GUNS: Pick right targets

I have but one question for Ms. Callen and Mr. Boothe. Since even the military does not use this term to describe their small arms, what exactly is an assault rifle or weapon? Since they probably don’t really know, here is the answer: It is a political construct coined by the anti-gun crowd used to demonize a semi-automatic rifle because of several cosmetic features.

The features are usually a collapsible stock, a pistol grip, a flash hider/suppressor, a detachable magazine, a semi-automatic action and usually scary black in color. The similarities between that and a Browning semi-auto (BAR), a Remington 7400 hunting rifle and a Ruger 1022 plinker are: They all are semi-automatic in function, they all have a pistol grip, they all have detachable magazines, they can all be had with a flash hider or muzzle brake. What are the differences? Even easier to list: They don’t come with a collapsible stock and usually have really pretty wood stocks and they don’t look scary.

As for Ms. Callen’s assertion that their only user is to kill lots of something, I offer this. They are used in Three Gun competition, they are used to eradicate pests and predators such as gophers, prairie dogs, coyotes, etc. (so she’s right on that point), they are used for self/home defense (not my first choice of a tool for that), precision shooting, and even hunting in the larger calibers and using undersized magazines.

Ms. Callen’s reference to Australia needs some investigation on her part. Yes, I admit there have been no reported mass shootings in Australia since the “Buy Back” program was instigated. However, in the first five years after the “Buy Back” went into effect the rate of homicide by gun rose from approximately 11 per million to more than 18 per million. In 2011, the rate dropped below 11 per million but has since risen above pre- “Buy Back” levels.

I don’t blame the Democrats (however, Chicago is, and has been, administered by Democrats for quite some time and has the highest per capita gun death rate of any city in the U.S. even with their draconian gun laws), I don’t blame the president, I don’t blame freedom, and I don’t blame the government.

I do blame a system where the mentally ill cannot get the help they need, I blame poverty and single parent families, I blame gangs and drugs, I blame a lack of respect for life. And most importantly, I DO blame, as should all people with a modicum of common sense, the BAD GUY.

STAN FAVINI

Hayden