Gun Control Misinformation in the Denver Post

The Denver Post featured an anonymous opinion piece advocating more gun control--which provided misinformation! [The misinformation has now been removed and noted at the bottom of the article.] Read the [revised] article and the comments at:

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_7716133

The article calls for the renewal of the failed "1994 Assault Weapons Ban," which was signed into law even though statisics suggested it would make no difference--since criminals, by definition, ignore laws. After it was deemed an abject failure after ten years, it was non-renewed.

The blaring error, however, is where the writer states that Maryland passed a similar ban at the state level in 2007. In fact, the proposed ban never made it out of committee, because Maryland lawmakers recognized that the law would be both ineffective and unconstitutional.

The XM-15 rifle mentioned is one of the most popular target shooting and varmint guns used by recreational shooters and farmers. And most of the features included in the 1994 ban were either cosmetic; for the safety of the user; or made them accessible to women, the disabled, the elderly, and people of short stature.

As one of the commenters noted, the Fraternal Order of Police and the National Association of Chiefs of Police do not support this ban. The strongest supporter is the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which includes foreigners from dictatorships and monarchies.

Mental health professionals have written exhaustively about copycats, who jump on the bandwagon when any crime is committed. These incidents occur in clusters, especially near holidays, as lunatics seek fame and express their anger towards a society where they've felt like outsiders. The fact is that lunatics and criminals will always be with us. Disarming ourselves is insanity.

Prohibition doesn't work. It simply creates a lucrative black market that cartels are delighted to take over. If guns are banned, only criminals will have them. Compared to the total number of guns owned by private citizens, the number used for crimes is insignificant.