Guns do kill people!

[Wry Catcher]

Notwithstanding the cliché ("guns don't kill people, people kill people") guns do kill people. Of course so do cars, yet, we license drivers, require drivers to have insurance, and take away cars and licenses when from those who abuse the driving privilege.

The issue of gun control ignites the emotions of many on this message board who believe gun control in any form is unconstitutional. The issue in this thread is not on the right to own a firearm, rahter, what are the moral, ethical and social consequences of such a policy (not its legality)?

Of course we cannot dismiss the Constitutional right to own a firearem simply based on the misuse of such weapons by the few and not the many. We can however look at the wording in the Second Amendment and at the contemporary definition of the word "Infringed":

"to commit a breach or infraction of; violate or transgress: to infringe a copyright; to infringe a rule"; from dictionary.com.






First though, a poll.

 

[peach174]

There is no word abridged in the 2nd amendment.
The word is infringed.
Nobody has ever said that there should never be any type of gun control what so ever.
We do say reasonable gun control.

 

[Wry Catcher]

There is no word abridged in the 2nd amendment.
The word is infringed.
Nobody has ever said that there should never be any type of gun control what so ever.
We do say reasonable gun control.

Wow. Mea Culpa. I will modify the thread.

 

[Staidhup]

Guns don't kill people, guns are inanimate objects incapable of firing on their own, period end of sentence. All the restrictions and laws in the land will never deter those seeking a gun to commit a crime. Only a fool would believe the act of passing a law and or enacting restrictions would accomplish the objective. Society, lack of moral consciousness, responsibility, accountability, and common sense are the very deficiencies exhibited by those that kill people. You can not legislate a moral and just society only set an example by eradicating those that take a life in the commission of a crime in the hope of driving home what is and is not acceptable social behavior. We as a collective society no longer retain a moral compass nor the resolve to exact the maximum punishment which is exhibited by the nature of the crimes those in the society commit.

How many people speed, run a red light, drive without seat belts, drink and drive, operate a motor vehicle with a suspended or no license at all..... the list goes on and on, all violations of laws enacted with intent that has little or no consequence other than to extract fines.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Guns don't kill people, guns are inanimate objects incapable of firing on their own, period end of sentence. All the restrictions and laws in the land will never deter those seeking a gun to commit a crime. Only a fool would believe the act of passing a law and or enacting restrictions would accomplish the objective. Society, lack of moral consciousness, responsibility, accountability, and common sense are the very deficiencies exhibited by those that kill people. You can not legislate a moral and just society only set an example by eradicating those that take a life in the commission of a crime in the hope of driving home what is and is not acceptable social behavior. We as a collective society no longer retain a moral compass nor the resolve to exact the maximum punishment which is exhibited by the nature of the crimes those in the society commit.

How many people speed, run a red light, drive without seat belts, drink and drive, operate a motor vehicle with a suspended or no license at all..... the list goes on and on, all violations of laws enacted with intent that has little or no consequence other than to extract fines.

Guns do kill people; guns are made to kill, cars are not.

I'm not suggesting a sober, law abiding and sane citizen should have his second amendment rights infringed; I'm suggesting the policy in effect which is so loose and allows intemperate, mentally ill and violent individuals to buy guns is insane. Society needs to restrict some citizens from owning, possessing or having under their custody or control firearms.

The only sure way is to license all those who seek to own, etc. a firearm and to register all weapons sold and complete sales to only licensed customers..

I recognize the registration of all weapons now in the possession of citizens is impractical; but all dealers of new or used weapons should register the sale with local law enforcement.

 

[Mr.Nick]

Inanimate objects cannot kill people...

Do people chop the tomatoes or does the knife?

mmmm

Lets ban hammers next because I could potentially bash a fuckers brains out with one...... Then again I could use the tool in the proper fashion and build something useful.

 

[IGetItAlready]

Guns don't kill people, guns are inanimate objects incapable of firing on their own, period end of sentence. All the restrictions and laws in the land will never deter those seeking a gun to commit a crime. Only a fool would believe the act of passing a law and or enacting restrictions would accomplish the objective. Society, lack of moral consciousness, responsibility, accountability, and common sense are the very deficiencies exhibited by those that kill people. You can not legislate a moral and just society only set an example by eradicating those that take a life in the commission of a crime in the hope of driving home what is and is not acceptable social behavior. We as a collective society no longer retain a moral compass nor the resolve to exact the maximum punishment which is exhibited by the nature of the crimes those in the society commit.

