#MakeBuyingGunsTougher
Should it take more than seven minutes to purchase an AR-15? | The Tylt
Should it take more than seven minutes to purchase an AR-15?
Daily News columnist Helen Ubinas purchased an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle on Monday in under seven minutes: "That's how long it took me to buy an AR-15....From the moment I handed the salesperson my driver's license to the moment I passed my background check." The AR-15 was the semiautomatic rifle used in Sunday night's massacre of 49 people in Orlando. Ubinas thought there might be some restrictions or suspicions on purchasing the weapon in light of Sunday's events, but she reported that when she arrived, "The AR-15 is on display in the window of the gun shop. It is being promoted as the gun of the week."
Should we make it harder for Americans to purchase assault weapons?
Ubinas made the purchase as an exercise to expose the lack of barriers that exist for Americans to get their hands on military-grade weapons. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is renewing her call for a ban on assault weapons; proponents of a ban argue that, unlike other guns that are used for target practice or hunting, the only reason to purchase an assault weapon is to kill and maim large numbers of human beings.
Gun rights advocates argue that laws will not prevent criminals from getting their hands on assault weapon, and that any ban on any type of gun is an encroachment on their Second Amendment rights. Even some gun-control advocates point to research that shows there are more effective ways of fighting gun violence then banning certain types of guns.
Should it take more than seven minutes to buy an assault weapon? What do you think?
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Should it take more than seven minutes to purchase an AR-15?
People who support assault weapons bans and tougher gun laws argue that no civilian needs or should have access to military grade weapons designed to slaughter human beings.
The fact that AR 15s were used in horrific mass shootings in Aurora, Colorado, Newtown, and Orlando just increases the public's demand for tougher laws or an outright ban.
#LeaveGunLawsAsIs
Gun rights advocates pointed out that because Ubinas did have to show ID and pass a background check, the system worked.
#LeaveGunLawsAsIs
We're still debating how effective the 1994-2004 assault weapons ban was in reducing deaths, but there is some evidence it helped.
Gun control advocates also point to antiterrorism measures we've all taken around air travel, and ask why we can't apply those same safety measures to guns.
#LeaveGunLawsAsIs
Handguns are actually involved in far more deaths in America than assault rifles.
#LeaveGunLawsAsIs
Gun rights advocates frequently argue that arming more citizens will reduce gun violence (a.k.a., the "good guy with the gun" argument).
