Assault Weapons Ban

Assault Weapons Ban

 

People, over the years, have started to wonder whether a ban on assault weapons would help lower the crime rate. A ten year study conducted from 1994 -2004, shows that the crime rate had dropped greatly.  In a 2004 report, examining the effects of the ban, it was shown that out of 1.4 million guns involved in crime, assault weapons made up only 1.61%, a drop off 66% from the pre-ban rate; this translated into 60,000 prevented assault weapon crimes over the 10 year ban period.

                                                                                                              

The effectiveness of the weapons ban is still being debated. Supporters of strict gun control point to the fact that now, with the expiration of the ban, law officers face an increase of assault weapons in everything from robberies to basic traffic stops. Opponents of the ban, however, insist that it is too early to get an accurate picture of the Assault Weapons Ban effectiveness and that it could very well have had a minimal impact on crime. I believe that it is too early to tell what kind of impact this ban actually had on the national crime rate.

 

In February 2007 a bill sponsored by Representative Carolyn McCarthy was introduced that would cut in half the classification requirements of 'assault weapons' thus broadening the reach of the law. The bill, referred to the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security on March 19, 2007.

 

Many Americans are opposed to the ban because they believe it violates the second amendment (the right to bear arms). This is true. As citizens of the United States we should be able to choose to have assault weapons or not. I do think that before assault weapons are sold, there should be a very thorough background check. This will help lower the likelihood of the wrong type of people getting these powerful weapons.

 

- Scrubs