How many people speed, run a red light, drive without seat belts, drink and drive, operate a motor vehicle with a suspended or no license at all..... the list goes on and on, all violations of laws enacted with intent that has little or no consequence other than to extract fines.

Guns do kill people; guns are made to kill, cars are not.

I'm not suggesting a sober, law abiding and sane citizen should have his second amendment rights infringed; I'm suggesting the policy in effect which is so loose and allows intemperate, mentally ill and violent individuals to buy guns is insane. Society needs to restrict some citizens from owning, possessing or having under their custody or control firearms.

The only sure way is to license all those who seek to own, etc. a firearm and to register all weapons sold and complete sales to only licensed customers..

I recognize the registration of all weapons now in the possession of citizens is impractical; but all dealers of new or used weapons should register the sale with local law enforcement.

Why not licensing the criminal and insane instead, thereby leaving the rational, mentally competent and law abiding alone?

You've got to show ID to buy a gun so simply add an additional box to IDs and if you're a criminal or looney you get an "X" in the box.

Why do the masses need to be affected each time we attempt to address the minorities on the fringe?

 

[Wry Catcher]

Guns don't kill people, guns are inanimate objects incapable of firing on their own, period end of sentence. All the restrictions and laws in the land will never deter those seeking a gun to commit a crime. Only a fool would believe the act of passing a law and or enacting restrictions would accomplish the objective. Society, lack of moral consciousness, responsibility, accountability, and common sense are the very deficiencies exhibited by those that kill people. You can not legislate a moral and just society only set an example by eradicating those that take a life in the commission of a crime in the hope of driving home what is and is not acceptable social behavior. We as a collective society no longer retain a moral compass nor the resolve to exact the maximum punishment which is exhibited by the nature of the crimes those in the society commit.

How many people speed, run a red light, drive without seat belts, drink and drive, operate a motor vehicle with a suspended or no license at all..... the list goes on and on, all violations of laws enacted with intent that has little or no consequence other than to extract fines.

Guns do kill people; guns are made to kill, cars are not.

I'm not suggesting a sober, law abiding and sane citizen should have his second amendment rights infringed; I'm suggesting the policy in effect which is so loose and allows intemperate, mentally ill and violent individuals to buy guns is insane. Society needs to restrict some citizens from owning, possessing or having under their custody or control firearms.

The only sure way is to license all those who seek to own, etc. a firearm and to register all weapons sold and complete sales to only licensed customers..

I recognize the registration of all weapons now in the possession of citizens is impractical; but all dealers of new or used weapons should register the sale with local law enforcement.

Why not licensing the criminal and insane instead, thereby leaving the rational, mentally competent and law abiding alone?

Good idea, we will not allow either shooter (Colorado or Wisconsin) to have a license. Kinda like the cow and the barn door, don't ya think.

You've got to show ID to buy a gun so simply add an additional box to IDs and if you're a criminal or looney you get an "X" in the box.

So, it should be easy for anyone who sells a gun to notify law enforcement of the buyers name, address and status as looney or criminal

Why do the masses need to be affected each time we attempt to address the minorities on the fringe?

The masses need not be affected, only those who want to own, possess, or have in their custody and control a firearm. It seems to me only criminals and paranoids would object to licensing.

 

[IGetItAlready]

Guns do kill people; guns are made to kill, cars are not.

I'm not suggesting a sober, law abiding and sane citizen should have his second amendment rights infringed; I'm suggesting the policy in effect which is so loose and allows intemperate, mentally ill and violent individuals to buy guns is insane. Society needs to restrict some citizens from owning, possessing or having under their custody or control firearms.

The only sure way is to license all those who seek to own, etc. a firearm and to register all weapons sold and complete sales to only licensed customers..

I recognize the registration of all weapons now in the possession of citizens is impractical; but all dealers of new or used weapons should register the sale with local law enforcement.

Why not licensing the criminal and insane instead, thereby leaving the rational, mentally competent and law abiding alone?

Good idea, we will not allow either shooter (Colorado or Wisconsin) to have a license. Kinda like the cow and the barn door, don't ya think.

You've got to show ID to buy a gun so simply add an additional box to IDs and if you're a criminal or looney you get an "X" in the box.

So, it should be easy for anyone who sells a gun to notify law enforcement of the buyers name, address and status as looney or criminal

Why do the masses need to be affected each time we attempt to address the minorities on the fringe?

