The "Million Mom March"...

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
The "Million Mom March"...
22
Mon, 05-10-2004 - 8:04am
... And examples of why it's often derisively referred to as the "Million Moron March".

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/05/09/gun.control.rally.ap/index.html

Anyone care to count the number of lies, distortions, and misconceptions in this one short article?


~mark~

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Tue, 05-11-2004 - 3:20pm
In reality the ban is quite enforceable, just pointless. It addressed issues such as flash-hiders, bayonet lugs and nonsense like that rather than functionality. Of course, that was the only way gun control advocates were going to get anything passed, so it's 6 of 1 and a half-dozen of the other.

The big thing though is that the firearms it was intended to target were never really much of problem in the first place. Various gun control advocates at the time (1994) were going on record stating that these firearms were the "weapon of choice for criminals", something which quite simply wasn't the case. These so-called "assault weapons" are in general too large, bulky, and heavy for most criminal intent. They can't be concealed easily if at all, and being conspicuous isn't something someone wanting to be discreet is after. Even DoJ data showed the claim of them being the "weapon of choice" to be unfounded. The most popular firearms used in the commission of crimes in 1994, as with previous years and even now, is the .38 revolver, followed by such things as the .25 pocket pistol and .380 pistols, then the Ruger .357 magnum. "Assault weapons" were and are largely a non-issue where crime is concerned.

There are quite effective laws on the books dealing with criminal misuse of firearms. Richmond for example had great results from their Project Exile program, which mainly relied on diligent enforcement of existing laws rather than new legislation. Richmond showed a drop of 36% in it's homicide rate the first year of application, and a reduction in firearms-related homcides of 41%

http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/gun_violence/profile38.html

It's amazing what can be done with a serious focus on enforcement instead of making up new laws.


~mark~

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Tue, 05-11-2004 - 3:25pm
I missed this in my reply to your post, but the 1994 AWB didn't address "assault rifles" at all, and it was never intended to do so. It dealt only with the semi-auto look-a-likes, not their fully-automatic cousins. Sorry I didn't catch this earlier and clarify the distinction.


~mark~

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