CO shooting sparks gun control debate

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - After the tragic shooting in a Colorado movie theater, some are again questioning if gun laws should be changed. Both sides in the debate are taking aim at each other in yet another issue that divides the country.

Paul Insalaco of North Tonawanda is passionate about his constitutional right to bear arms. He likes target shooting and loves to hunt, and most importantly feels he has a right to protect himself from those who might seek to do him harm.

"If you put in gun control laws, the people are using guns for harm are still going to get those guns on a black market," Insalaco argued. "Now you're just disabling the law abiding citizen from protecting himself."

Insalaco, who says he feels "awful" for what happened in movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, says don't blame the guns, blame the shooter. But others have called for a renewed ban on assault weapons, one of which was used in the Colorado shootings.

Mayor Byron Brown noted, "You don't hunt with an assault rifle. You don't protect yourself from invasion of your home or business with an assault rifle, so we need to be sensible about gun control in this country."

Michael Deasy of the Niagara Gun Range countered, "An assault weapon doesn't make a gun any more deadlier than any other gun."

While some guns may effect distance and impact, says Deasy, he believes citizens have the right to access all types of guns, and that unfortunately there will always be individuals who use them for the wrong reasons.

"Because there are so many people in this country, something is going to happen. Something is always going to happen. You're never going to eliminate the problem by enforcing another law," he contended.

Brown responded, "This is not about denying anyone their gun rights, their right to bear arms, but this is about being sensible."

"Making a new law about guns is not going to stop instances from happening," Deasy added. "It's not going to stop the killing."

Brown concluded, "[This is] another wakeup call to the nation that gun control is an issue that has to be looked at."