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From Debatepedia

Parent Debate

• Should handguns be banned in Washington DC?

Supporting Evidence

• Why effective guns are good "What makes an effective weapon? Semi-automatic clones of army rifles have been generally considered effective. They are reliable, durable and accept a cartridge of sufficient effectiveness. Because the type is so common, ammunition and magazines are relatively inexpensive, though that is changing as restrictive laws reduce their availability. A mothballed rifle and its ammunition can remain usable for decades. For that reason, people who would do us harm would much prefer that we had no access to such useful means of self-defense.Sporting rifles are usually based on older military designs. They are at least as powerful as the more recent types but have smaller magazines and lower rates of fire."