Media Matters

A Constitutional Right to Bear Arms Does Not Include Assault Weapons In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in Texas that snuffed out the lives of 19 children and two adults, our state leaders have told us deadly combat-style weapons had little to do with the massacre. NRA officials claim limitations on the Second Amendment will infringe on the right of law-abiding citizens to own weapons , but they oppose any restrictions on dangerous people from legally purchasing these weapons. In Texas, an 18-year-old boy not old enough to drink alcohol can go to nearby sporting goods store and buy a semi-automatic assault-style weapon designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible (Gov. Abbott doesn’t distinguish the difference between a hunting rifle or shotgun and a rapid-fire, semi-automatic weapon like the AR-15 that can fire either 30 or 60 rounds a minute). What these gun advocates believe, ingrained in the NRA culture, is that the right to bear arms is absolute. Before 200