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Kate Jones

Partner, Institute for the Advancement of Service

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The time is NOW for people to stand up and say 'No More Assault Weapons" and not wait for the government to legislate the change.

Change starts when people change, not when governments legislate change. Think back to the days when driving drunk was socially acceptable, no matter who died in the process. Then Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) formed. The rest is history.

The time is 'now o'clock'. We will change our resopnse to violence and stop purchasing violence video games as gifts for our children, and stop patronizing films that promote violence, mayhem and murder. Glorifying the horrific has become the norm.

What happened in Newtown, CT should never happen again.

Remember Mahatma Ghandi's words: "Be the change you want to see in the world". The time is now o'clock!

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  • Mark Larson

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    Dec 31 2012: Automatic weapons are for the the most part illegal except for military or police use. The average hunting rifle is an semi-automatic. A semi-automatic firearm was used at Newtown. Because the rifle looked like an M-16 people call it an assault rifle. This emotional moniker will only drive a edge in any attempt at legislation. The discussion should be about how to help troubled people before they resort to violence. We didn't outlaw diesel and fertilizer and they are a far more deadly combination. Perhaps outlawing body armor and large clips would have some affect. With over 50% of US households having guns I think any legislation would stall. Especially if you want to outlaw all semi-automatics. Perhaps you should delineate your definition of assault weapons.

    • Scott Koenraadt

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      Jan 1 2013: actually the fertilizer that used to do that is under tight restriction now.

    • Brian Doherty

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      Jan 1 2013: According to recent University of Chicago research only 32% of US households have guns down from 50% in 1973.

      I believe the majority of hunters do not use semi-automatic rifles. At least the hunters that I know in the northeast US.
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      Colleen Steen 500+

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      Jan 1 2013: Mark,
      I do not believe the "average hunting rifle is a semi-automatic"....certainly not true in this area!

      I agree that "outlawing" "large clips" could be helpful, along with banning the assault weapons serviced by the "large clips".

      While an individual's definition of assault weapon may vary depending on one's knowledge, there is criteria which legally defines assault weapons, and that information can be found on line.

      I do not believe that "outlawing body armor" could serve any useful purpose...body armor generally protects people from harm....it does not cause deaths....to the best of my knowledge.

      I agree with you Mark, that emotional factors sometimes get in the way of legislation, which is why having accurate information is important with this discussion.

      Brian and Mark,
      I was curious about the question of how many US housholds have guns, so I did a search. The numbers are all over the charts, and as one survey says....it depends on who is honest about having guns in the household!!!

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