In regard to the June 17 letter about AR-15 rifles, ‘’We must ban weapons of war”: The AR-15 is a tool. Like any tool, I can use a hammer to kill you or build a house. The AR-15 and similar type rifles are used for target practice, shooting competitions, hunting and self-defense.
The best figures I can find says the AR-15 and same type rifles were used in about 2 percent of all crimes involving firearms. If this is true, then about 98 percent of all owners possess and use their rifles lawfully. Why should the extreme majority of law-abiding gun owners be punished for the criminal acts with a rifle that is used in an extremely small frequency of incidents? How about we blame the user and not the tool?
Banning something is the first step toward totalitarianism. Banning the AR-15 would be a possible, two-fold process. Ban its future possession and use and if not grandfathered in, ban current possession and use.
There are an estimated 8 to 10 million AR-15s in the United States. I nominate the writer to go door to door and try and confiscate them. Good luck with that. It’s never going to happen. I would not want to be the one who awakens that ‘’sleeping giant.”
Chris Birchman
Snohomish
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
