Weapons of mass destruction or assault weapons

I am a Vietnam veteran and have fired M-16, 60 caliber and 50 caliber machine guns. The difference is in the power of the shells and how many rounds can be fired without reloading. These weapons are and were created for massacres. What else is relevant about guns?

I know three high school friends who committed suicide. My daughter had a good friend who wanted to make a statement and used a shotgun. In my hometown of Wyoming, I was close to a family and there was a time when the father beat his wife, which caused the youngest son to use a shotgun to kill his father. In 1969, while I was in Vietnam, there was an article in Stars and Stripes about a family murder in my hometown. The family lived less than a kilometer from my house. The younger brother bludgeoned his older brother to death.

Then the son entered his home and, with a .22 rifle, shot his grandfather, as well as his mother and father as they returned home from work. I imagine everyone reading this article has similar stories.

In my experience, anyone with a gun can use it to kill strangers, family members, or themselves. A few years ago, I heard a report that Wyoming had the highest per capita gun ownership rate, followed by the highest per capita suicide rate.

As a veteran, I know that approximately 20 veterans commit suicide every day.

How much is that over the last 10 years – 365x10x20 equals 73,000. The how is not reported, but almost all suicides are due to guns. The military does not allow weapons to be carried on active duty on base.

There are options for gun owners. If you want to shoot a machine gun, go to a gun club. Weapons are stored on site only. You do not have weapons designed for mass killing. Growing up in Wyoming, I was a hunter and target shooter and enjoyed the experience. I sold my guns in 1999 in part because it was too easy to pull the trigger. And after Vietnam, I found it insane that I could buy an assault weapon (AR-15) with a higher capacity magazine than in Vietnam.

I argue that only weapons without magazines are legal. Magazines offer the possibility of mass slaughter. There is an opinion that people do not kill with guns.

My opinion, after shooting machine guns, is that guns change people. I have the power to kill and make a statement, and no one will forget what I did, and no one will bully me, and I don't like a race/religion/etc.

Assault weapons are just that: for assault!