and rednecks aren't the half of it. the gangs, ghettos, hillbillies, farmers, hunters, disturbed youths, the list goes on...
we do not have the resources needed (especially with this economy) to back up anti-firearm laws at this point. and you are asking for trouble anytime you make laws you can't enforce.
Yeah, because the gangs, ghettos and disturbed youths need to be represented in government you know...
I don't think that this country could, or even should, go so far as to have strict gun control to the point of only governmental agencies or specially permitted agencies/companies having guns. What I
do think this country needs to do is have gun laws that MAKE SENSE. Mandatory wait periods when purchasing guns, deep deep background checks and maybe even psych evals, for a start. Maybe special permits for gun collectors, with deeper psych evals and continued background checks (every 3-6 months)? The point and end result needs to be keeping guns out of the hands of those who would commit crimes - I don't think anyone would dispute that. The trouble comes in where this group or that special interest tries to derail the law by adding loopholes for their interest. Open enough loopholes, and soon enough that law begins to look like a fishnet trying to catch a shrimp. Now, that doesn't mean that I think civil liberties can be trampled on, not at all. There should be NO reason that a person who enjoys hunting shouldn't be able to pass a psych eval in order to get their gun permit.
The motto of just about every Police force I've ever heard of has been "To Protect and Serve". If officers are spending less time dealing with small-time gangs and ghettos (who would be less likely to acquire guns through smuggling than large ones), it stands to reason that they would have more time to stand behind their motto, and protect the public. At the same time, under the general idea outlined above, there would be nothing to stop a reasonable person from owning a gun and keeping it in their home for the protection of their family, as long as they could pass that psych eval.
As far as gun smuggling goes, yes, it would
probably increase due to a law spelled out like the above. Why is that ok and how do we deal with it? First of all, it "eliminates" one very easy way for criminals to get their guns, so they have to rely on means such as smuggling. To me, it's almost like deck strategy - you eliminate the threat of this, so you can concentrate on dealing with this other threat. Pooling resources, you know? Anyway, at this point, you already know that smuggling will be a focus of criminals, so you focus on it as well - shutting it down. You increase security along all borders and at all entry points (creating jobs...); more
border patrol, stricter access, and more detection tools. I know, again this can be an issue of privacy at places like border crossings and customs at airports. If you focus on who should be focused on and tone down the random checks - don't eliminate them altogether - then that issue is mitigated. We're looking for contraband, weapons, and other illegal items here, I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be discriminatory. No, don't strip search every person wearing a turban dammit, doing a fingerprint check on all travelers will do nicely - if nothing pops up, they get the usual x-ray and crap; if something does come up on their record, that person should be subject to more scrutiny (if someone committed a crime worthy of jail, then they've earned this right for life).
I know I brought up psych evals a lot, but don't you want guns out of the hands of unstable folks?
Anyway, just my two cents, but if you don't reply to anything else I've written, please please PLEASE tell me whether or not you agree with the following and if not, why:
- The goal is to keep weapons out of the hands of those who would or could use them for ill intent.
- Civil liberties and freedoms should not be trampled on in the course of this objective. (Hunters still hunting, gun collectors still collecting, home owners still protecting their loved ones.)
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