Let's ban assault weapons on Maui and in Hawaii.
Hawaii is an overwhelmingly Democratic state.
The Maui County Council should pass an assault weapons ban for Maui.
The Hawaii Legislature should pass an assault weapons ban for Hawaii.
Let's do it.
This would show emphatically that we support gun control and would support President Barack Obama's efforts to prevent school shootings, mall shootings, theater shootings, church shootings and on and on and on.
According to Facebook, in 1996 there was a primary school shooting in Scotland. Sixteen children ages 5 and 6 were killed along with one teacher. The following year, because of public outcry, the United Kingdom banned the private ownership of all cartridge ammunition handguns regardless of caliber. There have been no school shootings since.
Check out the statistics on gun deaths in the U.S. versus gun deaths in all countries with bans on assault weapons. We have a death rate from guns about 36 times that of the U.K. (Ours is nine gun-related deaths per 100,000 population; the U.K.'s is 0.25 deaths per 100,000.)
The current Supreme Court is the one that brought us "corporations are people" and the idea that there are no limits on money in politics. Their dicta on constitutionality may not stand the test of time. So I don't worry about the constitutional arguments. "A well-regulated militia" does not imply multiple assault weapons for the mothers of troubled teenagers.
We all know something has to be done.
Let's do it.
Sally Raisbeck
Wailuku
