Obama on gun control

Barrack Obama's view on gun control is that assault rifles and .50 caliber rifles should be banned. This view is flawed because even though those two types of guns are currently legal , less than 5% of crimes are commited with them. From The Daily Journal 1993-May-11, by Don B. Kates and Peter Alan Kasler: :

" "Assault weapon" is just a fearsome epithet for common semiautomatic arms, which fire no faster than a civilian revolver, pump rifle or shotgun. Contrary to claims that military-style rifles are preferred by druglords and other criminals, studies across the country show them rarely found in drug raids. And though they represent an estimated 27 percent of new sales, they constitute only 1 percent to 5 percent of the guns used in crimes. Their popularity reflects their use of high-strength plastic instead of wood, making them light but rugged for hunting, camping, pest and predator control, Olympic and other target competition."

There is no reason to ban something that is not causing a problem. If assault rifles were being used in a high percentage of crimes , I would support banning them ,but based on current statistics very few crimes invovle assault rifles. They are no more dangerous than regular guns because newer models cannot be converted to automatic mode. Banning them would only hurt honest people because no matter what is banned , criminals will still have it if they need to. Obama's gun ban may go through ,but the only thing this will do is give the criminals an advantage because common people will not have adequate self protection.

The proper course of action would be to put harder background checks and make sure people are trained in the use of the gun they are purchasing. The key is to develop a system that prevents criminals from buying guns ,but allows honest people accsess to them.