Many people respond to proposed legislation solely on the basis of their ideology. It is easier for those of us in the middle to judge it on its merits.
Several Democratic presidential candidates are proposing a mandatory buyback of assault weapons. Their purpose is to cut down on the number of mass shootings. On the surface it may sound like a good idea. Anyone looking at the facts would realize it makes no sense at all. There are around twenty million assault weapons out there. A tiny number, certainly less than 100, are in the hands of people who are likely to use them in mass shootings. The government would spend billions buying guns from law-abiding owners. Those potential shooters would keep their guns. If they are thinking about killing people, I doubt they would worry too much about violating federal gun laws. The only way to cut down on the number of mass shootings is by trying to find these people before they commit mayhem. Assuming all 330 million of us are potential shooters is ridiculous. People killed in mass shootings are an infinitesimally small percentage of total murders. Reducing the murder rate should be the focus of any legislation.
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