Originally Posted by
KevinD
Here's my problem with the "Assault Weapons Ban"
Define for me an Assault weapon.
Let's be clear. An AR-15 is NOT a military rifle in the sense that it is fully automatic. It LOOKS like an AR-16 which is fully automatic (or was when I was active duty, now they have that silly 3 round bust pos) I do believe that there is no conceivable reason why a private citizen needs a fully auto weapon. Semi auto on the other hand, yes, those should be available. Take away semi auto weapons, and you are left with pump action, lever action, revolvers or single shot weapons. These are not viable means of defense, as referenced by the 2nd amendment imho.
Being as this guy used firearms ( for lack of evidence otherwise, I will assume he got them legally) you can make a case that he shouldn't have had the ability to do so. But, how do you decide that? He was not a prior criminal, so, he did in fact have the right to purchase firearms. There is already a background check required before you can purchase a firearm from a dealer, plus whatever else my be local to Aurora, what more do you need/want? Do you want firearms taken away totally? Only way this can happen in the US is to change the 2nd amendment, which due to what would be needed, won't happen in our lifetime, and will in my opinion, only result in criminals having firearms. That's gonna work well too.
For those who blame the guns (or ease of access to such) I'd like to see a well thought out reply to how you would legally, and legitimately stop something like this from happening again. Let's not forget Norway (about a year ago iirc) and what happened there with some of the most strict firearms laws in the western world.
I really would like to know your opinion on how to prevent these things from happening.