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It feels like the beginning of the end. Why have we stopped evolving and started going backwards?

Dear Friend:

Thank you for contacting me to express your thoughts on the semi-automatic
assault weapon ban. It is an honor to serve you in the Senate and a
privilege to respond to your concerns.

Gun control is a controversial issue. People acting in good faith will
very often disagree on the most effective way to address violent crime
while recognizing the rights of law abiding gun owners, and I respect the
diversity of views on this important matter.

I have long believed that further federal regulation of gun ownership is
not the best answer to preventing violent crime, and I am a strong
supporter of the Second Amendment. Our enemy is the criminal, not the
weapon. A person intent on committing a violent crime will not be stopped
by more gun control laws. Instead, Congress and the States should work to
ensure that violent crimes are vigorously prosecuted, to keep guns out of
the hands of criminals and to better enforce our existing laws. Through
this common sense approach, we can continue to reduce violent crime across
the nation and protect the rights of law abiding gun owners.

A few statistics concerning law abiding gun owners, well, until they broke the law.
In 2000, firearms were responsible for the deaths of 1120 white women, 615 African-American women, 220 Hispanic women and 104 others.[3]

Most women are killed by their intimate partners and over two-thirds are killed by guns.
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In 2000, 1,776 children and teenagers were murdered with guns, 1,007 committed suicide with guns, and 193 died in unintentional shootings. A total of 3,042 young people were killed by firearms in the U.S., one every three hours.[2]
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Each year from 1993 to 1997, gun murders were committed by 1,621 killers under the age of 18.[3]
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In 2000, 80% of murder victims aged 13 to 19 years old were killed with a firearm.[4]
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During 2000, 62% of all murders of those under age 18 in the U.S. involved firearms. In 1986, guns were involved in 38% of such offenses.[5]
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Firearms are the second-leading cause of death (after motor vehicle accidents) for young people 19 and under in the U.S.[6]
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The rate of firearm death of under 14-years-old is nearly 12 times higher in the U.S. than in 25 other industrialized countries combined.[7]
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For every child killed by a gun, four are wounded.[8]
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From 1990 to 1998, firearms were responsible for 21% of deaths for Caucasian teens ages 13-19 in the United States, 64% of deaths for African-American teens, 46% of Hispanic teens, 24% of Native American/Alaska Native teens, and 35% of Asian/Pacific Islander teens.[9]
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In a study of inner-city 7-year-olds and their exposure to violence, 75% of them reported hearing gun shots.[10]
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"The firearm injury epidemic, due largely to handgun injuries, is 10 times larger than the polio epidemic of the first half of this century.

Again, thank you for contacting me. As the Senate continues to face many
complex and challenging issues, I hope you will continue to give me the
benefit of your thoughts and advice.

Sincerely,
William H. Frist, M.D.
Majority Leader
United States Senate

And you know what? The second amendment doesn't say that every idiot has a right to stock his home with semi automatics! It say's that every State should have it's own military unit independant of the federal government. You know, in case a bunch of fucking ideologists turn the place into a Goddamn Theocracy!