Editorial: End the Assault - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

Editorial: End the Assault

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By Collin R. Gaston - bio | email

  • Editorials

  • Thursday, May 23 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-23 23:20:04 GMT
    Anyone who takes advantage of one of Alabama's most treasured assets – the elderly – should face swift and steep consequences.  Thanks to a bill passed in the final hours of most recent legislative session that
    Anyone who takes advantage of one of Alabama's most treasured assets – the elderly – should face swift and steep consequences.  Thanks to a bill passed in the final hours of most recent legislative session that

  • Tuesday, May 21 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-21 23:20:08 GMT
    The horrific tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma this week bring back all too familiar memories for Alabamians as memories of April 27, 2011 are still fresh in many minds. When Alabamians were in need
    The horrific tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma this week bring back all too familiar memories for Alabamians as memories of April 27, 2011 are still fresh in many minds. When Alabamians were in need

  • Thursday, May 16 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-16 23:20:04 GMT
    In my editorial on Tuesday I chided our legislators for being the last state to pass a no-brainer  bill legalizing home brewing.  Today I want to challenge them to be one of the first states to pass another no-brainer;
    In my editorial on Tuesday I chided our legislators for being the last state to pass a no-brainer  bill legalizing home brewing.  Today I want to challenge them to be one of the first states to pass another no-brainer;
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MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -

By now we've all heard the tragic and shocking story of the Aurora, Colorado lunatic equipped with an AR-15 military style assault rifle killing 12 innocent people and injuring 59 more during a movie last Friday night.  There is little debate that the man in custody is the trigger man and we all know the adage "guns don't kill people – people with guns kill people."  That is true but the question is - do the positives of being able to obtain and own an assault rifle outweigh the negatives of not being able do so?  We guarantee you this – the victims and families in Aurora would raise their hands high to remove all assault weapons from circulation. 

For the record, the definition of an assault rifle, according to the Merriam Webster Encyclopedia, is any of various types of automatic or semiautomatic rifles with large capacity magazines designed for military use.  Military use – or in other words – to kill.  The Associated Press reported the gunman's assault rifle was equipped with a large capacity magazine housing 100 rounds.

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms.  This editorial is not about disarming America.  What it is about is taking immediate measures to rid our society of these killing machines and reinvigorating the dialogue regarding the reinstitution of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that expired in 2004.

Bottom line is this – popular or not - no responsible person needs this type of weapon – and no irresponsible person should ever have access to them.

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