Semiautomatic guns were used in the mass shootings at Virginia Tech, the Wisconsin Sikh Temple, the Colorado theater, the Arizona parking lot, and the Connecticut elementary school. It’s time for the Obama administration to reinstate the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which expired in 2004 and which would ban these semiautomatics. They are capable of rapid fire, they utilize high-capacity magazines and can be quickly reloaded. They are the guns of choice for mass shootings, and preventing access would no doubt reduce the chances of future potential shooters to carry out mass murder. Obama is in favor of re-instating the Ban, but it will require a sustained and concerted effort on our part to push him to take action. If enough of us speak loud enough for long enough, it will happen.



