Debate: Why own a .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle like the one used in Newtown, Conn.?
The victims of the Newtown, Conn., tragedy were all shot with a Bushmaster .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle - a rifle that is legal to own in Pennsylvania.
Debate: Why own a .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle like the one used in Newtown, Conn.?
This post has been updated.
The victims of the Newtown, Conn., tragedy were all shot with a Bushmaster .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle — a rifle that is legal to own in Pennsylvania.
The gun is a civilian version of the military’s M-16 and often seen at marksmanship competitions. It’s similar to the weapon used in the 2002 sniper killings in the Washington, D.C., area and in a recent shopping mall shooting in Oregon.
Versions of the AR-15 were outlawed in the United States under the 1994 assault weapons ban. That law expired in 2004, and Congress, in a nod to the political clout of the gun-rights lobby, did not renew it.
But, whether it’s legal or not, does anyone really need to own such a high-powered gun?
Bob Kostaras, owner of Classic Pistol in Southampton, Bucks County, and Shira Goodman, executive director of CeaseFirePA, debate that question:
Kostaras: “We have an indoor target range. We have people here all day shooting them. People enjoy it. They’re not prepping for end of the world, they just enjoy shooting them. For some, it’s a social thing, it’s a sport. Any weapon, a baseball bat, a car with a drunk driver behind the wheel, is much more dangerous and much more liable to kill somebody. Unfortunately, this person was mentally unstable and had access to the firearm that should have been kept out of his reach.”
Goodman: “Maybe this isn’t something that everybody should just be able to have access to.... Since there is access to them, that adds to the stream of guns that can then become illegal guns. Types of weapons that are available is a problem, but I believe it’s only part of the problem, because certainly we’ve seen much devastation with handguns or other kinds of rifles that people might have for the more legitimate hunting purposes or personal-protection purposes. I don’t think it’s just a matter of types of weaponry available.… Because citizenry has access to that type of weapon and it can be sold easily, it makes it more dangerous for when those guns fall into the wrong hands.”
Kostaras: "You don’t find your normal, responsible people getting in trouble for owning guns. They’re not dangerous in the right hands. They are in the wrong hands, but so is a car.... Criminals don't go to the gun store and buy the gun. They're not following the laws you and I follow, so they're not bound by them.... This is a terrible tragedy.”
Goodman: "The trouble with the original [assault-weapons] ban from 1994 to 2004 was the way the weaponry was defined, so it was easy to make modifications to certain things, then have weapons that may have complied with the letter of the law, but not exactly the spirit. I think we need to look at what it is we’re actually trying to prevent.... It’s about making sure that law-abiding gun owners are responsible for securing their weapons.”
It may come down to requiring more stringent securing of firearms such as gun lockers/safes if there is anyone else living in the household other than the gun applicant. But more importantly, we have to look at the totality of gun violence not just the one-off school shootings. MOST of the danger in gun violence is coming from handguns. Semi-auto pistols are just one type of handgun. Talking about magazine types and round counts and caliber strengths is missing the point: the shooter himself. In Philadelphia we have people sitting at home, right this minute, under house arrest with an ankle bracelet, who have already shot a gun in public in the past. That's insane but it's reality. And we don't really know who all of these people are and where they are right now, only law enforcement does. Maybe we should start talking about a Gun Offender Registry that includes the mugshots, the parole officers data of where the offender currently lives, and the VUFA charges the offender committed. This is similar to Meagan's Law and I believe the constitutionality of an offender registry is already well-tested. It's time to start talking about this, because this is where the biggest problem actually lies. It's the repeat gun offenders who have no fear of gun laws because they have nothing to lose--they don't worry about background checks, because they don't apply for white collar work where clean backgrounds are a must. We don't think about this population that much except for the fleeting moments when they cause damage and wreck more lives. That has to stop right now. I am sorry Newtown happened; and there's a big question mark over what could have been done to stop that tragedy. If we took Adam's Bushmaster away, that still leaves the Glock and the Sig he brought with him as backup, and the Glock he used is common in law enforcement. We need to start talking about humanity for a change.- Amazing how the media's not covering the fact that the Oregon shooter was stopped by a citizen with a legal gun they had on them while at the mall.
