Get rid of AK-47s

Republicans are accusing Democrats of being soft on terrorism. Wait a minute! Wasn't it Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert who sat on the bill to extend the ban on Osama Bin Laden's favorite weapon and the weapon of choice for both al-Qaida and the Taliban, the AK-47?

Amazingly, he did this after the FBI briefed the White House on the existence of the Lackawanna Seven terrorists, a homegrown terrorist cell that had traveled to Afghanistan where they met with Osama Bin Laden and received training in using AK-47s. Dick Cheney was reportedly so spooked by the briefing that he wanted to send the army to Buffalo, N.Y., to arrest them in violation of the Constitution.

Does it make an ounce of sense, or as Sarah Palin would say "common sense," that while our troops are dodging AK-47 rounds in Iraq and Afghanistan we are selling AK-47s over the counter in the U. S.?

The Mumbai massacre in India was a blueprint of what al-Qaida has planned for their next attack on the U.S. The Fort Dix Six, another homegrown terrorist group that was planning to massacre Army trainees at Fort Dix, N.J., was another red flag.

President Obama should immediately ask Congress to pass legislation making the sale and possession of AK-47s a federal offense. All weapons would be turned in, no questions asked, at the nearest Army or National Guard installation. The weapons would then be shipped to Iraq and Afghanistan to be given to each country's security forces.

What better way to show that we "support our troops"?

Gus Gustafson

Huntley