Use executive power
The CDC was able to use its powers to force the USA to wear face masks in order to prevent the continued spread of the covid-19 virus. This was a preventive measure in order to save lives.
Before I continue, I want to say that I personally own a gun and I can hit what I am aiming at. However, my gun is not a high-capacity military-style gun. I am not in the military, and I do not believe that civilians should own these guns any more than I believe that civilians should own hand grenades.
With that in mind, I truly believe the president should use his executive powers to send the military in to:
1. Force all gun-manufacturing facilities to cease production and export of any and all of the high-capacity military-style guns. They can continue to manufacture and ship out regular guns.
2. Go into every store in the USA that sells these high-capacity military-style guns, inventory them and remove them; pay those businesses wholesale price so they will not lose any money. Each state can pay for this out of their own covid-19 funds that they have not spent as of yet.
3. Restrict the sale of these specific types of guns at gun swaps. Have the military set up several booths at each of these events to buy them back from civilians who want to turn them in or from those who simply want to sell them at the swap meets.
I believe that I understand why most people do not want the government to take these particular guns from us. We have all heard the cliché, “If you give them an inch, they will take a mile.” The thinking is that first, it will be just the high-capacity military-style guns that the government will take. Then it will be the regular rifles. Then it will be all of the handguns. Then, eventually, it will be a crime to own a BB gun.
It is simple common sense. It is the same as when you put your guns up high so that the 2- to 8-year-olds cannot reach them. We need to take measures of some type. It is no different than if you have a regular driver’s license but they catch you driving a NASCAR race car on the highway at 200 mph. You just can’t do that (safely).
BOYD B. McNIEL Pea Ridge