Unglesby calls for ban on assault rifles

Ruling out handguns and ammunition clips holding 10 rounds or fewer, well-known defense attorney Lewis Unglesby says semi-automatic assault weapons and high-volume magazines should be banned from sale and bought back from the public. “I’m trying to get rid of weapons of mass destruction,” says Unglesby, who made the remarks today as guest speaker of the Baton Rouge Press Club. The attorney is adding his voice to debates about gun control that are taking place nationwide following the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn.; President Barack Obama’s is addressing the tragedy with calls for new legislation. Unglesby says it is “foolishness” to consider anything less than banning assault weapons. “They’re only for one thing: killing people,” he says. Outside of hunting rifles and handguns, Unglesby says, highly effective weaponry ought to be legislated like the automobile industry and tobacco companies. He says it is misguided to defend assault weapons based on the rights outlined in the Second Amendment, considering that the Constitution was written at a time when only muskets were available to the average consumer. Instead of the NRA driving much of the debate about gun rights, Unglesby says, politicians should talk publicly about societal measures—like gun control—rather than stay silent and accept campaign contributions from the gun-lobbying group. He notes the NRA last year gave $18 million in direct contributions to political candidates. He also says it is disingenuous to consider arming teachers with guns to protect children in classrooms. Unglesby suggests hunting groups should also join the debate, noting that assault rifles are not needed to hunt deer. —Adam Pearson