My statement that the AR-15 is not an assault rifle has legal significance, it has nothing to do with my like or dislike of the weapon. Assault rifles have greater restrictions and regulations in terms of legal ownership. Furthermore, the argument that the AR-15 is an assault rifle is meant to illicit an emotional response to overshadow the facts of this case.
The problem with your prohibitive taxing scheme is that it would be considered a government infringement on the second amendment equivalent to a poll tax. We see a similar problem with the fees associated with conceal carry permits.
In 2017, the NRA supported greater regulation of bump stocks and in 2018 a poll showed that even 68% of republicans supported greater regulation. So, one solution would be to institute bans and greater regulation of modifiers that could allow conversion of semi-automatic rifles to automatic ones.
In my opinion, the problem with the AR-15 is not the weapon itself, but the discussions that arise as a result of knee-jerk reactions to current events. The number one type of weapon involved in mass shootings is the handgun. While, the AR-15 gets more "press time" if its used, the handgun is this country's greatest killing machine in the world of firearms. In my city alone, we have surpassed 500 murders for this year. As far as I'm aware, none of these were done with an AR-15.
On the one hand open-carrying an AR-15 certainly has a visual impact. On the other hand, it can also be a powerful deterrent. In this specific situation, you had 3 individuals that made the wrong decisions and, unfortunately, paid with their lives. How many other situations result in deterring a violent encounter? i'm 50/50 about whether to ban open carry of these types of firearms.
What other solutions do we have? 1. targeted policing. More cops walking a beat and a greater focus on proactive community policing. 2. Make extreme risk protective orders available in every state. 3. Perpetrators of domestic violence (including police) and violent offenders should be deprived of the right to purchase a firearm. 4. enact civil and potentially criminal penalties for failure to report mental illness in the household where a gun is owned. 5. All firearms must be registered with the state. Failure to register a firearm must result in serious fines for first offenses and criminal penalties for continued non-compliance. 6. Failure to secure firearms when minors are in the household should result in greater civil and/or criminal penalties. 7. I'm all for decreasing penalties for non-violent offenders (especially for drug-related offenses), but violent offenders should be prosecuted aggressively with mandatory minimum sentences depending on the crime committed. 8. Make firearm education and safety a mandatory part of school curriculum. It can literally be a week out of the health class. Teach safety, etiquette, laws, consequences, and highlight gun ownership as a responsible activity.
