Intro

Sorry for the length, but I didn't have time to write a short blog.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

The Ban 2

(from http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/semi-automatic-gun-assault-weapon-definitions)

The next suggestion of banning in the gun safety issue is one that I agree with.  That is the sale and use of the over-sized clips.  According to polls, nearly 65% or more of Americans agree on this.  Again, this issue is not like the movies.  The villain or the hero don't stride down the street easily dropping clips in slow motion from his semi-automatic pistol or Oozie and then reaching into his coat pocket and smoothly slamming the next clip into place without missing a step.  Reloading takes time.  Even if it is a few seconds, but in the middle of the madness that occurs during most mass shootings with a most likely inexperienced shooter, it could take longer.  These seconds are vital to for finding cover or escaping.  The shooter must pause and trying to make sure he must pause more often only makes sense.  If the assault rifle or for that matter any rifle or pistol someone owns is for defense or sport, these over-sized clips serve no function.

If a person cannot hit what he or she is shooting at in ten shots, he or she needs to practice.  If a home is invaded by more people than a person can defend with ten shots, that person is in serious trouble no matter how many bullets they have.  There is zero reason to have these except to inflict as much damage as possible or because someone is too lazy to reload.  In target shooting, an over-sized clip adds extra weight and effects the balance of a - true sporting and target weapon.  Again, if the person thinks he or she needs these clips to protect himself from the evil government coming for him, I have a documentary film for them.  It's called Men in Black.  

So what do we do about the clips already out there?  We cannot really  ban them, but we can make them illegal to use anywhere but on a shooting range.  We add to the jail time of any person who is caught using an over-sized clip in the commission of a crime and we hold accountable the people who have them in their possession.  If someone owns one of these and a shooter gets a hold of it, the owner of the clip can be held responsible for not making sure it was secure.  In other words, own these clips at one's own risk. These clips are not protected the second amendment and I believe this is one ban that could make a difference.
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2 comments:

  1. AndrewFebruary 14, 2013 at 3:23 PM

    I see your point but dissagree. Columbine happened during the assault weapons ban. They used 10 round clips. They killed a lot of people. Virginia tech had similar casualties. The guy used larger clips. High capacity clips are just convenient for sportsmen. Criminals are going to use them no matter what the laws are so banning them really only affects law abiding citizens and makes them reload more often. And changing mags in a hury is easy. Even for someone that's inexperienced. An experience shooter can maybe shave off a second max. I really don't feel like that's enough of a difference. If we are talking about really big clips, like the 32 round 9mm glock clips or the 100 round drums. They stink. They jam a lot. Id rather have a bad guy with one of the 100 round drums because when it jams that will give me a chance to do something. lower capacity clips rarely jam and actually work better than really high capacity mags.

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    Replies
    1. Mitch TravisFebruary 15, 2013 at 10:43 PM

      Hey Andrew,
      Thanks for your considered response and input. I don't know about the jamming issue although it seems to me that I read it was more of an issue with automatics than semi-automatics. I could definitely be wrong on that.

      In regards to the two mass shootings you mention, Columbine is unique in a number of ways. First is that it involved more than one shooter and the second is that it actually altered the way police now approach such shootings. It was probably because it was handled as a hostage situation and there was a delay in entering the building that gave the two shooters more time than they would have had today. The clip thing would not have come into play in that case. In Virginia Tech, if memory serves, it too was different than most in that it occurred in more than one location making it border on a spree style killing. Again because of its nature, I agree, the large clips would play no part.

      I have to admit I don't buy the "only bad guys" argument as a valid one since most of the shooters involved had no record before they became bad guys. I do not think that most set out to be bad guys, but that it is a matter of access. Statistically speaking we know that with a weapon in the house you are far more likely to be shot by a loved one than if they had to go and buy one. It becomes a matter of access. There are bad people true, but there is not a great number of bad guys sitting out there waiting to outnumber the good guys except perhaps in the movies. It comes down to trying to limit the access.

      As I said from the beginning no single act will stop these horrible incidents from ever occurring again, but to do nothing to save even one life is the most horrible kind of inaction. We cannot continue to do nothing when there are things that we can do that may make a difference.

      Again thank you for your response and for reading my ramblings.

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