Assault Weapons Should Be Banned

The recent shootings that attract so much media attention have sparked a movement to restrict gun ownership in the United States. The most common call is the restriction of hi-capacity magazines, foldable stocks, short barrels, and other attachments that classify a gun as an assault weapon. Since the Assault Weapons ban of 1994 was lifted there have been multiple attempts to reinstate the ban. The Assault Weapons ban of 1994 was unconstitutional, and ineffective at preventing large scale violence. The most common argument to restrict gun ownership is that the Second Amendment permits a well-regulated militia allowing for regulations on gun ownership. However, this is false because the meaning of well-regulated has changed since 1789. Back then well-regulated meant in working order or well disciplined. The intention is clarified by George Mason when he said "I ask who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers." The founding fathers wanted to have the entirety of the population capable of fighting against the government should it become tyrannical again.

The feeling that a person gets when they hear the metallic “ping” on a target from over 200 yards away is irreplaceable. The laws set in place restricted people from owning sporting firearms that make some target shooting impossible or extremely difficult. Gun are also a large part of human history. Owning a gun gives insight into the time that it was made. Owning a modern firearm serves a testament to how far the weapons have advanced since the days of single shot muskets. Another value of gun ownership is the value of the gun. A typical gun is made so that with proper care it will be in full working order decades after its creation. Therefore, guns typically hold their monetary value or in less common cases they increase in value, making a firearm an investment that may payback in the