Syracuse head basketball coach Jim Boeheim thinks it's ridiculous that civilians are able to access assault weapons.

Syracuse was able to beat Detroit 72-68 on Monday night.  The win was the 900th career victory for Syracuse head basketball coach Jim Boeheim.  Boeheim is now alongside Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski as the only men’s Division I coaches to reach the 900-win plateau.

Following the game, Boeheim took some time to address the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy that left 26 people dead including 20 young children in Newtown, CT.  Boeheim took a stance specifically against assault weapons.

"If we cannot get the people who represent us to do something about firearms, we are a sad, sad society," Boeheim said.  "If one person in this world, the NRA president, anybody, can tell me why we need assault weapons with 30 shots, this is our fault if we don't go out there and do something about this.  If we can't get this thing done, I don't know what kind of country we have."

I agree with Boeheim.  It’s insane that civilians in the United States can acquire military grade weapons without much trouble at all.  Some will say that criminals will always be able to access these weapons and you’re taking away the ability for law-abiding citizens to adequately protect themselves.  I would argue that making assault weapons harder to access works against criminals as well.  It’s not like all bad people are tapped into the criminal world and can access military grade weapons with great ease if they are tougher to acquire in this country.

Whether you agree or disagree with Boeheim’s stance (or me agreeing with it), I applaud him for addressing this situation when he easily could've talked solely about his 900th win.  You can disagree with his stance, but you shouldn’t disagree with Boeheim having a stance.  There is a difference.  I welcome these types of statements whether I agree or disagree with them.

Brian Noe is the Brand Manager at 104.5 The Team, ESPN Radio in Albany, NY.  Brian also hosts “The Noe Show” weekdays from 1-3 pm ET on WTMM.

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