To the Editor:
Reading the several letters published in recent issues of the Kane County Chronicle, a couple of concerns have arisen in my mind. Those two concerns are the misinformation about the so-called “assault weapons” with multi-shot magazines, and the berating of the National Rifle Association.
The assault weapons under consideration are not in the least bit what we are pressured to believe. These weapons are not automatic; no one can "hose down” a room. There are many manufacturers of semi-automatic rifles, and they all operate in the same manner. It requires a pull of the trigger for each shot, depending on an automatic reload mechanism rather than one that must be operated manually, like a bolt. Some of the assault weapons under discussion are identical in operation to these others, except some are made to look like true assault weapons, such as the much-touted AK-47. Banning a weapon because of cosmetic differences merely makes it appear that our leaders are "doing something”. As for multiple-shot magazines, or clips as they are also known, this is also a fallacy. It takes perhaps three seconds to replace an empty clip with a full one. Proposing to ban clips that hold more bullets will provide no answer to social misfits wreaking havoc among innocence. It is already practically impossible for any citizen to own automatic weaponry of any stripe. This is rightfully the purview of only the armed forces and SWAT personnel.
The NRA was once merely an organization to promote safety with firearms. When the early attempts to ban any guns among our civilian population began, it stepped up to defend our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The writers of our Constitution were not fools, and this amendment was added to ensure no government could maintain power by force of arms. Any attempt to restrict any kind of firearm may lead to the disarming of citizens, who will then be at the mercy of their government. In our complacency we have allowed far too many laws to be enacted, purportedly for our own protection. The NRA has stepped forward as a reminder of what has kept us, as a people, strong and free.
Jim Ledbetter
North Aurora
