The murder
rate per 100,000 people for the US is 5.2. For Australia it is 0.07, for
Japan, 0.05, and for the UK 0.06. That does not show America with twice as much gun violence, or even ten times as much, but ONE HUNDRED TIMES AS MUCH.
President Obama lost an opportunity to bring a bit of sanity to Arizona and America. There would have been nothing uncivil, political or disrespectful of the 2nd Amendment had he momentarily held up a 30 round clip and shook his head to simply ask "what do we need with these?"
This has been a central issue of this website since it began in 1995. For a compilation of articles concerning gun control and the NRA, Guns R Us.
Over the past 25 years of online experience I have come across some of the most disgusting gunloons in existence. I remember vividly the Oklahoma Bombing, while the nation blamed "ragheads" and "sandnigers" I was mostly a lone voice saying "Hold on! Haven’t you gone online to read what these NRA nutcakes have been screeching in the forums since Clinton became President? This home grown gungoonery."
Not only was teh Guns R Us crowd the impetus for Timothy McVeigh, but hand grenades and automatic weapons were also what drove that insane gang of Christian nutcakes in Waco to shoot 35 of their own children through the head rather than give up their assault weapons.
Over the years I have done my best to tone it down realizing it’s a lost cause. We are surpassed only by Yemen as the most armed nation on Earth, with our politicians more afraid of the NRA than they are of al Qaeda. But putting all the thoughts and articles together I have come up with the five sane, reasonable gun regulations that do not interfere with the 2nd Amendment.
1) Limit all magazine sizes for both hand guns and rifles to 10 rounds – I have been a duck hunter most of my life who has been required by FEDERAL LAW to "plug" our shotguns to hold only two shells (with one in the chamber) which limits our shots to three. We call that SPORTSMANSHIP. Here in America we give ducks and geese a better chance than we do people. Personally I would like to see all guns limited to 6 shots (to allow revolvers). Permanently plug all existing magazines to hold five rounds and all new sales hold only 5. Even for cops other than swat teams.
2) Limit gun purchases to one a month – To keep massive arsenals out of the hands of Mexican Drug Lords, religious cults, crazy Right-wing militias and the even worse urban gangs. For sportsman or the paranoid who need more than one gun a month, I can only say, "think ahead".
3) Close the Gun Show loophole – In most states anyone, ANYONE can go into a gun show and buy whatever they please, including under the table auto switches and silencers. They can buy as many as they want with little if any paperwork which defeats the entire purpose of gun regulations. Do not allow on premise sales of guns at gun shows.
4) Register all guns in working order – There is no reason on earth not to register existing or newly purchased guns. As the NRA so proudly exclaims, we are all law abiding citizens! So what could it possibly matter? This includes making the database of those who are not allowed to own weapons centralized from all sources; FBI, Military, State and local which will be made available to all law enforcement agencies.
5) Make gun purchase regulations the same in every state – This keeps criminals and crazies from taking a short drive to a neighboring state to stock up for the rest of the gang. In Washington DC most residents can in an hour or two, WALK out of the city limits and buy what they will. Which makes comparisons to DC gun laws and other places absurd.
And to use one of the central themes regarding drug abuse, causal gun play is responsible for legitimizing criminal gun play. A few years back I gave up bird hunting for a vegetable garden. I found growing things and sustaining live is a far better endeavor than killing things and destroying life. Hey? Or is that too all equal?