The masses need not be affected, only those who want to own, possess, or have in their custody and control a firearm. It seems to me only criminals and paranoids would object to licensing.

If we're going to get into the business of classifying people by criminal or mental health status should it really be the responsibility of gun dealers?
The government is responsible for issuing ID and licenses so let them be the ones to mark the box with an "X". When a dealer asks for ID and sees the "X", said dealer hands the citizen his/her ID and a phone number and tells the individual he/she needs to call the number to find why their purchase has been denied.
Anyone but the REALLY crazy should already know why their ID has been "X"ed.

It's really not my problem nor the problem of the average American that we've not kept tabs on high risk individuals up to now and it's certainly not the responsibility of responsible individuals to pick up the slack.

The masses are affected in that our constitutional rights apply to the masses. People buy guns everyday who until whatever event that led them to desire to arm themselves NEVER owned a gun. Just because you don't exercise your right doesn't mean it goes away.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

I'm not suggesting a sober, law abiding and sane citizen should have his second amendment rights infringed; I'm suggesting the policy in effect which is so loose and allows intemperate, mentally ill and violent individuals to buy guns is insane. Society needs to restrict some citizens from owning, possessing or having under their custody or control firearms.

The only sure way is to license all those who seek to own, etc. a firearm and to register all weapons sold and complete sales to only licensed customers..

Both registration and licensing requirements constitute an undue burden to exercising one’s Second Amendment rights, although the former has withstood intermediate scrutiny in lower courts (See e.g. Heller II), together such requirements would be needlessly excessive. And there still lacks documented evidence that registration or licensing would decrease violent crimes with guns, and such requirements would only have an unwarranted chilling effect on ownership by law-biding citizens.

I recognize the registration of all weapons now in the possession of citizens is impractical; but all dealers of new or used weapons should register the sale with local law enforcement.

In addition be being a potential Second Amendment violation, this would also be a 4th Amendment privacy rights violation and a 5th and 6th Amendment due process violation. One can not be reported to the state (police) because some perceive guns to be dangerous, or believe their owners are at a greater risk to commit violent crimes, or manifest a greater likelihood firearms would fall into the hands of criminals. One is innocent of a crime until proven guilty, wishing to own a firearm is not ‘probable cause’ a ‘crime’ is being committed.

 

[Wry Catcher]

I'm not suggesting a sober, law abiding and sane citizen should have his second amendment rights infringed; I'm suggesting the policy in effect which is so loose and allows intemperate, mentally ill and violent individuals to buy guns is insane. Society needs to restrict some citizens from owning, possessing or having under their custody or control firearms.

The only sure way is to license all those who seek to own, etc. a firearm and to register all weapons sold and complete sales to only licensed customers..

Both registration and licensing requirements constitute an undue burden to exercising one’s Second Amendment rights, although the former has withstood intermediate scrutiny in lower courts (See e.g. Heller II), together such requirements would be needlessly excessive. And there still lacks documented evidence that registration or licensing would decrease violent crimes with guns, and such requirements would only have an unwarranted chilling effect on ownership by law-biding citizens.

I recognize the registration of all weapons now in the possession of citizens is impractical; but all dealers of new or used weapons should register the sale with local law enforcement.

In addition be being a potential Second Amendment violation, this would also be a 4th Amendment privacy rights violation and a 5th and 6th Amendment due process violation. One can not be reported to the state (police) because some perceive guns to be dangerous, or believe their owners are at a greater risk to commit violent crimes, or manifest a greater likelihood firearms would fall into the hands of criminals. One is innocent of a crime until proven guilty, wishing to own a firearm is not ‘probable cause’ a ‘crime’ is being committed.

In the OP I wrote, "The issue in this thread is not on the right to own a firearm, rather, what are the moral, ethical and social consequences of such a policy (not its legality)?"

 

[martybegan]

Guns don't kill people, guns are inanimate objects incapable of firing on their own, period end of sentence. All the restrictions and laws in the land will never deter those seeking a gun to commit a crime. Only a fool would believe the act of passing a law and or enacting restrictions would accomplish the objective. Society, lack of moral consciousness, responsibility, accountability, and common sense are the very deficiencies exhibited by those that kill people. You can not legislate a moral and just society only set an example by eradicating those that take a life in the commission of a crime in the hope of driving home what is and is not acceptable social behavior. We as a collective society no longer retain a moral compass nor the resolve to exact the maximum punishment which is exhibited by the nature of the crimes those in the society commit.

