Weapons of mass destruction have yet to be found in Iraq, buthere at home, they are a reality. One Sept.13, President Busheffectively blocked the renewal of the Assault Weapons Ban,preferring to let it expire.

Now, in many states, almost anyone can purchase AK-47s and othervarious lethal assault weapons. These are serious pieces ofweaponry, some clocking in at more than 38 inches long, capable ofholding up to 75 rounds of ammunition.

A kid sure could have a lot of fun with that… So could aterrorist, for that matter.

Ed Board cannot imagine a rational reason why Bush would want tomake fully automatic weapons available to the general public. Afterall, doesn’t the president constantly emphasize cracking downon terrorists and other such miscreants?

Countries like the United States already made it perfectly legalfor members of the public to own certain types of firearms. Howeasy will it now be for al-Qaeda members to obtain these assaultrifles legally, such as AK-47 or other weapons?

Hunters may use them to kill deer and other game, although itseems doubtful that many would want to totally obliterate theirquarry with an Uzi.

People could also conceivably use the weapons for personalprotection. A weapon of that magnitude would certainly surprise anyvillainous intruder, who would most likely never expect aTAC-9.

As useful as a military weapon would be for the averagelaw-abiding citizen, the criminals are far more likely to beinterested in these newly legalized tools of ultimatedestruction.

The fact that these guns are so readily available puts not onlythe public at risk but also greatly increases the danger faced bylocal law enforcement officers every day. These criminals nowpossess the ability to outgun SWAT and other special policedivisions.

Ed Board would like to encourage students to contact their localCongressman and fight to re-establish this Assault Weapons Ban forthe sake of the each other’s safety and to save our countryfrom a new era of violence and destruction.