This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
This afternoon I watched an interview on local television after the report that a gunman had murdered 49 people in Florida with an AR-15 "assault rifle."
Congressman Chris Stewart actually said, "The problem is not assault rifles."
I was very disappointed but not surprised that the local reporter did not question the remark. Stewart went on to state that more needs to be done to stop ISIS.
How do we elect people to high public office who are capable of making such inane and gutless statements, which are obviously intended to ensure his re-election.
I am not inferring that an inanimate object like an assault rifle is capable of such an act without a human operator. But the human operator would never have been able to perpetrate such an act without the weapon. The one in question was reportedly acquired legally in Florida.
There is no rational reason for anyone outside of the armed forces to possess one of these devices. Their sole purpose is to kill people. Switchblade knives used to be illegal, and I suspect that they still are. It would be better to allow people to have a hundred switchblades than one of these hideous devices.
There is a need for additional work to eliminate terrorism and solve mental health issues, but elimination, or reasonable control of these weapons must be part of the solution. The Second Amendment must not continue to be used as a convenient ploy to prevent meaningful action.
Richard Sandberg
Ivins