposes, such as sporting.
Even supporters of the 1994 regulations admit that regarding the decline in weapons violence, “there were undoubtedly some other factors that influenced this trend (Assault Weap. Are a Threat to Pub. Saf.).” So the rifle that I love should be restricted based on skewed results that could have been affected by many factors? I don’t believe this is the best way to deal with gun violence
It all boils down to what the antigun lobby sees as an easy target. When they call a gun an assault weapon, it gives it a negative connotation. Anyone who hears this term and has done no research will assume that these firearms are dangerous. It is a good strategy to get guns out of the hands of the public, but it takes the wrong guns away from the wrong people. We should work to get illegal pistols off the streets, not legal hunting rifles out of the woods.
So if these guns are no more dangerous than guns not currently considered for restriction, then why are they being targeted over guns that can be more dangerous? Why doesn’t the antigun lobby target a gun that has no real gaming or sporting purpose? There are a few guns out there that serve no practical civilian purpose. The public possession of these firearms is a greater threat to our safety.
The best example is the .50-Caliber rifle. It has an effective range of nearly 4 miles and it can be fired through steel. It currently is being used by the U.S. Military as a sniper rifle. The public has no need for these firearms. It is a threat to the general public because it would be the “perfect weapon for assassinations, industrial sabotage and terrorism (.50-Caliber).” This type of gun has no civilian purpose. It, and machine pistols (which are already illegal but remain on our streets) pose a great threat to public safety.
Even if any firearms are banned, that does not take them out of the hands of criminals. It only makes the crimes they commit more illegal. Machine pistols have been outlawed long ago, yet they are a major source of the crime in the United States. Criminals do not care if their guns are illegal, they’re already committing crimes. The ones being punished are those who use these guns for a legitimate purpose. The average hunter who picked up a cheap rifle, such as the SKS I used when I was younger, is being punished for the label placed on the firearm. By restricting semiautomatic rifles, you are hurting law-abiding citizens.
Brenda Peterson, in her essay “Growing Up Game,” explained what hunting meant to her and how it shaped her childhood. She told us how her father used to hunt to feed her family. She felt better about eating these animals because they had a gaming chance. Peterson went on to explain how she felt that the food she ate was part of a natural process, and that she gained a respect for the animals that lost their lives to sustain hers. She even told a sentimental story of the first time she went out hunting with her father and his friends. But without semiautomatic rifles, many children will not have the chance to experience what Peterson did. If semiautomatic rifles are restricted, it is only a reasonable assumption that all other rifles will go next.
My childhood was shaped by hunting, and I enjoyed the usage of a semiautomatic rifle. But now I have to wonder whether or not my children will be able to experience hunting in the same ways that I did. Using these “assault weapons” for hunting did not turn me into a hardened criminal or a murderer. It never made me want to go out and hurt people. It made me respect the wildlife and it gave me an opportunity to bond with my grandfather. So if your goal is to take away firearms from hunters instead of taking them from criminals, then by all means support the restriction of semiautomatic rifles. But you will be supporting the end of an era for me. Whenever I get a chance to hunt with my grandfather’s SKS, it takes me back to those woods when I was young. It reminds me of my grandfather, who taught me responsible shooting and responsible hunting. It’s one of the few things I have left to remember him by, but if it’s for the sake of public safety…
Works Cited
“.50-Caliber Rifles.” Issues and Controversies 14 Mar 2003: Issues and Controversies On File. Facts on File News Service. J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Library, Richmond, VA. 8 Nov 2007 .
"Assault Weapon." Wikipedia. 22 Nov 2007. Wikimedia Organization. 26 Nov 2007 .
"Assault Weapons Are a Threat to Public Safety." Opposing Viewpoints: Gun Control. Ed. Tami Roleff. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Thomson Gale. J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. 12 Nov. 2007 .
"Fables, Myths, and Other Tall Tales." Articles. 18 Sep 2006. NRA-ILA. 26 Nov 2007 .
Kopel, David B. “The ‘Assault Weapon’ Panic.” (1992): 8 Nov 2007
.
Peterson, Brenda. “Growing Up Game.” The Thompson Reader. Ed. Robert P. Yagelski. Boston: Thompson, 2007. 575-578
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 -1  @ 08-12-2007 03:26 lxX5xeXxl | 373 posts
| All I read was wikipedia. And that means it's correct and reliable information. Your a good person though, and I trust your judgment in believing guns are good. | | 0 @ 09-12-2007 00:14 yarid_reyes | 
591 posts
| Hmm, cool. | | 0 @ 09-12-2007 21:40 JDolla |
7,722 posts
| i guess if one of my sources is not always reliable it means that the whole rest of it is wrong. don't pay attention to the 4 other credible sources. and look how much i took from the wikipedia page. | | +1 @ 14-12-2007 04:47 cassyb27 | 5 posts
| Just curious what class is this for (and what grade level)? I used to mark essays for profs at university so if I know this info it will help put things in perspective.  | | 0 @ 18-12-2007 19:39 JDolla |
7,722 posts
| it was for a 111 class, and it ended up recieving an a- because of an improper use of in-thex citations and it seemed a bit unorganized |
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