Necessary Weapons?

As the sad anniversary of the senseless violence carried out at Sandy Hook and the many incidents that have happened since (and before), is upon us. I thought I would compose a piece about whether we need assault style weapons and weapons with high capacity magazines. I spent some time in the military and was taught the basics and some advanced tactics in preparation for defending the country.

I remember the first time I held and used an M-16 semi-automatic rifle. The weapon is designed specifically for killing human beings and nothing else. That was the first thing my instructor told us and re-iterated over and over while on the range. The first shooting of that rifle drove home the power and purpose of the weapon and what the intent was of its manufacturing.

Many hours were spent on the range, training with the weapon until we were all proficient, some more then others. I did not earn my marksmanship ribbon with the M-16, but would later obtain it on the pistol range (probably more beneficial as I would later have to carry a pistol for any and all off base assignments). The time spent training was not firing at paper targets at a paced off distance, but at pop-up human targets at various distances, angles and timing. It was honing a skill to take down others when called upon.

Part of our training included knowing what our weapons were able to do the human body. How the bullet would enter, and  twist and turn in the body inflicting as much damage as possible. The weapon is design to disrupt the human body; flesh, bones, and organs.

If the right to own a gun is to ensure our safety? Shouldn't everyone go through an intense training and have an understanding of how to use the weapon? It just makes sense...How do we safeguard this? Tighter control, training, and insurance, that is how.

If the point of owning a gun is to preserve the legal means to end a disagreement with deadly force then we are done as a civil society....