"Why do we need assault weapons?"

[ballsie]

You people are paranoid. Our government would never take away any of our rights or force unconstitutional things upon us.

^^^ What he said...

Nobody with real power wants to take our guns. We know the conservative side doesn't want to and Obama has only loosened gun laws since taking office.

[Burntorange Bowhunter]

^^^ What he said...

Nobody with real power wants to take our guns. We know the conservative side doesn't want to and Obama has only loosened gun laws since taking office.

Y'all must have missed that debate......

[Lungbustr]

I guess the short answer is to defend ourselves, our families our homes, our neighbors and our country if need be. Also that term assault rifle is terrible, its just another semi auto. My nephew who is 9 years old and small for his age will be using one of these horrible deadly mass murdering rifles to try to kill his first deer this evening. It just so happens my colt 6940 recoils much less than just about any other gun that I own and is capable of killing a deer. It also has a nifty adjustable stock so I dont have to take a saw to another one of my bolt actions.

[Wudstix]

The lawful owning and use of firearms is not the concern. No matter what you do to limit the pocession of lawful firearms, there will always be those individuals who acquire them for use in criminal activity. I personally don't own a high capacity firearm, but have not problem with those who do, when used responsibily.

[AtTheWall]

Assault weapons are weapons that fire AUTOMATIC & SEMI-AUTOMATIC which are ILLEGAL for CITIZENS

Their SEMI-AUTO COPIES are simply SEMI-AUTOMATIC guns that look like an ASSAULT WEAPON but, they don't fire in AUTOMATIC MODE. Any SEMI-AUTO gun can hold more than it's advetised capacity...by modifying it's ammo feed,YOU CAN CONVERT ANY SEMI-AUTOMATIC ACTION TO FEED AS MANY BULLETS AS YOU WANT TO FEED IT! A SEMI-AUTO DEER RIFLE....A SEMI AUTO SHOTGUN CAN FEED MORE THAN 5 ROUNDS EASILY.

Assault weapons look scary but, they are no more scarier than any other gun.

Mexico has the strictest gun laws on the planet. Only one gun shop in Mexico City - within the entire country - is used to legally buy very limited caliber weapons. And those that are legally able to buy from this gun store, must go through a MOUNTAIN of PAPER WORK and JUSTIFICATION to even have the right to purchase a gun. They aren't allowed to buy ASSAULT WEAPONS for the most part but....LOOK WHAT IT HAS DONE TO THE CARTELS?

So making a perfectly legal weapon now illegal to own, for LAW ABIDING CITIZENS - making the LEGAL CITIZEN NOW A CRIMINAL TO OWN ONE - WHERE AS THE REAL CRIMINAL WILL ALWAYS BREAK LAWS TO OWN THEM....LOOK AT MEXICO AS AN EXAMPLE.

What has this done to the Mexican's and their right to defend their ranches, businesses and homes from CARTELS? Only Mexico's hardened criminals - who are going to break Mexican Gun Laws to use ASSAULT STYLE Weapons in the name of Drug Trafficking - no matter what. DO WE WANT TO DO THE SAME HERE?

2nd Amendment, provides the People the means to defend themselves from a destructive government PERIOD!

[roguecraft101]

I respectfully agree with what everyone is saying and it seems like we are all on the same side. Let's stick to the question though. Why do we need assault rifles??? ..... And I must say this, if a drug cartel rolls up to your deer lease, you are probably in big trouble no matter how many AR's you have.

I think you missed the main answer everyone is giving you. The ONLY real answer to this question "Why do we need assault rifles". Because we were born with the right to have them.


Also would like to add that people who legally buy these guns will never go out and commit murders with them because they are tied to the gun with paper work. It is a sure fire 100% way to get yourself caught. Every weapon that is LEGAL in the united states only pushes the illegal use of them further into the hands of people who obtain them illegally.

[casilva43]

Need is not the point. The premise of the question your friend posted is wrong from the start.

