AK47 ASSAULT RIFLE IS UNPATRIOTIC

            The other morning I went on the internet to find a source for live hand grenades.  What I found out was that they were not only illegal to buy or sell, but it was against the law to even possess one.  How about that!  Our government telling me what I can do and what I can’t do.

            When I tried to buy a tank, I found the same response.  Apparently weapons that are specifically designed – and used – to kill people are off limits for us average citizens.  Grenades and tanks are classified as “weapons of mass destruction.”   Incidentally, the cost of a tank was slightly out of my price range anyway, so that query was simply an academic exercise.

            I then tried to buy dynamite but the paperwork clearance was so daunting that I gave up trying.

            Guess what.  I then searched and found a multitude of sources for the AK47 assault rifle --  all available well within my price range.   The AK47, as you know, combines the firepower of a sub-machine gun with the accuracy and range of a rifle.  This type of rifle was first developed by the Germans in World War II and later copied by the Russians.  In fact, it was designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov and is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova – or AK47 for short.

            I personally was especially appalled to discover that the National Rifle Association was defending our rights to own and shoot a RUSSION DESIGNED weapon.  Golly, how unpatriotic is that?

            When I found the many sources for purchasing assault rifles, I also discovered that there apparently are no limits on the number of rounds of ammunition I can purchase.  The man who murdered and wounded so many people in Colorado recently used a slight variation of the AK47.  It had a clip that could hold up to 100 rounds of ammo and it could fire 50-60 rounds a minute!  It was a true weapon of mass destruction.  

            But isn’t that why grenades and tanks in the hands of citizens are illegal?  Weapons with the sole intent of doing bodily harm to large numbers have in the past been effectively outlawed.  This has absolutely nothing to do with the fear that the government will take away our hunting rifles or shotguns.  As I recall the one time I went pheasant hunting, my shotgun had a block that prevented me from loading more than three shells at a time.  That’s the law.  And in my opinion, why would anyone need a clip of ammunition exceeding 10 rounds?  Why do we need guns that can fire 100 rounds before reloading?

            There is no big clamor to ban guns.  It is a part of the culture of our nation to own guns -- shotguns, hunting rifles, and even hand guns.  But there should be some restrictions on the kind of gun and, especially, its specific purpose or function.

            The federal ban on assault rifles should be reinstated.