Maybe, but I'm not the child here. You say car registration serves no purpose other than to collect tax money. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
Any way we can have a conversation with out the insults and personal attacks? One poster says he disagree with magazine capacity limits below 15 and another poster immediately equates that to wanting more mass shootings? Why? No other reason than to stir the pot. One poster beliefs gun registration will be nothing more than a tax and says that’s the way it seems to be for cars… another poster.. that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Seriously, can we try to be civil? It’s a decent conversation without the jabs and barbs.
The old..."look at what happens with car ownership non sense" Gun owner ship is a right. Driving a car on public roads is a privilege. Owning a road worthy car is also a privilege. 43K killed in road accidents for 2021. Where they wearing seat belts? Speeding? DUI? Number of factors. Yes you can be held accountable for a vehicle you let borrow while you own it. If you sell your car to someone else, should you be held liable for their misuse according to your logic? If you sell a gun to to someone thru an FFL and that person sells it to someone else who commits a crime, how can you be held liable? BTW Mine are locked up except for my carry pistols. The idea of possibly Persecuting folks for not locking them away is nanny state gone too far. Especially if those owners have no kids around, no people with no known mental health issues or living in a low crime area have no need to lock them up and is a ridiculous requirement. Its progressive nonsense on display for all to see. Its more of the gun is at fault that the miscreant who stole it and pulled the trigger. Blame the person who sold it with the assistance of an FFL? Then what do you do? The latest school shooters passed a background check, now what?
Gun registration will not curb mass shootings. I believe almost all of the major shooting lately have purchased their guns legally. You think they are afraid the cops will trace that gun back to them? No Illegally obtained guns will still be illegally obtained. Registration fixes nothing. I know many feel like 18 is the benchmark for adulthood. I don’t. I’m good for moving the draft to 24, voting to 24, gun ownership to 24. Our kids aren’t getting married at 18, farming at 16 or considered a man at 16 anymore. Seriously, most college kids can’t think past the next frozen pizza or keg stand. But that’s just me and I understand why most wouldn’t want to move those age limits. Red flag laws work. Florida has proven that. As far as having guns secured… different strikes for different folks. We have no kids in the cabin. Guns are loaded and within reach. Coyotes, skunks and occasional methheads need exterminating. Guns are Hidden behind furniture, under steps etc… but not locked away in a safe. In our southern home( Florida) we have a hidden compartment where the guns are stored. Move a picture frame …access your firearm. Again not a safe. Depending on your situation things might change.
The funniest thing about this conversation is that I find "red flag" laws to be more threatening of the Second Amendment than universal gun registry. Where I think universal gun registry would make hay is in people who think they're good people, but exercise incredibly poor judgment. For example, somebody giving a gun to somebody in the family who has a history of severe mental illness, and they have knowledge of that history. People who have the worst intentions obviously will not register their guns, and will not think twice about it. But it's not only the malicious or the monsters that we need to be careful about, it's the stupid and the irresponsible.
Not in favor of registration of any kind but I do think American citizens should be required to take a gun safety and training course. A real course, not some one weekend, check the box gig. Our founders intended us to be armed to prevent tyranny but this was a time when every able bodied male ( and likely many women) had to hunt and use a gun to survive, not to mention they all had experience in war. In short they were well experienced in safe and effective use of firearms. Since this is no longer the case we need to train to make citizens able to use their second amendment rights which protects all other rights. Surely criminals would think a little harder before committing a crime knowing everyone they encounter during that crime is an effective and trained shooter. Have to imagine it would also greatly shorten the life expectancy of mass shooters. Gun training might not be everyone's cup of tea but given the reality we live in it's probably the best option.
I was being cynical. Personally, I disagree that it's ever a proper time to become weary of gun control talk. Maybe after another school shooting you would become less weary of the talk. Not worried about being wrong here, as I admit to cynicism.
Guys I think we should be doing extensive background checks, training etc. Let’s talk about things that will actually work not tax hikes and privacy issues.
I agree and wish I could live up to your standard, but struggle with the gun issue, particularly when it comes to school shootings. Sandyhook changed me. The fact that so many came to argue for guns after that incident instilled an anger I have struggled to let go of. It's an incendiary issue in my mind, so I understand when people lash out.
This illustrates a large part of the problem in a nutshell. Gun ownership sure as shit should be a privilege and one earned by the few; not the masses. Too many Americans continually demonstrate the fact that they do not deserve the privilege of gun ownership.
I think my weariness is a defense mechanism to avoid being utterly depressed about where we are as a country. I'm not saying Europe is better than America - though its lifestyle is in my opinion - but we spent 5-6 weeks in three countries there in late spring, and I can't tell you how many people asked me what is going on in a country crucial to maintaining world order. News of what's going on in America is ubiquitous. Europeans used to revere and want to emulate America. Not so much now. They're very apprehensive about what this will mean for them and the world. They not only read about the horrors of mass shootings, they also saw what happened on January 6 and were flabbergasted. The Germans said it reminded them of the burning of the Reichstag by the Nazis in 1933, four weeks after Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor. The Jews were blamed, just as some, including on this site, initially blamed Antifa for January 6. (The parallels between what went on in Germany leading up to Hitler gaining control in early 1933 and what's going on with today's GOP are startling.) Today's GOP is corrupt and lusting for total power. To that end, most republicans have made a pact with the Devil, and as is often the case with such pacts, they are blind to the cost of selling their soul: the soul of America. Once lost, it will never be regained.
I understand you anger. I truly do. But the vast vast majority of gun owners absolutely are law abiding solid citizens. It is the minute few that you are truly angry with. And that is why this is such a tough topic. The minority, a minuscule population, does evil and the immediate response is to limit ( and in their eyes, hold accountable) the masses that do/did everything right. It’s one reason I strongly advocate for dealing with the people that commit these atrocities far more than the tool they choose to use.
Voting is a constitutional right and many republicans in particular are all about making that registration as detailed as possible. But gun registration not so much…..
There is no explicit right to vote in it, and 2/3 of SCOTUS just made that the test for essentially all matters. You may have heard of the 19th Amendment for example. That prevents women from being denied voting just for existing. But it only prevents their exclusion from the “eligible voters” category by way of sex alone. Who is eligible is another matter. This is why poll taxes, tests, land ownership, etc. requirements existed. All of the Amendments and laws that followed were filling this void. But now we are told that if it’s not explicitly stated in that mediocre document, fuggedaboudit. Good luck!
All sales and transfers of firearms should go through a licensed dealer. That includes giving or selling them to friends and family members.
While I’m not necessarily against this what difference do you see this making? All of the school shootings (in the last few years) bought their guns legally. Gangs will still get their guns through theft, black market, etc… This seems to be a good idea with limited effect.
