it is a tough nut to crack.wgdsr wrote: ↑Tue Jun 23, 2020 5:47 pmi don't disagree. though at least for the legitimate gun owners...HooDat wrote: ↑Tue Jun 23, 2020 5:32 pmyou put the control right in the hands of the folks that a lot of the "good" gun owners fear the most. They really take seriously the idea that the government should be a little worried about an armed citizenry. They see that tension as a vital part of self-governance and a way to make sure it doesn't slip into dictatorship. And, truth be told, I think they are right.wgdsr wrote: ↑Tue Jun 23, 2020 5:02 pm someone that knows more about the laws and more about gun ownership attitudes can chime in, but for starters:
1) guns are legal if they are registered, and required to be brought in once per year and discharged for ballistics. and upon purchase. otherwise, they are illegal. also, it's required that you report any stolen gun immediately (this is the law already, but emphasizing and maybe it needs to be toughened up).
- now, there are any number of legitimate gripes about slippery slopes here when "the gov't might come to take away your guns". i would expect they could get access to info on your legal purchase from years ago if that was some eventual mission, but say they couldn't... the quid pro quo would have to be law that your registered gun could not be seized for any future law, order, etc. federal or state. never superseded and sealed up by scotus. ironclad. would either side be willing to do this? maybe not or doubtful, but ya never know.
- with the above, i would think it would be a lot less likely that friends or fam would be ok with a firearm in their name out on the streets to do whatever. locking them up in a safe place probably happens more frequently as well.
2) black market - this will thrive in the absence of being able to get guns easily from your pals or burglaries, so how does it get sealed up? how much comes originally from overseas? my guess is a lot. this would take a decent amount of dough. from what i remember from "the wire", some tiny percentage of imported goods ever gets checked. so cash to expand and investigate their port of entry. if the smith and wessons and brownings are also allocating some % of guns to go to anything other than legitimate gun dealers here domestically, i'm sure that could be tracked down if we care to.
3) mail order parts/build your own and dark web - if peeps can find these places, our law enforcement should be able to also. legislation on these specifically if need be.
whomever has good solutions, it will take time. tanker won't shift on a dime. bad solutions... will make things worse. duh.
if "good" gun owners want to help with the solutions for the epidemic of "bad" gun owners, they will have their smart guys or just en masse help with real solutions. benefits everybody.
any and all of this might be garbage or a non-starter. imo, outlawing all guns definitely is, so someone really get on it.
undergoing background checks thru dealers... is now about 80% of all gun sales, vs 60% 25 years ago. and about 80% of gun owners are ok with universal background checks. so their records, and more and more their bent, is to be ok with the gov't knowing who has what... and they already do, if they care to look it up.
it would help of course if every time a state legislature turns over they didn't try to seize guns in their 1st week on the job.
and all of the above is why, if gun owners could actually get something in return for their side... it'd be a swap they may be ok with.
This country is obsessed with our symbols of freedom - cars and guns.....
and I think if you forced a choice the majority would pick guns over cars.