Opinions were split on whether or not a ban on assault weapons should be reinstated, but there was a clearer divide with regard to whether or not there should be a ban on large ammunition magazines. About 55 percent of those responding to the Argus-Courier’s online poll thought the ban on assault weapons should be reinstated in light of the recent mass shootings, including the massacre in Newtown, Conn. Another 40 percent thought the ban should not be reinstated. Five percent weren’t sure. about 62 percent of people said that large ammunition magazines should be banned, while 33 percent said they shouldn’t be. Six percent weren’t sure.
However, the overwhelming majority, about 80percent, supported a universal background check for gun owners.
Here were some of the comments.

——
“With every ban in the world the people who shouldn’t have the guns will. That’s the way it is. I also think a person should not be allowed to buy a gun if someone living with them or related to them is not allowed to buy a gun because it would be to available for them to get their hands on even without the owner’s permission.”
——
“All these proposed steps will not take guns away from the true criminals. They will find them anywhere. Enhance criminal penalties for anyone using a gun to commit a crime or at the very least strictly utilize the laws we already have in place. More laws don’t mean enforcement. Put a heavy penalty on “straw sellers.” Don’t punish the law obeyers.”
——
“I’m not opposed to regulation by the states, but I don’t see it as a federal issue under the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”
——
“I have never owned a gun, never felt a need to shoot a gun, and I am not a hunter. I feel safe enough in my house to not own a firearm. There are so many shootings where the teenager gets the weapon from their parents’ home.”
——
“Mental Health is the issue that needs to be addressed not the guns.”
——
“Let’s get realistic about these proposals to ban guns. California has had these laws on the books for thirteen years and the crimes committed with firearms haven’t slowed. We have one of the worst records for murders with