How many people speed, run a red light, drive without seat belts, drink and drive, operate a motor vehicle with a suspended or no license at all..... the list goes on and on, all violations of laws enacted with intent that has little or no consequence other than to extract fines.

Guns do kill people; guns are made to kill, cars are not.

I'm not suggesting a sober, law abiding and sane citizen should have his second amendment rights infringed; I'm suggesting the policy in effect which is so loose and allows intemperate, mentally ill and violent individuals to buy guns is insane. Society needs to restrict some citizens from owning, possessing or having under their custody or control firearms.

The only sure way is to license all those who seek to own, etc. a firearm and to register all weapons sold and complete sales to only licensed customers..

I recognize the registration of all weapons now in the possession of citizens is impractical; but all dealers of new or used weapons should register the sale with local law enforcement.

I hope you realize that registering law abiding citizens will do jack squat to those who, more than likely, have to obtain weapons illegally due to felony convictions.

Registration is probably the most fought concept when it comes to firearms, because it only leads to those who follow the law possibly facing the confiscation of thier possesions if and when the government gets around to banning ownership of certain weapons.

Registration is feel good legislation that does ZERO to prevent people who shouldnt own firearms from obtaining them illegally.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Guns don't kill people, guns are inanimate objects incapable of firing on their own, period end of sentence. All the restrictions and laws in the land will never deter those seeking a gun to commit a crime. Only a fool would believe the act of passing a law and or enacting restrictions would accomplish the objective. Society, lack of moral consciousness, responsibility, accountability, and common sense are the very deficiencies exhibited by those that kill people. You can not legislate a moral and just society only set an example by eradicating those that take a life in the commission of a crime in the hope of driving home what is and is not acceptable social behavior. We as a collective society no longer retain a moral compass nor the resolve to exact the maximum punishment which is exhibited by the nature of the crimes those in the society commit.

How many people speed, run a red light, drive without seat belts, drink and drive, operate a motor vehicle with a suspended or no license at all..... the list goes on and on, all violations of laws enacted with intent that has little or no consequence other than to extract fines.

Guns do kill people; guns are made to kill, cars are not.

I'm not suggesting a sober, law abiding and sane citizen should have his second amendment rights infringed; I'm suggesting the policy in effect which is so loose and allows intemperate, mentally ill and violent individuals to buy guns is insane. Society needs to restrict some citizens from owning, possessing or having under their custody or control firearms.

The only sure way is to license all those who seek to own, etc. a firearm and to register all weapons sold and complete sales to only licensed customers..

I recognize the registration of all weapons now in the possession of citizens is impractical; but all dealers of new or used weapons should register the sale with local law enforcement.

I hope you realize that registering law abiding citizens will do jack squat to those who, more than likely, have to obtain weapons illegally due to felony convictions.

Registration is probably the most fought concept when it comes to firearms, because it only leads to those who follow the law possibly facing the confiscation of thier possesions if and when the government gets around to banning ownership of certain weapons.

Registration is feel good legislation that does ZERO to prevent people who shouldnt own firearms from obtaining them illegally.

Registration allows for the tracking of weapons and that is why I believe registration is much more than a 'feel good' policy. Consider, a weapon sold to someone unfit by the criteria in the poll to own, possess, etc. can be tracked back to the person who sold the weapon when the weapon is used in a crime. The victim, or the victim's family if the victim was killed, can then sue the shit out of the person who illegally sold the weapon or stored the weapon in a manner allowing it to be stolen.

Such a consequence might control the flow of weapons to those likely to commit a crime. What we are now doing is insane.

 

[martybegan]

Guns do kill people; guns are made to kill, cars are not.

I'm not suggesting a sober, law abiding and sane citizen should have his second amendment rights infringed; I'm suggesting the policy in effect which is so loose and allows intemperate, mentally ill and violent individuals to buy guns is insane. Society needs to restrict some citizens from owning, possessing or having under their custody or control firearms.

The only sure way is to license all those who seek to own, etc. a firearm and to register all weapons sold and complete sales to only licensed customers..

I recognize the registration of all weapons now in the possession of citizens is impractical; but all dealers of new or used weapons should register the sale with local law enforcement.

I hope you realize that registering law abiding citizens will do jack squat to those who, more than likely, have to obtain weapons illegally due to felony convictions.

Registration is probably the most fought concept when it comes to firearms, because it only leads to those who follow the law possibly facing the confiscation of thier possesions if and when the government gets around to banning ownership of certain weapons.

