On October 30, 2015 at 18:55, highfigh said...
People who have been trained to use firearms tend to be more aware of their surroundings and because of this, it can be harder to sneak up on them. Criminals look for the low hanging fruit, which means they want people to be unarmed and clueless. If more people were TRAINED in the use of firearms, there would be fewer successful robbery attempts. I'd like to see a way to prevent people from getting guns when they shouldn't have them legally, but the fact is- some people will do everything possible to make money and if that entails selling a gun illegally or stealing the gun(s), they just want the money. Because of this fact, no gun laws will work. The number of guns out there that are "off the books" is huge, partly because some people are too stupid and/or paranoid to secure them and not all states require reporting firearm thefts.
The best way to keep criminals from getting guns is to cut off their biggest supplier...law abiding citizens who are careless or law abiding citizens who aren't really law abiding citizens.
We need better rules for who gets guns. Half blind Aunt Betty shouldn't have a gun. 6 year old Cousin Joe still eats his boogers so no gun for him. 16 should be the youngest legally allowed to own and use a firearm. Written and range test required to obtain a permit. Firearms must be registered and secured. Anyone who "loses" or has a firearm "stolen" should be penalized and held accountable. First strike no gun card for 1 year. Second strike you lose your gun card completely and have to wait 3 years to get another. 3rd strike you lose your ability to ever own a firearm again because clearly you are too stupid to own one. Caught with a gun after that? Prison for 10 years.
Oh and when grandpa dies who gets his 357 piece hand gun collection? Will it be Uncle James, the stand up citizen who will immediately register them and add them to his secure collection that is stored in various vaults and pass coded requiring a retina scan? Or will methy Uncle Steve who lives in a station wagon that doesn't have an engine in it behind his moms house get them...and sell them to any and everyone he comes in contact with?
Making "law abiding" citizens act responsibly is exactly how you keep weapons from the hands of criminals. It also makes it more clear who is and isn't the criminal. Just like traffic lights. Putting that red light up there doesn't stop someone from running the red light but it makes it so we can identify who the law breaker is and penalize them for their criminal behavior. If the attitude is that "gun laws wont stop criminals" then why do we bother making rape illegal?
