Arguing a Position Essay: Banning Assault Weapons and Large Capacity Magazines

The issue of banning assault weapons and large capacity magazines has been debated for years, but has never been discussed with such urgency as it is now. The issue is the banning of assault weapons in our society. Are we the kind of country that allows and encourages its citizens to own weapons of mass destruction? The moral issue we face is banning ownership of these weapons to ordinary citizens while protecting their rights under the second amendment of our Constitution. Considering the bloodshed and death that assault weapons cause in the hands of citizens and criminals, it seems to me that assault weapons do not have a place in our homes and society. …show more content…

He fired more than 30 rounds in 15 seconds (Citizen Crime 2). With fully automatic weapons or machine guns, many bullets can be shot if you pull the trigger once. Automatic firearms continuously fire rounds until the trigger is released or the magazine is emptied. Fully automatic weapons, or machine guns, have been banned since the 1930s (Rosenfeld 1). As the Brady Center study says, “Assault weapons were designed for rapid-fire, close quarter shooting at human beings. That is why they were put together the way they were. You will not find these guns in a duck blind or at the Olympics. They are mass produced mayhem (3). As the ATF said, the weapons “are not generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes either” and instead “are attractive to certain criminals” (Dept of Treasury 1). For the purpose of this argument, assault weapons will mean semi automatic weapons. All of these weapons look like military issue and are not used for sports hunting (Study on Sporting 21). You have to know what military appearance means too. There are seven characteristics that help you understand. They have: large capacity magazines that let the shooter fire many rounds without reloading; have folding stocks, which make them easy to hide; have pistol grips, which make it easier to fire with one hand; have flash suppressors, which hide the shooter's location; have bipods for stability; can be fitted with bayonets or