Letters to the Editor
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Technology in the Service of Mass Murder
It's unlikely that any sort of gun control law could prevent the demented rampage we saw yesterday.
At the same time, reasonable gun control laws could help reduce the DAILY carnage (about 30 a day) that goes on without much notice across our nation.
Reasonable gun control laws could also help to limit the damage done during rampages such as yesterday's. The availability of semi-automatic weapons and readily replaceable magazines was a likely factor in the sheer number of deaths seen yesterday.
A semi-automatic handgun allows a maniac to fire as quickly as he can pull the trigger.
Readily replaceable magazines allow a maniac to reload quickly so that he can continue killing with a minimum of interruption.
Outside of law enforcement, there is little need for such massive firepower to be in the hands of ordinary citizens.
Legitimate shooting sports self-defense have traditionally existed and can continue to exist without guns capable of firing a large amount of ammunition in a short period of time.
As the gun industry continues to develop and market weapons with ever increasing firepower, it will be possible for maniacs to kill increasing numbers of people in rampage shootings.