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Could an old idea of banning assault weapons be gaining more traction?
10:02 PM CST on Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Katie Moore / Eyewitness News Reporter
Four years ago, New Orleans police pushed state lawmakers to ban assault weapons in Louisiana.
WWL-TV
Met with an arsenal of opposition, the bill never made it to the house floor – but it appeared Tuesday Police Superintendent Warren Riley hasn’t stopped fighting for an assault weapons ban.
“These guns were designed for war,” Riley said in an interview on WWL Radio. “There's no place in an urban, or any American city for people to have the right to ride around with an assault rifle.”
During the interview, Riley talked about his recent visit to New York City – where there’s an assault weapons ban.
“Speaking to some of their high ranking officials there, the solvability rate of their victims is much better than it is here because their victims are being shot once or twice with a handgun, our victims are being shot ten or twelve times with an assault rifle,” he said.
Riley recently announced the city bought 100 assault rifles to give his officers the tactical advantage over criminals.
“You may have had the chance to take advantage of the criminal justice system after Hurricane Katrina,” Mayor Nagin said. “But the day is over for that.”
However, gun owners at one Gretna gun shop say banning the weapons won’t solve the problem.
“You need to answer all the questions about what's wrong with your department, what problems you have before you start reaching out to take away second amendment rights away from people who deserve them,” said Gretna gun salesman Jason Gregory.
They argue that the federal ban that recently expired didn’t really stop people from buying them.
“There wasn't a ban on assault weapons,” Gregory said. “You could still buy them. I bought them during the ban. You just could not have a high capacity mag in the gun and get caught with it.”
But at a time when city leaders are pushing new strategies to combat gun violence, could Riley have more luck getting it passed?
“Given that most, a lot of police chiefs around the country, the fraternal order of police, the international association and these big police unions around the country tend to support this, I'm sympathetic to what he's suggesting," said New Orleans City Council Member Shelly Midura.
Midura says she wants to see a more specific proposal before really weighing in on the idea.
Riley said in the interview that it was something he is planning on pushing, but that he is waiting on more research and information from New York before moving forward.
10:02 PM CST on Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Katie Moore / Eyewitness News Reporter
Four years ago, New Orleans police pushed state lawmakers to ban assault weapons in Louisiana.
WWL-TV
Met with an arsenal of opposition, the bill never made it to the house floor – but it appeared Tuesday Police Superintendent Warren Riley hasn’t stopped fighting for an assault weapons ban.
“These guns were designed for war,” Riley said in an interview on WWL Radio. “There's no place in an urban, or any American city for people to have the right to ride around with an assault rifle.”
During the interview, Riley talked about his recent visit to New York City – where there’s an assault weapons ban.
“Speaking to some of their high ranking officials there, the solvability rate of their victims is much better than it is here because their victims are being shot once or twice with a handgun, our victims are being shot ten or twelve times with an assault rifle,” he said.
Riley recently announced the city bought 100 assault rifles to give his officers the tactical advantage over criminals.
“You may have had the chance to take advantage of the criminal justice system after Hurricane Katrina,” Mayor Nagin said. “But the day is over for that.”
However, gun owners at one Gretna gun shop say banning the weapons won’t solve the problem.
“You need to answer all the questions about what's wrong with your department, what problems you have before you start reaching out to take away second amendment rights away from people who deserve them,” said Gretna gun salesman Jason Gregory.
They argue that the federal ban that recently expired didn’t really stop people from buying them.
“There wasn't a ban on assault weapons,” Gregory said. “You could still buy them. I bought them during the ban. You just could not have a high capacity mag in the gun and get caught with it.”
But at a time when city leaders are pushing new strategies to combat gun violence, could Riley have more luck getting it passed?
“Given that most, a lot of police chiefs around the country, the fraternal order of police, the international association and these big police unions around the country tend to support this, I'm sympathetic to what he's suggesting," said New Orleans City Council Member Shelly Midura.
Midura says she wants to see a more specific proposal before really weighing in on the idea.
Riley said in the interview that it was something he is planning on pushing, but that he is waiting on more research and information from New York before moving forward.