Registration is feel good legislation that does ZERO to prevent people who shouldnt own firearms from obtaining them illegally.

Registration allows for the tracking of weapons and that is why I believe registration is much more than a 'feel good' policy. Consider, a weapon sold to someone unfit by the criteria in the poll to own, possess, etc. can be tracked back to the person who sold the weapon when the weapon is used in a crime. The victim, or the victim's family if the victim was killed, can then sue the shit out of the person who illegally sold the weapon or stored the weapon in a manner allowing it to be stolen.

Such a consequence might control the flow of weapons to those likely to commit a crime. What we are now doing is insane.

I hate to use the car corrallary, but if a person sells a car, and the buyer then crashes into a person, you should be able to sue the person who owned the car beforehand?

And of course, such paperwork can NEVER be faked, forged, or somehow changed.

 

[Wry Catcher]

I hope you realize that registering law abiding citizens will do jack squat to those who, more than likely, have to obtain weapons illegally due to felony convictions.

Registration is probably the most fought concept when it comes to firearms, because it only leads to those who follow the law possibly facing the confiscation of thier possesions if and when the government gets around to banning ownership of certain weapons.

Registration is feel good legislation that does ZERO to prevent people who shouldnt own firearms from obtaining them illegally.

Registration allows for the tracking of weapons and that is why I believe registration is much more than a 'feel good' policy. Consider, a weapon sold to someone unfit by the criteria in the poll to own, possess, etc. can be tracked back to the person who sold the weapon when the weapon is used in a crime. The victim, or the victim's family if the victim was killed, can then sue the shit out of the person who illegally sold the weapon or stored the weapon in a manner allowing it to be stolen.

Such a consequence might control the flow of weapons to those likely to commit a crime. What we are now doing is insane.

I hate to use the car corrallary, but if a person sells a car, and the buyer then crashes into a person, you should be able to sue the person who owned the car beforehand?

And of course, such paperwork can NEVER be faked, forged, or somehow changed.

Yeah, I hate to expose the car corollary too; if a law required the seller of a car to determine if the purchaser had a license and proper insurance then the analogy might have some validity.

Yep fraud exists, and the penal code extracts a penalty for fraud too.

But back to the social and ethical nature in the original post. Allowing guns to become ubiquitous in our society, and given the number of gun deaths (the result of murder, suicide and accidents) is the highest in the the western world one might think our elected officials would come together and find a solution to the problem.

Yet within our borders exists a subculture which refuses to consider any attempt to mitigate the carnage and reduce the cost to treat gun shot victims.

Guns kill people; semi automatic guns with large magazines kill people very efficiently, and the NRA and the Gun Dealers are no different morally than those who sell dangerous drugs in our communities. Spin it anyway you like, it is always the same unproven bullshit ("my cousin's ex-girlfriend's step-brother saved the life of his aunt by scaring away a rapist with his TEC-9") posited by those who profit financially.

 

[Mr.Nick]

There is no reason in this thread....

So basically if someone who is 18 gets caught with an ounce of weed (felony) should be banned their entire life from legally owning a gun?

If an 18-year-old kid fucks his 16-year-old girlfriend (felony) then he should be barred from legally owning a gun??

Whats a crime??

We may as well say the same person you were at 18 are the same people you are presently - may as well be in the eyes of the law...

Hell in some states the age is 17 when you're considered an adult.....

Yeah there are criminals - then there are people who make stupid mistakes when they're young (kids) and they shouldn't have what they did when they were kids effect their lives when they're adults (25+).

Our laws are flawed....

 

[martybegan]

Registration allows for the tracking of weapons and that is why I believe registration is much more than a 'feel good' policy. Consider, a weapon sold to someone unfit by the criteria in the poll to own, possess, etc. can be tracked back to the person who sold the weapon when the weapon is used in a crime. The victim, or the victim's family if the victim was killed, can then sue the shit out of the person who illegally sold the weapon or stored the weapon in a manner allowing it to be stolen.

Such a consequence might control the flow of weapons to those likely to commit a crime. What we are now doing is insane.

I hate to use the car corrallary, but if a person sells a car, and the buyer then crashes into a person, you should be able to sue the person who owned the car beforehand?

And of course, such paperwork can NEVER be faked, forged, or somehow changed.

Yeah, I hate to expose the car corollary too; if a law required the seller of a car to determine if the purchaser had a license and proper insurance then the analogy might have some validity.

