Ban never had any real teeth to it

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, September 25, 2004

In response to Les Gilbert’s letter in the Sep. 19 Herald, “Ban lift crazy in light of Patriot Act,” I’d like to clear up some misconceptions. Assault weapons cannot be made available for purchase by private individuals. This has been the case since 1934. Rather, the so-called assault weapons ban, a name given by anti-Second Amendment and liberal media people to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 in order to confuse the gullible public, has “sunseted” as specified by law.

This legislation did not ever prohibit the sale of assault weapons to private individuals. What the law did do was prohibit the sale of certain weapons that looked, but did not function like, assault weapons, accomplishing nothing. Even Tom Diaz of the pro-gun-control Violence Policy Center has stated, “If the existing assault weapons ban expires, I personally do not believe it will make one whit of difference one way or another.”

As far as the Patriot Act is concerned, I heartily agree that our freedoms and privacy have been severely assaulted by it. There is, however, no direct connection between the sunset of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and the Patriot Act.

Dave Martson

Marysville