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

Editorial: Viewer Feedback - "End the Assault"

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By Collin R. Gaston - bio | email

  • Editorials

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    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
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  • 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;

  • Tuesday, May 14 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-14 23:20:07 GMT
    Kudos, or perhaps, cheers to the Alabama Legislature for passing HB9, the home brewing bill. Legalized home brewing may not be up there with education reform or prison funding, but it was overdue. 
    Kudos, or perhaps, cheers to the Alabama Legislature for passing HB9, the home brewing bill. Legalized home brewing may not be up there with education reform or prison funding, but it was overdue. 
    •   
MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -

The purpose of these editorials is to promote thoughtful discussion about important issues in our community and nation.  We received immediate response to this week's editorial on assault weapons. 

In the editorial we stated that the intention was NOT to disarm American but to pose the question - "Do the positives of being able to obtain and own an assault rifle outweigh the negatives of not being able to do so?"

Here are just a few of the responses -

Richard said "Your assertions might carry more weight if you could point to any example of gun control measures in this country reducing violent crime... but you can't. Try as they might, the champions of Clinton's so-called "Assault Weapon Ban" could not show ANY evidence that it accomplished anything (other than artificially inflating the cost of certain firearms and magazines in the US for a decade)."

Charles replied "Dear Collin: As you can see from the other comments here, you are a complete idiot! The second amendment to the constitution is about citizens protecting themselves from a despotic government. This includes possession of "assault" weapons."

Marc said "If you come right down to it, nobody NEEDS any kind of gun, if you define "need" as something you have to have to survive. Likewise, no one NEEDS a car, or a boat, or a plane, or a baseball bat, or a knife, or a brick, or a rope. And each one of these items has been used to kill people too. So the issue is NEVER about whether we "need" assault rifles, but whether we have a right to have them."

Dane replied "Our forefathers intended the right to keep and bear arms to safeguard the PEOPLE from being subjects to the government. Why would you call for assault weapons to be banned? What are we going to use to fight the corrupt government with -  paw-paw's squirrel rifle and bb guns?"

We also received emails and calls supporting this editorial -

Robert writes "I'm very proud to see this editorial in our state. Guns are an obsession in the United States, and especially in Alabama. However, I could not agree more with the need to remove access to assault rifles because, as you put it, no responsible person needs one and no irresponsible person should have access. The Colorado shooter acquired everything he had lawfully, and that's simply unacceptable."

We appreciate and encourage your feedback.

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