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- Jan 28, 2012
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Re: Are assault weapons more or less dangerous than pistols?
If the question is are semi/fully automatic rifles more dangerous then semi-automatic handguns?
Then I say clearly they are.
Assuming they are firing similar sized ammunition with similar muzzle velocities then obviously a weapon that can fire several times more bullets per minute then another weapon will be (usually) more dangerous to those it is aimed at.
As for adding in that the latter is less likely to be used then the latter and thus makes it more formidable to me is somewhat irrelevant.
It has been shown time and again that with enough planning, sneaking a semi-automatic rifle into almost any situation is possible.
The bottom line for me is this - would any of those children/teachers killed in Newtown still be alive if the shooter only had handguns?
The 31 killings a few years ago at Virginia Tech when the shooter was armed only with two semi-automatic handguns suggests they probably would not be.
The solution to what happened in Newtown is simple - arm the teachers/principals. Make it mandatory that a certain percentage of the staff must carry concealed handguns to receive federal/state funding. They armed the cockpits of airliners - why not schools?
There is almost no chance that some psycho would go on a killing spree in a school if he knows that several of the teachers will be 'packing'.
If the question is are semi/fully automatic rifles more dangerous then semi-automatic handguns?
Then I say clearly they are.
Assuming they are firing similar sized ammunition with similar muzzle velocities then obviously a weapon that can fire several times more bullets per minute then another weapon will be (usually) more dangerous to those it is aimed at.
As for adding in that the latter is less likely to be used then the latter and thus makes it more formidable to me is somewhat irrelevant.
It has been shown time and again that with enough planning, sneaking a semi-automatic rifle into almost any situation is possible.
The bottom line for me is this - would any of those children/teachers killed in Newtown still be alive if the shooter only had handguns?
The 31 killings a few years ago at Virginia Tech when the shooter was armed only with two semi-automatic handguns suggests they probably would not be.
The solution to what happened in Newtown is simple - arm the teachers/principals. Make it mandatory that a certain percentage of the staff must carry concealed handguns to receive federal/state funding. They armed the cockpits of airliners - why not schools?
There is almost no chance that some psycho would go on a killing spree in a school if he knows that several of the teachers will be 'packing'.