Amazing...— Professor1982 - Love all the uneducated liberals here. First they clearly know nothing about the .223 rifle. Further they show their myopic neolithic understanding of mental health issues. Shooter her had known anti-social behavior and has been characterized as a sociopath unable to feel remorse or physical pain.
MOREOVER THE GUNS WERE STOLEN THEREFORE ILLEGAL ALREADY!!!
Never knew mental health issues could be addressed with gun control laws and restricting law abiding citizens from owning guns.
Amazing.— Professor1982 - To counter 1982: it is amazing to the rest of us that neocons like yourself can rationalize these guns as 'illegal' since the 'shooter' took the LEGAL guns from his mother after killing her. So what was a 52 year old woman, in CT, in a suburban home, doing with a variety of semi-automatic weapons? You will use the self-defense excuse on us since we are that stupid and dopey? You will use the sport excuse on us because we are that simple minded? You will use the 2nd Amendment on us because we are simpletons in a civilized society? You will use the mentally deranged do this excuse on us because time and again that is the latest useless lame excuse promoted after these mass killings? And you will hold the flag and stand up with the first responders and send them simple pablums of support when these types of weapons are used against law enforcement day in and day out? And you will humiliate and bully us because we don't know anything about the type of guns and any of the lame excuses you might proliferate to stifle a reasonable debate on the usefulness of such tools in a civil society?
Simply, AR-15 .223 semi-automatics, Tec-9 type 'guns' , are unnecessary and unneeded in this country and society. They should be banned. And the excuses should stop.— 24sDad - Fortunately, the shooter did not use his mom's shotgun, a far more fearsome, productive weapon at close range. If he had, we'd be reading about banning those. The issue is mental health, not what tool he used.
- Good thing for me, the Second ammendment doesn't say to ask YOU whether or not it's OK with you that I enjoy shooting my AR15 for target practice.... And, good thing for YOU, the first ammendment doesn't ask me whether or not you should be able to post your selfish opinions on who should have which rights in this country that is supposed to be free.
— 172pilot - next time one of you liberal dopes comes across an angry squirrel or hissed-off quail you'll wish you had an M-16 to defend yourself
— hannibal barca - Why? Because I can.— melbill6294
- Why do people own 100 pairs of shoes or 8 houses or 30 cars?
Actually, I don't even really understand this argument of "why do you own something"? Why is it any of your business is my response.
Go ask someone why they need to own "gold fronts".— mephisto - Why? Because the .223 round is LESS likely to over-penetrate walls in a home. A 9mm round or a .45 caliber round (which are short and fat, for arguments sake almost spherical) will pass through 8-10 drywall walls before stopping, depending on the round. The .223 round, which is long and thin, gets deflected and stopped much quick, leading to a lower chance of causing unintended damage, either in the case of a miss or after passing through the intended target. — DeltaV
- @mephisto: Why do people own 100 pairs of shoes or 8 houses or 30 cars?
they're called "hoarders." these pathetic folk are clinically deranged, as depicted on the show on the Discovery channel— hannibal barca - You wrote all those words and yet said nothing.The question was why do people need this type of weapon,the gun representative did not give a reason.What he said was that we have people at indoor shooting ranges the shoot these weapons everyday because they like the feel.And if you mention gun control they will scream 2nd amendment.
Well if I read the 2nd amendment correctly is states that you have a right to bear arm for protection,not for pleasure.And you really don't need it for survival because your local market sells deer ,bear and other game meats. So they are saying that they have this weapon purely for the pleasure of having it.I don't think this what our forefathers had in mine.— william jackson - william jackson — I'll answer your question. The public needs those guns for the same reason the police SWAT teams need them. Why don't you go ask the police why they carry them. And whatever answer they give you, that's the answer I'll use.
Hope that answers your question.— URANIUM235 - Mental illness and liberal America's refusal to address the decay of society is to blame here...not guns. — Professor1982
- Professor1982, for someone who claims to be so well educated, you act like a child. Its amusing to watch you switch from petty insults to inserting opinion as fact. Its always your way or the highway.
Why would anybody take you seriously?— Donald Segretti
