Thank you for the July 16 article “What assault weapons ban?” about the erosion of state control over military assault guns. I’m disturbed by the ease with which full-auto freaks turn semi-automatic guns into illegal automatics.
 
I would support a sensible assault gun ban that does not ban semi-automatic arms; guns that carry eight to 20 rounds and can fire at a speed of 20 to 40 rounds per minute.  Bolt-action guns can be fired at a rate of 10 to 15 rounds per minute, which is enough for most legal uses.

I would also consider a law based on muzzle velocity and hence lethality. Rifles are far deadlier than pistols, with muzzle velocities of 2,000 to 3,000 feet per second, compared with pistols’ 600 to 1,250 per second.  A 7.62-mm rifle’s effective range is 800 to 1,000 yards but submachine guns firing 9-mm pistol ammunition have ranges of 75 to 200 yards.
 
I question the pro-gun contention that restricting one gun means banning all guns, and that making gun users be responsible is synonymous with punishing them. The outcome of such speculation is gun anarchy. 

-- Steve T. Kobara - San Luis Obispo

-- Steve T. Kobara - San Luis Obispo