The truth about 'assault rifles'

In her April 20 article titled "We stand by as others are gunned down," Cynthia Tucker demonstrates how misinformed she is regarding guns and gun crime.

She decries the "indulgence in a gun culture that insists average Americans should own assault rifles," failing to recognize the truth: What are commonly (in Congress and in the media) referred to as "assault rifles" are absolutely no different in function from a classic hunting rifle.

Contrary to popular belief, they are not automatic weapons. The only difference is the color. Furthermore, there is no "insistence" that average Americans should own "assault rifles."

The insistence is that there is no reason to restrict the Second Amendment right based on solely the visual appearance of a rifle. She cites several recent shootings as evidence that tougher gun laws are needed.

Does she really think that criminals who break laws for a living will all of a sudden obey her new gun laws? Until recently, Washington, D.C. had practically a complete ban on guns, but still enjoyed one of the worst murder rates in the nation.

She uses the fact that Attorney General Eric Holder has backed away from a new assault weapons ban as evidence that Democrats are "cowering before the NRA."

Is it possible that Holder was swayed by the numerous members of Congress, including Democrats, who reminded him that the first assault weapons ban had no impact on crime? Oh, and that was determined by the government's own Department of Justice.

I don't think Ms. Tucker is an "anti-gun fanatic," but it is obvious that she has the same misconceptions based on the same misinformation as most of the anti-gun lobby. I would have hoped for better research on her part.

Tyler Benjamin

Wheaton