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Gun advocates fire back at President's proposals

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Updated: 1/17 11:39 pm
YULEE, Fla. -- If President Barack Obama gets his way, military-style assault weapons will be banned, magazine rounds will be limited to ten, and background checks will be required on all gun sales.

"We will make it easier to keep guns out of the hands of criminals," the President said Wednesday.

But local weapon experts fear it will have the opposite effect.

Tom Verri is a firearms instructor who has worked with the State Department. Verri, a former police officer, believes this law will only affect people who follow the law.

"Criminals will still get their hands on anything they want. So really the restrictions, and this legislation, only impact law-abiding citizens," Verri said.

He says to think a gun is less deadly with a limit of ten rounds is a joke.

To prove it, he showed us this.

"What I'm going to do is I'm going to fire seven rounds, reload with another magazine, fire seven more, reload with a third magazine and then fire seven more," Verri explained.

And he did. 21 rounds in just ten seconds without a high-capacity magazine.

"Instead of worrying about how many bullets he has on him, we need to figure out a way to stop an individual from doing something like that," said Verri.

And while they may not agree on the path to get there, both Verri and the President can agree what happened in Sandy Hook certainly can't happen again.

"If there's even one thing we can do to reduce this violence, if there's even one life that can be saved, than we've got an obligation to try it," President Obama said.

Obama also initiated 23 executive actions that do not require congressional approval. They include making sure every school has an emergency management plan, requiring health insurance plans cover mental health benefits, and the launch of a national campaign about responsible gun ownership.


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The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Action News Jacksonville

Tom Verri - 1/18/2013 5:35 PM
0 Votes
Sorry, that should read: Impossible to effectively defend yourself with a gun containing 7 rounds against multiple attackers.

Tom Verri - 1/18/2013 5:30 PM
0 Votes
The average person can be taught to shoot and reload with speed in a short period of time. Now, reverse this and I will attest it is impossible to effectively defend yourself with a gun containing 7 rounds. You didn't see the second demonstration because it was cut out. Try and hit those 4 targets with 7 rounds under pressure. Our civilian shooter had one hit and 6 misses. Governor Cuomo and President Obama are turning law abiding gun owners into future victims.

Gunny48 - 1/18/2013 12:05 PM
0 Votes
The seven round demonstration is something that shows how useless a magazine limit is. Even if "Joe Average" takes twice as long (20 seconds) to fire 21 times you still have a lot of casualties. In fact in at least one of the recent shootings I seem to remember the shooter had a problem with his main weapon and simply cycled to his backup which was a pistol. Had these been limited capacity magazines you arguably may have had fewer casualties BUT his main weapon (a rifle) would be LESS likely to jam with a limited capacity magazine versus the 30 capacity used so it is definitely a moot point. Legally owned firearms are NOT the problem.

lookneast - 1/18/2013 7:53 AM
1 Vote
Will you idiots who don't know the difference between a magazine and a clip, please quit giving expert commentary on firearms? You obviously don't know what you are talking about.

whosaysnocan - 1/18/2013 5:55 AM
1 Vote
Not a realistic view of an "average" person firing a gun. This guy is an instructor with lots of experience. Cannot compare his preparation to that of one that will take lives with a high capacity clip and powerful weapon. The second amendment is safe. The many gun laws on the books have not been enforced properly. It usually takes a horrific event to cause all this fuss. I do not think there is any real solutions to this run away problem. It has been out of control for quite a while, it will take some time for there to be any changes.
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