Guns & Indians

Guns - specifically assault weapons: We concur generally with President Bush's position in support of a ban on the sale and possession of truly automatic (assault) weapons - e.g., those weapons that fire multiple rounds when the trigger is pulled but once, and keep firing until the trigger is released or the magazine spent.

Revolvers, semi-automatics, rifles, and shotguns for self-defense and hunting, with instant background checks at time of purchase, are one thing. Actual fully automatic assault weapons (as opposed to so-called assault weapons that are not fully automatic) are something else entirely, with little justification for possession by - or sale to - anyone other than the military and law enforcement authorities. What everyday citizen among us needs an assault weapon any more than he needs a machine gun, flame-thrower, bazooka, or tank?

More press misinformation. How do they deceive us? Let me count the ways...

1. President Bush has noted support for the Assault Weapons Ban, which concerns semiautomatic firearms. By talking about "true" assault weapons, the paper gives the impression that Bush supports a ban on "true" assault weapons and not semiautomatic firearms.
2. They continue to sow confusion between an "assault weapon" and an "assault rifle". The former is a semiautomatic rifle that looks ugly; the latter is a fully-automatic military weapon.
3. They claim to support "revolvers, semi-automatics, rifles, and shotguns for self-defense and hunting".
4. They don't even clarify whether they support or oppose the current law.