Libertarians celebrate sunset of misnamed 'Assault Weapons Ban'
At midnight Monday, the sunset provision of the 1994 "assault weapons
ban" activated, making it once again legal to purchase 19 types of
semi-automatic guns arbitrarily classed as "assault weapons," firearms
with certain features such as bayonet mounts and flash suppressors and
ammunition magazines with a more than 10 round capacity.
North Carolina Libertarians greeted the ban's end with approval and
calls for similar "sunset provisions" for all intrusive laws. Rather than
leading to a wave of crime, the ban's demise will allow peaceful people to
continue to defend their property and to pursue their interest in
gun-collecting and shooting with less control by the Federal government.
That can only be a good thing, Libertarians say.
The Libertarian Party's presidential candidate Michael Badnarik, who'll
be the candidate on the ballot besides Bush and Kerry in North Carolina,
is a strong advocate of the Constitution's Second Amendment - along with
the rest of the Bill of Rights. Neither Kerry nor Bush is a friend of
freedom for gun owners, Libertarians say. Bush promised to sign an
extension of the absurd ban, while Kerry blasted Bush for not going far
enough to ensure the ban was renewed.
Badnarik's position on gun ownership rights is clear and unequivocal.
"My rights are non-negotiable. I don't care if someone else doesn't like
it. I don't care if they toss and turn at night, anxiously worried about
what I might do with my firearm," he said. "My rights are not predicated
on whether or not you like what I'm doing. You only have a complaint when
I present a 'clear and present danger,' which is not the case if I have my
firearm in a holster."
"Repealing unconstitutional gun control laws will be one of my first
priorities as President of the United States," Badnarik said.
"This is typical of the pathetic 'disputes' that pass for political
debate in this country today," said Susan Hogarth, Badnarik's NC campaign
coordinator. "Democrats and Republicans are simply trying to outdo one
another in promises to restrict more American freedoms." Only the
Libertarian Party offers a clear and freedom-oriented choice on this issue
and on so many other issues facing voters today, she said.
"The biggest 'assault weapon' I can think of is the Federal Government
itself, with its annual assault against the American taxpayer," added
Hogarth. "The income tax is one law I would dearly love to see 'sunsetted'
even more than the so-called 'assault weapons ban.'"
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