On the calm afternoon of April 28, 1996, Martin Bryant entered a café on the Port Arthur Prison Colony grounds, a historical attraction, carrying “a large duffle bag.” After sitting downfor a nice normal meal, upon finishing, “Bryant took out a semi automatic rifle and began shooting his fellow patrons,” killing twenty  in a matter of fifteen seconds. John Howard had just been elected the Prime Minister of Australia in early 1996, when six weeks later Martin Bryant, a“psychologically disturbed” man, killed Thirty-five people in Port Arthur, Tasmania. Modern technology and new development on guns has even the untrained be able to work and efficiently control the weapon. Such destructive weapons should be banned.

Semi automatic and automatic guns can fire hundreds of shots per minute in the hands of even the untrained. In November of 2009, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was accused of gunning down thirteen people at Fort Hood, but had already managed to fire about a hundred rounds through his semi automatic handgun in his seven minute rampage before he was shot down. Semiautomatic weapons work so much quicker and cause so much more damage. In fact “FBI studies have shown that a novice can fire three shots in less than a second, and a trained shooter can double that” (Slate). In other words if say, three shots were needed to kill a person then, a“novice,” would be able to kill a grand total of about sixty people in sixty seconds.

 Homicide incidents committed using a semi-automatic or automatic guns, usually have high fatality rates, as seen in both incidents I have mentioned earlier, in addition to the fairly recentone that occurred on  in Newtown Connecticut, when Adam Lanza shot twenty-six people inSandy Hook Elementary School, according to police, “he largely relied on a Bushmaster AR-15"assault-type weapon," which is a semiautomatic rifle that could rapidly fire multiplehigh-velocity rounds, mass destruction, ensured. 

Such horrendous weapons should not be available to everyday people like us. There are no need for such guns with the capability to kill tens of people in a matter of minutes, whether it besports-hunting or self-protection. In 2006, Kyle Aaron Huff used a Bushmaster at a “post-raveparty” in Seattle, killing six before committing suicide. While in 2007, Tyler Peterson used an“AR-15 to kill six people at a homecoming party in Crandon, Wisconsin,” and lastly in 2012 James Eagan Holmes killed twelve people and injured fifty-eight others in Aurora, Colorado at amovie theater. Such numbers are unacceptable, these weapons were invented for wars, and meant for mass destruction. Why are they available to these people? If one were shooting forself-protection, one would probably be shooting at more or less one person, using a semiautomatic weapon, one would probably end up killing more. 

Many points out that most murders are not done with “assault weapons.” For example Matthew Rothschild stated that, “of the 11,000 homicides, the vast majority of these are withhandguns, not semi automatic rifles” (Progressive). Well, let me ask you this, what exactly is a semi automatic weapon? Are they just military based “assault weapons?” The answer is no, many handguns are also semi automatic. Handguns are not what most people imagine as assault weapons or rifles, what people do not realize is that myriads of handguns are also semi automatic, or guns that can automatically reload, but contradictors always seems to forget and just write assault weapons or “rifles” without specifying.

 Americans should work to limit these types of weapons that are responsible for all those mass murders that happens at schools, malls, and workplaces. In Australia, after the mass slaughter, committed by Martin Bryant. James Howard sought out to ban all semi automatic and automatic weapons. Howard had won the battle to change gun laws, and as the laws were passed there was a noticeable decrease not only in homicide rates, but also in suicide rate, which takes up two thirds of the deaths in the U.S.  According to Howard, “the American Law and Economics Review gun found that his buyback scheme cut firearm suicides by 74%.” Furthermore, ever since the passing of the laws in 1996, gun-related massacres has dropped drastically. In fact, “in the 18 years before the 1996 reforms, Australia suffered thirteen gun massacres - each with more than four victims -- causing a total of 102 deaths. There has not been a single massacre in that category since 1996” (New York Times). In other words, the banning semi-automatic and automatic weapons has already been done, and to incredible results. So why not do it here in the United States?

Semi automatic and automatic weapons are just too powerful, they were created for mass destruction, everyday people like you and me do not need such power. So please, speak out and let us urge President Obama to pass laws banning these horrific weapons. If can they can do it in Australia, then America, the free state, the safe country, and dream country of many should do even better.