It is clear that American society needs a complete reset. There is simply no reason for this nation to have almost 500 million guns
By Anil Madan
Why can’t we just ban guns? Why does anyone need an assault rifle or a magazine with one hundred or more rounds? These are questions I am asked often, all too frequently, by my friends in this country. Friends from other countries tell me that they simply cannot understand why America allows such a proliferation of guns and particularly, semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles.
These questions, posed from time to time during lulls between mass shootings, take on more urgency and seem more pressing after each new massacre, as they have in the wake of the recent shootings in Buffalo (New York), and Uvalde (Texas). There is also, at these times, a tinge of frustration and outrage.
People expect answers to these questions as if the solution is entirely a legal matter. To be fair, often the law does set policy but not always. Well, I do have answers, at least some answers. Sadly, including bewilderment that the Constitution may not allow sensible regulation of guns, these are not the answers that any rational person will find acceptable.
The answers are, first, the US cannot simply ban all guns because the Second Amendment forbids such a ban and, second, although no one needs an assault rifle or a magazine loaded with a hundred or more rounds, any Republican who deals with that truth honestly, won’t be a Congressman or Senator ere long. That second answer underscores an important point: we could re-enact a ban on assault rifles (yes, we once did have such a ban) and the courts would likely uphold it, but first, enough Republicans would need to stop genuflecting at the NRA (National Rifle Association) altar in order to get such a bill through Congress. Read More… Become a Subscriber
Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 3 June 2022
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