Time to ban one of America’s favorite weapons

[sarisataka]

Time to ban one of America’s favorite weapons

NO matter how many times the gun lobby says it, more guns won’t make Americans safer.

That’s especially true of semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15. America has seen again and again the lethal cost of these weapons of destruction deployed in civil society, from Newtown, Conn., to Orlando, Fla., to San Bernadino, Calif., to Umpqua Community College to Mukilteo.


Although these so-called “assault weapons,” fitted with high capacity magazines, are used in a small fraction of America’s gun homicides, they are terrifyingly powerful when deployed. Such weapons resulted in 155 percent more people shot and nearly 50 percent more people killed compared to other mass shootings, according to an analysis by the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety.

***

Washington should join them. Attorney General Bob Ferguson did the state a favor this week announcing a plan to push a ban of semi-automatic, military-style weapons like the AR-15 rifle through the state Legislature. His advocacy should help lawmakers have a robust conversation about the trade offs of banning assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.

http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/time-to-ban-one-of-americas-favorite-weapons/

In the interest of honest discussion, can we completely drop the claim "no one is talking about banning guns"?

[KellyW]

1. There is zero chance that WA legislature will vote to ban the AR-15

There is zero chance that WA legislature will vote to ban the AR-15.
I wonder if it did pass if Gov Inslee would sign it. Jay lost his eastern Washington Congressional seat in 94 because of the Clinton era Assault Weapons Ban.

Ferguson is posturing. Everyone is loving his lawsuit against Comcast. This Assault Weapons thing is good for the base, but not the general electorate. There are no official term limits in WA, but 8 years is the tradition. Ferguson is looking over the horizon to 2020.

[DonP]

2. I honestly don't think the Control Fans see that as "banning guns"

After all, you're still generously "allowed" to own other guns .... for now anyway.

So "technically" they aren't really banning guns, just one particular type of gun. See how that works?

Then they can all start being concern trolls about those deadly "sniper style" rifles with scopes and high power ammunition.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

3. They just want to ban...

...the one that seems most able to kill many in a single event.
...the one that's used most often to kill.
...the one that's easiest to hide.
...the one that could shoot down a jet.
...

[DonP]

4. Well, as long as it's for our own good ...

Their goal of eventual disarmament is pretty obvious.

Here on DU the mask slips from even the most "reasonable" gun control supporters. You know, the "I own guns" ones and the "I have an FFL C&R license" guys. They just know all their guns are all OK, because they own them. But the rest of you people ..., well you could snap at any moment and can't be trusted.

The good news is they have been working from that same 1984 edition of their failed playbook for 2 decades now, with no success. In fact, the harder they have pushed the more people that are in the stores and have changed their overall thinking about gun control.

Now Bloomie has turned his fascist Millions of $ to the states, to try and find the weak points and point to it as a some kind of harbinger of national will and future success.

Hell, in Bansalot they get ape shit excited any time some back bencher proposes something that doesn't have a snowball's chance of even getting out of committee.

They're like the Washington Generals, always hoping for that big win, but always falling really short and just looking foolish when Meadowlark or Curly dribbles between their legs.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

5. All those who insists there is no legitimate effort to ban guns should

unequivocally condemn this op-ed as an infringement on rights they recognize.

[Eleanors38]

6. Thought the OP was a splort from an obscure web site. Nah, MSM...

damn hard to tell the diff.

[friendly_iconoclast]

7. That op-ed is getting sliced, diced, and julienned in the comments

[TupperHappy]

8. Remember, no one wants to take away our guns.

[benEzra]

9. Sheer ignorance, or intentional deception. AR-15-type rifles weren't banned 1994-2004.

After the expiration of the non-ban, rifle crime homicide continued its long decrease, eventually reaching its lowest point in many decades a couple years ago. Rifles are consistently the least misused of all weapons in the United States.

This shows Everytown/Bloomberg's true colors, though. For a couple of years, they've been pretending they don't really want to ban popular guns, just make sure bad people are screened before purchase, etc. Now the mask comes back off.

[Eleanors38]

10. "analysis by... Everytown for Gun Safety." Yes. Analysis. Said right there.

[sarisataka]

11. You can check their data yourself

just submit a written notarized request to Mike Bloomberg and Shannon Watts personally then wait for the sun to rise in the west.

In the meanwhile watch them flip more seats to Republican, and other great gun control victories.

[Eleanors38]

12. It is remarkable that the paper used that title. It seems almost goading, full of hubris.

[DonP]

13. Pretty sure "Analysis" in this context, is from the Ancient Croation, "Anal - Ysis"

Meaning "pulled it all out of their ass".

[Eleanors38]

14. Sounds like a tehrist group!