Marketing assault weapons

Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich was two-thirds right when he claimed the mass shootings that plague America is a mental health issue and not a gun issue because guns really haven’t changed, the culture has. In the recent Texas mass shooting, there was evidence for every excuse camp. Mental health, gun law loopholes, good guy with a gun versus a bad guy argument.

I’m fairly certain Ozzie and his hunting buddies had either single shot, bolt action, pump action rifles or shotguns. Possibly a revolver. All of those weapons had a limited capacity, probably nine or fewer rounds and could only be fired at a rate determined by the shooters competence.

In the mid to late 1980’s, as recreational gun manufacturers were on the verge of shutdown due to diminished sales, a marketing campaign aimed at the “inner soldier” was introduced to bolster gun sales. The introduction of semiautomatic weapons, and the notion/myth of the average citizen saving the day with their combat weapon, has become the extremely potent selling mechanism to a cadre of rabid Second Amendment rights extremists.

Contemporary military grade assault rifles should never have been sold to civilians, period. That ship has sailed, and now America is tasked with mopping up the blood and gore, while gun sales are brisk, much like a self fulfilling prophecy, especially following a mass shooting.

Steve LaCombe

Spokane Valley