Assault Weapons for Americans In 1994, the US government passed the AWB also known as the Assault Weapons Ban. The law banned the manufacture and transfer of certain newly manufactured semi-automatic firearms and the ammunition feeding devices or magazines. This ban fundamentally undermines the 2nd amendment of the US constitution which enraged many people. In 1994 the ban abolished tournament and recreational use. Assault weapons should be legal for law abiding citizens to own and operate. The increased violence and public mass shootings that have occurred in recent past has been the push for government to reinstate the AWB. “On April 16, 2007 senior English major Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 students and faculty members before turning the gun on himself” (Gerdes 2). The only problem with their reasoning is that Cho used a 9mm Glock 19, a semi-automatic pistol, and a pistol is not legally considered an assault weapon. Webster’s definition of an assault weapon is an auto or semi-auto variety of a military style firearm. The only difference between an assault weapon and a semi-automatic rifle used for deer hunting is in the cosmetics.
Cho suffered from mental illness, as well as the other civilians that have committed these public shootings. A solution to help prevent these tragic events from taking place in the future would be to prevent mentally ill people from purchasing firearms. The rights of law abiding citizens should not be taken away because of a few ill minded people who played too much Call of Duty. “Americans have had semi-automatic assault weapons for many years, including a number designed by Utah’s own John M. Browning a century ago” (Warrick 1). Americans have owned and used these guns before these shootings ever occurred. Society plays a larger role in the blame than the guns. “A legislatively mandated post study found that the ban had no discernible effect on crime rates” (Warrick 1). Make more sophisticated background check or have newly purchased firearms registered in a database. The 2nd amendment states “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” (US constitution). So it is against the constitution for the government to ban firearms but gun control advocates say that it does not specify what type of arms citizens can bear. The government states that assault weapons are a threat to the safety of the public. The ATF, the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, states “Assault weapons were designed for rapid-fire, close-quarter shooting at human beings. That is why they were put together the way they are. You will not find these