gun-fucious
Member
To Quell the Killings
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42238-2003Oct3.html
Saturday, October 4, 2003; Page A18
MARYLANDERS HAVE long recognized how outlandish it is to allow the marketing of military assault-style weapons that have no place in any civilized state. A decade ago Maryland banned the sale or transfer of a number of assault-style pistols; but even with a federal ban on the manufacture of 19 different models of assault weapons, creative copies of these high-powered firearms keep flooding the street markets that cater to violent criminals. The federal ban is set to expire in 11 months unless Congress acts, and some Maryland leaders -- including two top Democrats who may run against each other for their party's nomination for governor -- are united in support of a state bill to outlaw the sale or transfer of 45 models of assault-style rifles and shotguns. Their shared concern: If Congress caves in to the all-guns-are-great lobbyists and lets the limited federal protections die, Maryland ought to have an even better ban on its books. One of the weapons that would be banned, a Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle, was used in the sniper attacks in this region a year ago.
Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan and Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley have good political as well as safety reasons for backing a more inclusive ban. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. voted as a member of Congress to overturn the federal ban on assault weapons; he prefers to echo the National Rifle Association position that stiffer sentences for gun crimes are a more effective approach. That may scare some criminals, even if it does nothing to lower the number of suicides or accidental deaths of children. But what is so essential about these weapons?
The 1994 federal ban should be extended, not ended. The 19 weapons covered are listed by name, and the provisions include a ban on "copies" or "duplicates." But state Sen. Robert J. Garagiola (D-Montgomery) and Del. Neil F. Quinter (D-Howard) fear that the federal ban may not be renewed, never mind improved. Federal uniform protection would be best, but in the meantime states are and should be enacting measures of their own. As of August 2002, seven states had some form of assault weapon ban: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
It isn't as if sportsmen would be denied their firearms. The federal law provides specific protection to 670 types of hunting rifles and shotguns currently being manufactured. Isn't that ample? The weapons prohibited are those with multiple assault-weapon features such as a protruding pistol grip or grenade launcher or designs for spray-firing from the hip as fast as a shooter can keep pulling the trigger. Little wonder, then, that law enforcement officials -- those who work to protect people from sniper fire or armed criminals -- support proposals to do away with assault-style weapons. How effective can homeland security measures be in a country awash with some of the most efficient firearms sought by international as well as domestic terrorists?
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42238-2003Oct3.html
Saturday, October 4, 2003; Page A18
MARYLANDERS HAVE long recognized how outlandish it is to allow the marketing of military assault-style weapons that have no place in any civilized state. A decade ago Maryland banned the sale or transfer of a number of assault-style pistols; but even with a federal ban on the manufacture of 19 different models of assault weapons, creative copies of these high-powered firearms keep flooding the street markets that cater to violent criminals. The federal ban is set to expire in 11 months unless Congress acts, and some Maryland leaders -- including two top Democrats who may run against each other for their party's nomination for governor -- are united in support of a state bill to outlaw the sale or transfer of 45 models of assault-style rifles and shotguns. Their shared concern: If Congress caves in to the all-guns-are-great lobbyists and lets the limited federal protections die, Maryland ought to have an even better ban on its books. One of the weapons that would be banned, a Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle, was used in the sniper attacks in this region a year ago.
Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan and Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley have good political as well as safety reasons for backing a more inclusive ban. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. voted as a member of Congress to overturn the federal ban on assault weapons; he prefers to echo the National Rifle Association position that stiffer sentences for gun crimes are a more effective approach. That may scare some criminals, even if it does nothing to lower the number of suicides or accidental deaths of children. But what is so essential about these weapons?
The 1994 federal ban should be extended, not ended. The 19 weapons covered are listed by name, and the provisions include a ban on "copies" or "duplicates." But state Sen. Robert J. Garagiola (D-Montgomery) and Del. Neil F. Quinter (D-Howard) fear that the federal ban may not be renewed, never mind improved. Federal uniform protection would be best, but in the meantime states are and should be enacting measures of their own. As of August 2002, seven states had some form of assault weapon ban: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
It isn't as if sportsmen would be denied their firearms. The federal law provides specific protection to 670 types of hunting rifles and shotguns currently being manufactured. Isn't that ample? The weapons prohibited are those with multiple assault-weapon features such as a protruding pistol grip or grenade launcher or designs for spray-firing from the hip as fast as a shooter can keep pulling the trigger. Little wonder, then, that law enforcement officials -- those who work to protect people from sniper fire or armed criminals -- support proposals to do away with assault-style weapons. How effective can homeland security measures be in a country awash with some of the most efficient firearms sought by international as well as domestic terrorists?
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