People in large cities don't necessarily need a car. Cars kill far more people than guns annually. Do people really need cars?

well said

[Shane]

It's a question that doesn't deserve an answer.

Our rights are not ours only if we can justify them by demonstrating a big enough need. Our rights are ours because we are a free people.

The question that does deserve an answer is this:

Why would the government need to restrict our rights to own firearms?

[AtTheWall]

"To me, guns serve only two civilian purposes: self-defense and hunting. Why would you need an assault rifle for either of these purposes? And it's not the firepower of the gun that's so important; it's the capacity of the magazine, of which assault rifles generally are larger. This allows for a wider range of damage across targets, say, in shooting sprees. There is a problem, however, in that if someone wants to kill people, they'll find a way to do it. We shouldn't outlaw civilian possession of firearms in general, only those styles which can injure many people at one time."

With this logic....have you ever walked a South Texas sendero, late at night, on a ranch that is used as a corridor for ARMED MEXICAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS...alone? Have you ever sat in a ranch house, a home that 3 or 4 generations of your immediate family has owned, with miles and miles of fence along the Mexican border.....where you are 100 miles from the nearest law enforcement facility....with nothing but a 4-5 round bolt action rifle or 10 round or less pistol or rifle? Are you going to feel comfortable going to sleep at night or better yet, out on your own property working the land when 15 - 20 drug traffickers wearking black and armed with AKs and or ARs as they work their way through your property with a load of heroin or cocaine...with some of them under the influence of same...with a bonus made for every load delivered to San Antonio...no matter what they encounter enroute?

We can go on and on and on but those that don't see this logic, are simply CITY SLICKERS who have no clue what it's like to own and live on land along the Texas - Mexico and or New Mexico - California to Mexico border now!

[cj7zrcool]

"Why do we need assault weapons?"

Because we want them, which is reason enough. I don't need the government, or anyone else for that matter, telling me what kind of rifle I can own any more than I need them telling me what kind of health insurance I can have or what kind of friggin' light bulb I can use in my own home.

[Wudstix]

Assault weapons are weapons that fire AUTOMATIC & SEMI-AUTOMATIC which are ILLEGAL for CITIZENS.

2nd Amendment, provides the People the means to defend themselves from a destructive government PERIOD!

Guns are just one means of injuring multiple people at one time. Let's start this list of all items that should be banned.

[roguecraft101]

Update. Lost all firearms in boating accident 5 minutes ago. :-)

I was with you.... I can't believe we had the horrible idea of cleaning our gun collections out on that boat. =/

[AtTheWall]

I feel way better knowing...many of our ex-Veterans, trained and versed in the TACTICAL USE OF WEAPONS have the right to own same here at home. If and when crap hits the fan...it's these guys, in conjunction with the Law Enforcement agencies that have TRAINED TACTICALLY to counter crime and or insurgents....are we now going to take away their abillity to defend their communities with DEFENSIVE WEAPONS?

I prefer to have ASSAULT STYLE weapons in the arms of the average American because....many of these AVERAGE AMERICANS are EX-VETERANS TRAINED IN THE PROPER USE OF THESE WEAPONS TO DEFEND THE GREATER GOOD FOR ALL!

They are an ASSET to AMERICA...NOT A LIABILITY! CRIMINALS WILL ALWAYS HAVE ASSUALT WEAPONS....had the world banned their build from the beginning...it may be a different story? It's not that way and we need to stay armed as best as we can.....remember 9/11.

[AndyRealtree]

That's what the government would like, so we can't resist as effectively.

In the right hands, a hand full of spoons and butter knives can injure many people, just like a seriously foggy morning and a slippery road. Should we, then, ban spoons, butter knives, and bad weather?

Hahahahahahaha. I vote for spoons..

[AtTheWall]

Spoons make people fat and unhealty! Big spoons and super sized sippy cups should be banned!!!

Obesity and subsequent health issues - kill more than assault weapons here in the USA!