Ban Assault Weapons Now

 Dear Friends

This morning's Riverside Press Enterprise had an editorial. I had to respond to it. How dare President Biden said (a few days ago), "The idea we still allow semi-automatic weapons to be purchased is sick. Just sick. I'm going to try to get rid of assault weapons."

We can argue from now through the next mass shooting, and the next one, and the next mass shooting, as to how to describe weapons that are designed to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible. We can keep studying the many causes of gun violence including figuring out how to deal with mental health issues. But in the meantime, ban weapons of war now!

Here is my letter:  

Your editorial (“Joe Biden’s fixation with gun bans” Nov. 30th) is tone deaf.

First, his words were not a “fixation”. He was simply using his “bully pulpit”. In this case, he is preaching to a majority of the choir according to most polls. 

Second, it was published exactly two days before the 7th anniversary of the San Bernardino mass shooting and two weeks before the 10^th anniversary of the Sandy Hook mass shooting. How would those, and so many more victims' families, receive your quoting a report which says “assault weapon bans have uncertain effects on mass shootings" and “evidence for this relationship is inconclusive.” 

Third, one of the reasons those of us who support such bans is because not doing it reflects who we are as Americans. Do we really want to be known as the country whose leaders are afraid to do anything meaningful when it comes to gun violence?

Another editorial could be titled “America’s fixation on gun rights”. How many deaths will it take until those, who otherwise would never use these weapons to harm anyone, are willing to sacrifice their “right” to a weapon of war for the common good.

John Saville

Whether or not this letter is published, we all need to keep speaking out for the things we believe in and let our leaders know. What a powerful message Congress could send on December 14th, the 10th anniversary of Sandy Hook, if they at least took a vote to ban assault weapons. And what a great day it will be when it is passed by a new generation of leaders in the future, who figured out that some rights aren't right anymore.

John