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09/14/2004: "Good Riddance"

The Assault Weapons Ban has expired. I'm sure there are a few collectors who are eager to add the new line of weapons to their gun cabinets. I'm also sure there are an equal number of gun abolitionists who are apoplectic over the ban expiring.

Whether you are for the ban or against it, there remains one simple fact that most hardworking Americans know. Laws only affect those willing to abide by them, so we must automatically discount criminals from the population affected by the legislation. The ban didn’t keep assault weapons out of the hands of people most likely to use them. They will not be on every street corner starting today because their sale and possession is still governed by the National Firearms Act of 1934. Criminals will continue to purchase their weapons through the black market. The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban was mostly cosmetic and was just meant to make us feel better.

I saw a Columbine Parent on the news this weekend pleading for the renewal of the ban and my heart broke for him as he stood holding back his tears and holding up his deceased sons shoes. How many existing gun laws did the two killers of Columbine violate that day already? Ten, fifteen? Does anyone really believe that if there had been one more gun law in affect at the time, it would have averted the massacre? Of course not. Columbine is just another example of bad people in this world do bad things. But I understand his need to try to take some action, any action in hopes of gaining some control over one of life’s events that no parent has any control over – dealing with the death of a child.

The problem with feel good measures is that they can give a false sense of security. Living in the midst of a world being terrorized by extremists can we really afford to kid ourselves anymore? Good bye and good riddance to this feel good legislation and I wish the same for all future feel good legislation that will pour out of Washington after the election. It’s time to face the cold hard reality that there are bad people in this world and we must do something effective to eliminate them.