The April 26 issue of the Free Press included an editorial advocating for restrictions on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines to help prevent school shootings. I agree that laws to help prevent school shootings should be enacted, but the Devil is in the details.
A limit of magazine capacity to 10 rounds seems reasonable to me. However there are questions about that:
There are many high-capacity magazines currently held in private hands. Would high-capacity magazines lawfully held in private hands be grandfathered in? If so, a would-be school shooter could likely get their hands on some. If current owners could not legally keep them, how would the government ensure they are turned in? Somebody who has the intent to commit a school shooting is unlikely to follow a law requiring them to turn in high-capacity magazines they may possess. Would law enforcement officials go door to door and search every property for illegally retained high-capacity magazines? Good luck with that.
A would-be school shooter who is not in possession of high capacity magazines could always go to a state where high-capacity magazines are legal to purchase.
The editorial supported restrictions on “automatic weapon magazines.” Presumably, the editor had firearms like the AR15 in mind. AR15’s are not “automatic.” They are “semi automatic.” If legislation specified restrictions on “automatic weapon magazines” it would do little good.
The editorial advocated for restrictions on “assault weapons.” The federal assault weapons law (which has since expired) tried to outlaw “assault rifles” but the definition they used had a loophole. If a manufacturer made an AR15 without a bayonet lug, a flash suppressor, or threads that would allow the addition of a flash suppressor, AR15s could still be legally sold during the ban.
The editorial said citizens have no right to possess “high-powered weapons of war.” Most hunters would scoff at calling an AR15 (the presumable weapon of choice for mass murderers) “high powered.” The .223 Remington/5.56 NATO rounds used in most AR15s are probably the most common rounds used for hunting prairie dogs. Many hunters and states consider it underpowered for deer hunting.
If rifles like AR15s could be successfully eliminated, they could easily be substituted. The suspected would-be assassin at the correspondents dinner carried a shotgun and a handgun. Frankly, I would rather be shot with an AR15 than a shotgun. A shotgun with a slug is more lethal.
I am 73 years old. I do not remember concerns about school shootings when I was a student. What changed? What could be changed back?
Sorry if there are typos in this letter, two of my preschool grandkids have been a distraction. I love them and I want them to be safe from school shootings. But feel-good legislation that is ineffective won’t help.
Ross Arneson is the former Blue Earth County Attorney. He lives in Mankato.