I remember as each of these scares was introduced. They are all based on the premise that guns are evil and must be eliminated from society. Guns are always: Too small or too big or too cheap, either too effective or not effective enough. They are all just ways to delegitimize guns in general.
"“What do you need an assault weapon for, if you’re going hunting? That’s overkill.” Steele exhibited a horrid ignorance of competition shooting, along with the increasing use of AR-15 type rifles for varmint hunting and predator control, especially in the West, by a new generation of shooters brought up with such rifles."
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"Deadly assault weapons have no place in Massachusetts," Romney said, at a bill signing ceremony with legislators, sportsmen's groups and gun safety advocates.
"These guns are not made for recreation or self-defense. They are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people."
Governor Mitt Romney 2002