Assault weapons

[Pio1980]

Historically "free" countries seem to do just fine without a version of the US second amendment.
https://impakter.com/why-gun-ownersh...d-not-same-us/

[Pio1980]

I doubt the FFs foresaw the unregulated proliferation of relatively affordable high capacity rapid fire lethal weaponry in the hands of irresponsible untrustworthy individuals.
History seems less than clear on the actual purpose of the 2nd Amendment as an alternative to a standing army or a poison pill for national Constitutional regulation to attract slaveholding states to the union against losing their "way of life".

[Pio1980]

What research I've done on the subject indicates that civil discussions on realistic solutions solving the problems with firearm overcommercialized proliferation and responsible firearm custodianship is rare and typically adversely contentious, leading to nothing other than more of the status quo.

[Human]

The problem as I see it is that there are just so many freaking gun sales year that even if the laws are 99.5% effective that still puts guns in the hands of too many people who should never have been allowed to buy them.

Case in point: In the Highland Park shooting, the shooter's father approved the sale of an assault weapon to his 17 year old son, despite the fact that the son had previously threatened to kill himself and his entire family (an incident the father characterized as "overblown" after his son killed 7 people). Police came to the family's home multiple times and confiscated numerous weapons.

Yet, because the shooting occurred after the son had turned 18, there appears to be no criminal liability for the father for approving the sale. Also, assault weapons are banned in Highland Park (one of the few cities in the US to have such a ban) but the seller sold the gun to the family despite them being residents of that town.

And this is just for legal gun sales. You could also just drive 20 miles to Chicago and buy who knows what on the streets.The point being, there are going to be far too many cases where sales will slip through the cracks and people will die as a result.

Just too damned many guns is the problem. It's a disease infecting the U.S. How long before someone you know is a victim of this disease? For me, that happened last July.

[Oerets]

If having more guns would make a person safer. Then why would not more countries owning nukes make the world safer?

The problem is that there are many gun owners who will never harm another. They may well own tens of them and never use in anger or self defense. Then there is the few who have no place in a civil society owning deadly weapons.

The issue should be how to keep them out of the hands of those few. Licensing registration training may not cure the problem. Until it is tried we will never know.

[GChief]

Originally Posted by Pio1980

The "loophole" is straw buyers making multiple "private" purchases at them for resale for profit to those that are "prohibited" for plainly criminal purposes.
Enforcement of existing prohibitions has been lax to nonexistent.

That has zero to do with the "Gun Show Loop Hole" this specific "Loop Hole" is the fact that I can (safely) carry a gun into the gun show with a for sale sign and sell it to "you" as a private sale with zero paperwork required.

Straw purchases are another but different problem. The number of guns one can buy at a gun show follows the state regulations that the show is taking place.

[Pio1980]

Originally Posted by GChief

That has zero to do with the "Gun Show Loop Hole" this specific "Loop Hole" is the fact that I can (safely) carry a gun into the gun show with a for sale sign and sell it to "you" as a private sale with zero paperwork required.

Straw purchases are another but different problem. The number of guns one can buy at a gun show follows the state regulations that the show is taking place.

Actually quite pertinent where shows are unregulated. Nevada for one example.

[GChief]

Originally Posted by Pio1980

Actually quite pertinent where shows are unregulated. Nevada for one example.

I understand that, my point is, as with most things "political", details matter and people just say things out of ignorance of the issue or to fit their narrative. The gun show loop is the private sale thing. You ask most people what the "gun show loop hole is" and most will answer that gun show dealers do not do backgrounds, which is false.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_sh...%20the%20buyer.

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by barbara

I know many of you guys support gun ownership in general. But What do you think about the ban on assault weapons that Biden is trying to get Congress to act on?

The only gun ownership I would support, and which I believe is right in line with the Second Amendment, would be for long barreled hunting rifles and shotguns. Single shot only, no magazines, no tube magazines, no revolving cylinders. Break down or other types of single round loading only.

Thorough, agonizing background checks, which would disqualify the usual suspects, felons, and anybody who has ever had an order of protection from them approved by the court. Hideously expensive license cost. And...anyone owning a hunting firearm, must also have a current, active federal hunting license which is hideously expensive and also requires thorough background checks. If the hunting license lapses, the ATF comes to your home and confiscates your firearms until you renew your hunting license. You have six months to renew, or your firearms are melted down.

Obviously possession of anything else, including assault rifles and handguns would be illegal. All the data shows a significant decrease in firearms homicides during the assault weapons ban.

Nobody's grandfathered in. Possession of unlicensed firearms is illegal. No screwing around, no appeals, no excuses, no ignorance. Get caught...first offense five years. Second offense fifteen years. Third offense...bye, bye.

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by barbara

Oerets
So you are saying you like owing an AR15 style weapon just for the fun of shooting it?
I do not mean to sound accusatory but could you not have fun shooting a less lethal weapon? Maybe if I had ever had the experience of shooting a firearm I would understand better.
By the way I totally respect your viewpoint and think your suggestions for gun ownership are great.

Y'know barbara, I suspect I was as good with a high powered automatic rifle as anybody on this forum. I was a Marine Corps Expert qualifying with the M-14 rifle, which included a perfect 10 rounds in the silhouette bullseye from 500 yards prone position. Those of us who made this score from 500 yards were extended an offer to apply for USMC Scout Sniper School. Which I declined (and for which I was beaten).

I never fired a weapon again while in the Corps, and never handled a weapon again, after discharge. I don't get the "fun" of owning a gun that "ain't good for nuthin' but put a man six feet in a hole."