How do you count the number of times a criminal does not burglarize a home because of fear?
And how often are "On Duty" Police officers mugged?
It's impossible to weigh violence against safety.
How do you calculate the number of times something doesn't happen?
First off there is no such thing as gun violence, there is only violence. When have you heard of knife violence? Should choking be called Hand Violence? Terms like Assault Weapon and Gun Violence were invented to push the claims of anti gun activists. What something is called makes a difference. The millions of legally sold Assault Weapons were bought for Defence, not Offence. They should be called Defence Weapons but this does not sell the idea that these rifles are dangerous.
The AR-15 type rifle with it's .223 caliber bullet (standard) is not used for deer hunting. The bullet is too small. Did you know that? The .223 bullet is the same diameter as the .22 caliber bullet. This cartridge size (.223 or 5.56) is classified as a varmint rifle. It would be used on ground squires. Why was it designed this way? The Army wanted a small caliber weapon for Vietnam. With smaller cartridges a soldier can carry more rounds. And wounding an enemy soldier is much more debilitating to the enemy, it requires 2 soldiers to tend to the wounded. It takes no soldiers to tend to the dead. Yes, the .223 caliber bullet has a higher velocity than a .22, this gives it a flat trajectory over a longer distance. Heavy bullets get pulled down by gravity so hitting something far away with a bigger bullet is more difficult. Singling out the AR-15 as some kind of super deadly weapon is a myth, made up to help the anti gun forces. If you believe that Assault Weapons are the bane of American existence you have been lied too. How do you feel about that? Do you feel manipulated? When you talk to your friends about Assault Weapons do you think you sound knowledgeable?
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SEMI AUTOMATIC "ASSAULT" RIFLE AND A SEMI AUTOMATIC DEER RIFLE, only the deer rifle will do more damage. Outlawing "Assault" Rifles" will push bad people to buy bigger caliber weapons! These bigger caliber weapons will do far more damage. They cost just as much, shoot just as fast and the magazines are just as big. Does this sound like the smart thing to do?
When I was growing up in the 60's and 70's guns were everywhere. Most pickup trucks had racks on their back windows for rifles. And guess what, there were no mass shootings. Lots of guns and no mass shootings. What has changed? Everything! The Government wants to take no responsibility for the stress it has inflicted on the populus. Jobs have been moved out of the country, labor unions have been criminalized. Workers have been turned into commodities. Advertising has been so refined that kids are killing each other for their tennis shoes. We see everyday a multi tiered society where the upper levels steal millions of dollars and pay a fine. Murders who can afford the best lawyers walk away from their crimes. Now with the Covid lockdown communities are at the boiling point where any excuse justifies property damage, burning and looting. And the police stand back and let it happen.
If the government truly wanted to reduce the violence in America they would focus on the WHY, not the HOW. And there is no stopping the insane. If they can't buy a gun they will rent a truck and drive over a line of people on the street.
Our Government never audits its laws. They never ask, Is this Working? No, they just pile on more and more laws that inevitable turn law abiding citizens into criminals.
Why would any normal person want to own an "Assault Weapon." They must be crazy.
I'll tell you why I own one. I was a soldier, I was trained with the Colt M-16. I was taught to respect this tool. It was how I could serve my country. It was a means of keeping myself and my country free. That's what soldiers were taught. We fought for freedom. We fought to not be like the Communist Chinese. We fought the Germans to free Europe. Gun ownership is proof that we live in a free country. That Individual Rights are important. We have miles and miles of white crosses to honor those people that gave their lives to protect our freedom. Did they die for nothing? Is the joke on them that they were stupid to believe our politicians. Did they really die for Corporate Profits? When I hear any person trying to undermine any of our constitutional protections I think how spoiled they are. How selfish. How ignorant of the cost.
Should the lowest criminals and the insane structure our society? Don't we have prisons to lock those away that can't function in a free society? Or should we look at each other with suspicion and dread of what someone might do. The media pushes the idea that we are not safe. The government wants us dependent and malleable. For the vast majority of people on this planet, the only gun violence they have been confronted with is on their TVs.
A scared populus is an easy to control populous.
Are you really afraid? Or has this fear been planted in your head.