A Rebuttal of “Disarming Law-abiding Citizens Doesn't Make Them Any Safer"
Larry N. Farmer
BCOM 275
August 5, 2013
Steve Boylan

Abstract

A Rebuttal of “Disarming Law-abiding Citizens Doesn't Make Them Any Safer"
In the article, “Disarming law-abiding citizens doesn’t make them any safer”, (Spartanburg Harold-Journal, 2012) the Spartanburg Harold talks about the ban on guns will leave law-abiding citizens vulnerable to criminals, terrorists and homicidal lunatics. In this paper I will discuss some of the laws that will refute this claim.
In the quote “The media is largely made up of people who don’t understand guns.” (Spartanburg Harold-Journal, 2012) the Harold makes a fallacious statement due to the fact that the media uses several different sources which includes gun manufacturers, experts on guns and law enforcement agencies. The Harold also makes the statement that the gun control lobbyists are too quick to assume that the problem is the weapons that are used. Instead they know it is not the guns. They are just trying to make it harder for that type of person or persons from getting the guns or that type of gun.
Let us look at the Brady Handgun Control Act of 1993. (Library of Congress, 1993) It does not take away handguns. Instead it just adds a five day waiting period for a background check to be performed. This way those with criminal backgrounds will not be getting their hands on handguns or any gun. It also made it where state and local police were notified when multiple firearms was purchased.
The Harold makes reference to the National Firearms Act of 1934. (ATF, 1934) Stating the average American cannot obtain an automatic weapon. According to the Act, it imposed a tax on the making and transfer of firearms defined by the Act. It included shotguns and rifles having a barrel less than 18 inches in length and any other weapon, machinegun, muffler and silencers. The purpose for this was to get them out of the hands of the criminals of the time. The only ones who had machineguns were the mob and crooks of the time. If you had those kind of weapons, you had to register them. Later, in 1968 (ATF, 1968), an amendment was added to cure the constitutional flaw it had. Stated that the requirement for possessors of unregistered firearms to register an unregistered NFA firearm already possessed by the person. Plus the law prohibited using any information from an NFA application or registration as evidence against the person. Then in 1986, the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act (ATF, 1986) was added prohibited the transfer or possession of machineguns.
The Harold also makes a statement that the president wants a new assault weapons ban and that assault weapons have been around since World War II. Then the author states that Connecticut has an assault weapons ban. Insinuating the shooting in Newton Connecticut. (CNN.com, 2012) But if more places had similar bans then the person in the Sandy Hook shootings would not have had access to those or at least had an even harder time acquiring those weapons.
You need to ask yourself “do we really need these assault weapons and high capacity magazines?” I like guns and I like the fact that the country is taking measures to protect me and my family from those criminals, terrorist and homicidal lunatics that wish to do me and every law-abiding citizen harm. So therefore he has no basis for his claim that the country or anyone is trying to disarm law-abiding citizens or infringe on our Constitutional right to bear arms nor does he have any references to go by.

References
ATF. (1934). Firearms-National Firearms Act (NFA). Retrieved from http://www.atf.gov/firearms/nfa/index.html

ATF. (1968). Title II of the Gun Control Act. Retrieved from http://www.atf.gov/firearms/nfa/index.html

ATF. (1986). Firearms Owners' Protection Act. Retrieved from http://www.atf.org/firearms/nfa/index.html

CNN.com. (2012, December). Police: 20 children among 26 victims of Connecticut school shooting. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/14/us/connecticut-school-shooting

Library of Congress. (1993). Brady Handgun Control Act. Retrieved from http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c103:HR.1025.ENR:

Spartanburg Harold-Journal. (2012). Disarming law-abiding citizens doesn't make them any safer. Retrieved from http://goupstate.com/article/20121218/OPINION/20121218000