Regarding the article in the paper about the Sept. 13 sunset on the Clinton “assault weapons” ban, the firearms described in the Sun Journal are not semiautomatic rifles, but full-automatic machine guns, which have been heavily regulated since the 1960s and are only available to those with a Class 3 license and are rarely used by criminals. Semiautomatic firearms are guns that reload themselves once fired, but do not shoot a continuous spray of bullets. They merely prepare themselves to be fired again by the shooter.
For anyone who cares to know more about the assault weapons ban and the definitions of a semiautomatic rifle versus machine guns, I suggest either visiting the NRA Web site or reading the books “Guns, Crime and Freedom” by Wayne LaPierre or “God, Guns and Rock and Roll” by Ted Nugent, both available at the Lewiston Public Library.
Eric S. Whitten, Lewiston
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