Hi, I just have a few quick questions about that whole lifting of the assault weapon ban. Now this is not survival equipment related and I would understand if a moderator wanted to toss this thread cause it may seem too "survivalist" and thats fine. But what is the deal with this? I live in Canada and it seems really difficult to believe that anyone would want fully automatic weapons available to the populace. The common reasoning is that a well armed citizenry will reduce crime because criminals would naturally fear a lethal response. This doesn't chalk up with me, the only crimes I can see being reduced by the proliferation of assault weapons would be home invasions. The average store hold up, bank robbery, murder or rape won't have anything to fear from assault weapons. A responsible citizen that would use his AK or UZI to stop a crime is not going to be walking down main with it strapped to his back handy dandy to stop a bank robbery. Even if he was, it wouldn't be a good idea, just end in a bloodbath. The idea that weapon bans are stupid because criminals dont care about the laws and will acquire automatics anyway leaving average people without them for no good reason is flawed as well. Right now, automatics have to be taken out of the few areas they are allowed and require all sorts of paperwork and effort to gather and smuggle and sell. Naturally this creates good demand with low supply so prices on illegal AKs for example are very high given the risks and efforts involved. The high price and lack of availability keeps some who would want to acquire such a weapon from being able to, like people who get fired or dumped, get angry and want to go on a slaughter fest. If they can't find a dealer or afford the price right away the more time passes the less likely he is to go through with it after cooling his heels for a few days. But with assault weapons sold at every gun store and show, supply is going to increase. All a prospective dealer needs to do is pull the old strawman routine, find some bum or down on his luck bastard with the proper paper work (or falsified papers) to purchase a slew of weapons for a small token price then turn around and sell those guns on the black market for a higher price but without the background check or registry. Hell, even better use the gun show loop hole and your strawman doesnt even need any paper work at all and you have a trunk full of professional HK MP5s ready and waiting to be sold to professional robbers and such.

Now dont get me wrong, Im not anti-gun, in fact most of my entertainment revolves around guns in some way. Love action flicks, love video games, love thriller books (especially Stephan Hunter books) and know a lot more about different weapons and such then most guys my age, especially in Canada. Im just for sensible laws for guns. You want to target practise with your handgun, cool. Hunt with a rifle? Go for it. Want to keep a shotgun in your house for protection? A-OK in my book. But you say you need a MAC-10? What for? Plinking? I just don't care. I can't see the benefit of having automatics on the streets just so a few guys and shoot up tin cans and old lawnmowers at the range with an AK. The risks and dangers are just too great just so a few can engage in a hobby. Riflery and accurate work with a handgun requires skill, I understand that as a sport and support it, hunting is difficult and requires strong will, but any idiot and hold down a trigger while something jumps around in his hand messing up a bench with a bunch of watermelons on it. Theres no sport, no discipline, no reason for it.

Anyway, this isn't what I really wanted to talk about, I was wondering if anyone knows exactly what is and what is not going to be allowed. Will there be size restrictions? Like say its ok to have a full sized M16 with sling and bipod and all the trimings, but is it not ok to have a selectfire Glock? What about LEO weapons and munitions like the P90 and its odd 5.7 ammo? Will most of those be going on the market as well? I know full sized UZI's will be availible but what about the mini and micro? Will there be an uper limit on RPM? Like your 600 RPM AK is cool, but your FAMAS at 900 is not? How bout High cap magazines like the Beta-C system? Legal now, but what about on a fully auto G3A3? A bipod and Beta-C on a big 7.62 like that and you essentially have a light machine gun.

I always try to come at things with an open mind, so any input on this if you agree or disagree would be cool. This really seems like something burecrats that have no real experience with the sport of shooting or home defence or law enforcement have cooked up to win over people who haven’t thought it out. I can’t imagine a cop excited by the prospect of making assault weapons available to every small time hood on the street. It doesn’t matter what the bad guys have, he is still only going to be able to carry around his Glock (or other approved pistol) on his belt and maybe a shortie shotgun in the squad car (actually L.A cops do have single fire M16s in the trunk). Dealing with some nut waving around a revolver is bad enough, imagine him with a TMP.