Quote:
Originally Posted by JimHammer
It's just ridiculous that the NRA's stance, or any gun nut's stance, is that the solution is more guns on the streets. I'm sure there are many responsible gun owners who carry, who train and practice shooting, and take great care to safeguard their weapons. But I think that these gun owners are in the minority of everyone who owns a gun. I have a feeling the majority of CCW holders have done the bare minimum requirements to get their permit.
For an armed populace to be effective, all permit holders would have to train regularly. Otherwise it would be like an army just handing out rifles, shooting a few practice rounds, and telling the soldiers to go take that hill.
Yeah, this. The majority of people shouldn't be trusted with a box of crackers, much less a firearm. Look at how poorly people drive -- and they do that every day so they have plenty of practice! Proponents of an armed populace have a lot more faith in the judgement and execution abilities of the layman than I do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by spanktehbadwookie
As all the gun enthusiasts itt are quick to point out, there are millions of guns in the hands of criminals, the majority of which were purchased legally.
Clever, yet inaccurate verbiage.
Yes, most firearms are originally purchased legally from an FFL to a consumer. Most firearms were not placed in the hands of criminals legally, however; they trickle down from one person to another or were purchased deceptively, "legally". Straw purchases are not legal purchases. Just because a person fills out a 4473 and passes the NICS check doesn't mean the firearm is being purchased legally because there is currently no verification of ID required on a 4473; a social security number isn't required, and neither is a thumbprint. Even if those checks were in place, nothing stops a gun runner with a clean record from purchasing firearms for others.
Also, just because the person behind the counter sells the gun to the customer does not mean the gun was obtained legally. An arms dealer looking to make the sales budget for the month or a rogue employee looking to make cash under the table could easily allow a firearm into the hands of anyone, legally on paper yet completely illegal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FeralCreature
The problem in the US is so wide spread that whatever regulation will follow will not solve anything. These mass shootings are extremely rare and regulating the number of bullets in a clip and assault rifles and whatnot will simply mean slightly less fatalities in rare events. Statistically insignificant.
I'm guessing that most gun deaths occur in criminal circles, one drug dealer killing another in a turf war, etc. All this talk about good guys with guns stopping bad guys is just a complete distraction from the real issue at hand. What's needed to stop that is a serious effort to get the guns off the street, to basically turn the US into Europe, Australia or Japan, where hardly anyone has guns. It would probably take twenty years or so to get there, if these kinds of efforts are made. It will probably never happen though, so I don't expect the status quo to ever change.
Agree with this.
How do people obtain firearms when they want to commit a crime? They pay cash for them, find them on the silk road, or it was given to them, or they borrowed it, or they stole it. Why would they arouse suspicion by buying it in a store and create a trail?
There are way too many firearms in the hands of the populace for RFID's or anything like that to work. Magazine capacity won't change anything; three ten round mags kill just as easily as one 30 round mag and are easier to conceal, to boot. Making it harder to obtain certain arms legally won't change anything; it's easy to get a firearm anywhere in the world, any day of the week, completely undetected.
All of this sensationalism has created a panic and now every slackjawed ****** with a Bass Pro Shops decal on the back of his pickup, along with every other idiot who thinks it's cool to own firearms he doesn't need is out there stocking up in preparation for the ban. Magazines are sold out everywhere because they'll be worth a pretty penny soon. Same goes for AR-15 uppers, etc. Eventually the ******s who bought these firearms realize they don't need them, can't afford them, whatever, and they either enter the black market or get sold to an FFL, often a dealer who is more likely to be shady or careless when performing a NICS check. There will be more arms and ammunition in the hands of people than ever before. Now, more than ever, there is great incentive for criminals to obtain firearms.
If firearms become scarce, all the ingredients to build explosives are available at the hardware store for less money and none of the hassle associated with firearms. An angry person can just set it and forget it and do their damage on a much larger scale without even being present! If people are using an inefficient means to kill one another, why encourage innovation?
The solution to all of this lies in the minds of the people committing the crimes; what is it that makes someone so angry that they want to kill another person?
Last edited by CBorders; 12-22-2012 at 01:37 PM.
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