Should the government ban assault weapons? Over the past decade, the United States of America has been rocked by an epidemic of terrifying mass shootings, devastating murders of victims unexpected events and disconcerting annihilation of innocent people. There is no precise target, no explicitly sought group, nor a defined individual. Whether it's a first-grade classroom, a crowded movie theater, or an American shipyard, the location seems random at best, aside from the fact that it is almost always a public place. The perpetrators responsible for these gruesome murders also vary and often surprise those who thought they knew them. However, while mass shootings are unpredictable and always shocking, most have one thing in common: the use, or rather misuse, of assault weapons – military-style automatic or semi-automatic rifles. To ensure the safety, security, and well-being of the people of the United States, the government should ban assault weapons. Enforcing an assault weapons ban can reduce the all-too-familiar occurrences of mass shootings and massacres. When Adam Lanza shot 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School, police said he relied heavily on a Bushmaster AR-15 "assault-style weapon," a semi-automatic rifle capable of quickly fire multiple bullets at high speed. It was also equipped with magazines containing 30 bullets each (Plumer). As a chart by Princeton's Sam Wang shows, the number of people killed in mass shootings actually declined during the years that [the 1994 assault weapons ban] was in effect...and the number of mass shootings per year has doubled since the ban expired. (Pluck). This statistic clearly shows the effectiveness of the ban passed by Congress and signed by former President Bill Clinton as part of the V...... middle of paper ......an, Mark, Gavin Aronsen and Deanna Pan. “A Guide to Mass Shootings in America.” MotherJones. Tasneem Raja and Jaeah Lee, February 27, 2013. Web. February 28, 2014. Plummer, Brad. "Everything you need to know about the assault weapons ban, in one article."WashingtonPost.com. Washington Post Company, December 17, 2012. Web. February 5, 2014. Walker, Julian. “Northam Calls for Assault Weapons Ban, Gun Control.” Virginian Pilot, The (Nothfolk, VA). April 16, 2013: Newspaper source. Internet. January 16, 2014. Webster, Daniel W. and the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Daniel W. Webster. “Mass Murder and Powerful Guns.” CNN. Cable News Network, January 1, 1970. Web. February 28, 2014. Williamson, Michael Z. “Why the Assault Weapons Ban Failed, and a New One Would Too.” » Sacredcowslaughterhouse.com, December 20, 2012. The Sacred Cow Slaughterhouse, December 20, 2012. Web. February 5. 2014.