Yep fraud exists, and the penal code extracts a penalty for fraud too.

But back to the social and ethical nature in the original post. Allowing guns to become ubiquitous in our society, and given the number of gun deaths (the result of murder, suicide and accidents) is the highest in the the western world one might think our elected officials would come together and find a solution to the problem.

Yet within our borders exists a subculture which refuses to consider any attempt to mitigate the carnage and reduce the cost to treat gun shot victims.

Guns kill people; semi automatic guns with large magazines kill people very efficiently, and the NRA and the Gun Dealers are no different morally than those who sell dangerous drugs in our communities. Spin it anyway you like, it is always the same unproven bullshit ("my cousin's ex-girlfriend's step-brother saved the life of his aunt by scaring away a rapist with his TEC-9") posited by those who profit financially.

The subculture as you call it does not refuse to consider "any" attempt to reduce gun violence. The NRA promotes gun safety classes, range safety, and whole slew of other programs outside of its polticial advocacy. It even splits its income steams so those who dont agree with thier level of advocacy can join, but not contribute to the political end.

Most gun owners accept permits for concealed carry, and instant background checks to make sure a person is not prohbibited from gun ownership. Things like felony convictions, age, or history of mental committment. What they oppose (and I oppose) are cosmetic laws that are nothing more than attempted baby steps towards outright bans on civillian ownership of firearms.

 

[daveman]

Guns do kill people; guns are made to kill, cars are not.

I'm not suggesting a sober, law abiding and sane citizen should have his second amendment rights infringed; I'm suggesting the policy in effect which is so loose and allows intemperate, mentally ill and violent individuals to buy guns is insane. Society needs to restrict some citizens from owning, possessing or having under their custody or control firearms.

The only sure way is to license all those who seek to own, etc. a firearm and to register all weapons sold and complete sales to only licensed customers..

I recognize the registration of all weapons now in the possession of citizens is impractical; but all dealers of new or used weapons should register the sale with local law enforcement.

Why not licensing the criminal and insane instead, thereby leaving the rational, mentally competent and law abiding alone?

Good idea, we will not allow either shooter (Colorado or Wisconsin) to have a license. Kinda like the cow and the barn door, don't ya think.

You've got to show ID to buy a gun so simply add an additional box to IDs and if you're a criminal or looney you get an "X" in the box.

So, it should be easy for anyone who sells a gun to notify law enforcement of the buyers name, address and status as looney or criminal

Why do the masses need to be affected each time we attempt to address the minorities on the fringe?

The masses need not be affected, only those who want to own, possess, or have in their custody and control a firearm. It seems to me only criminals and paranoids would object to licensing.

Oh, you mean like only people intent on committing voter fraud or those who benefit from it object to voter ID?

Let me guess: That's different. Somehow. It just is.

 

[daveman]

Guns do kill people; guns are made to kill, cars are not.

I'm not suggesting a sober, law abiding and sane citizen should have his second amendment rights infringed; I'm suggesting the policy in effect which is so loose and allows intemperate, mentally ill and violent individuals to buy guns is insane. Society needs to restrict some citizens from owning, possessing or having under their custody or control firearms.

The only sure way is to license all those who seek to own, etc. a firearm and to register all weapons sold and complete sales to only licensed customers..

I recognize the registration of all weapons now in the possession of citizens is impractical; but all dealers of new or used weapons should register the sale with local law enforcement.

I hope you realize that registering law abiding citizens will do jack squat to those who, more than likely, have to obtain weapons illegally due to felony convictions.

Registration is probably the most fought concept when it comes to firearms, because it only leads to those who follow the law possibly facing the confiscation of thier possesions if and when the government gets around to banning ownership of certain weapons.

Registration is feel good legislation that does ZERO to prevent people who shouldnt own firearms from obtaining them illegally.

Registration allows for the tracking of weapons and that is why I believe registration is much more than a 'feel good' policy. Consider, a weapon sold to someone unfit by the criteria in the poll to own, possess, etc. can be tracked back to the person who sold the weapon when the weapon is used in a crime. The victim, or the victim's family if the victim was killed, can then sue the shit out of the person who illegally sold the weapon or stored the weapon in a manner allowing it to be stolen.

Such a consequence might control the flow of weapons to those likely to commit a crime. What we are now doing is insane.

So Rosie O'Donnell can sue the store that sold her the spoon that made her fat.

 

[Wry Catcher]

I notice Dave didn't vote. I suppose being insipid is sufficient in daving posts.