Gun dealer worried over assault weapons ban

ASH FLAT, Ark. (KAIT) - A Northeast Arkansas gun dealer is concerned after the U.S. Congress approved a resolution last week banning assault weapons.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 217 to 213 on July 29 to approve House Resolution 1808.

If it passes the U.S. Senate, the bill will make it a crime to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon.

Rob Simers is an employee at Sportsman’s Edge, a sporting goods store in Ash Flat.

He says the legislation is too broad to be effective.

“Theoretically, they could ban a lot more than just an AR-15,” he said. “They may even ban a Ruger 10-22, which probably everybody’s household in North Arkansas’ got at least one, so many scary things could happen to that.”

Although the legislation concerns him as a gun dealer, he said he also finds it problematic as a citizen of the United States.

“People need to be looking at that. People need to contact their legislators and say, ‘Hey, we don’t need this,’” he said. “We have lots of laws on the books now. What we need to do is follow the law we have now, and prosecute those who do wrong.”

He said the ban goes against what the Founding Fathers believed.

“The Second Amendment still says what it’s always said. The very last part of the Second Amendment is the most important part where it says the rights of the people shall not be infringed,” Simers said.

He said the decision hurts him and other small businesses across the country.

“It’s a slap in the face to the United States citizens of all kinds,” he added.

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