Gun Control

[raggage]

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the topic of gun control. Particularly on a federal ban or constitutional ban on all assualt style weapons (private use) and a mandatory gun safety course for all gun owners, as well as mandatory gun locks. I know this is a contentious issue, and i know many of these measures could be in contradiction to the constitution, but what are your thoughts?

[raggage]

A federal or state ban on all private gun ownership would be unconstitutional.

But mandatory gun locks wouldn't be unconstitutional.

Is that true if any one type of gun was banned, eg shotguns?

[raggage]

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the topic of gun control. Particularly on a federal ban or constitutional ban on all assualt style weapons (private use) and a mandatory gun safety course for all gun owners, as well as mandatory gun locks. I know this is a contentious issue, and i know many of these measures could be in contradiction to the constitution, but what are your thoughts?

I think we should raise the age where you can buy guns to 21. Also have mandatory gun locks. And have a safty course is a good idea too

I'm glad to see some sense coming out of a Republican on this issue. One from the Bush heartland as well. Good on you.

[raggage]

Police and Army have guns. Joe Smith does not.

Not quite true, In many of the worlds developed countries Police do not carry guns, instead they have a S.W.A.T like team that is called out. This is true of the U.K, Australia and New Zealand and many others.

[raggage]

On a side note, even if guns are banned for non-government use, criminals are always going to be able to find them. By making them illegal, crime will grow, because criminals will know that homes do not have weapons for defense. This is similar to drugs, where if we illegalize marijuana, we're making people break the law more.

Yes PERHAPS, but counter that by all the little children who wont accidentally shoot their siblings with daddy's gun if guns were banned completely. And thats a load of crap about criminals going into homes because they think their are unarmed.

Take new zealand and australia as examples. not only are guns prohibitively hard to get their (not banned mind you) but the police themselves are unarmed, yet as a percentage of population there is much less gun violence.

Clearly, Guns are not the solution to the problem, guns are the problem.

[raggage]

On a side note, even if guns are banned for non-government use, criminals are always going to be able to find them. By making them illegal, crime will grow, because criminals will know that homes do not have weapons for defense. This is similar to drugs, where if we illegalize marijuana, we're making people break the law more.

Yes PERHAPS, but counter that by all the little children who wont accidentally shoot their siblings with daddy's gun if guns were banned completely. And thats a load of crap about criminals going into homes because they think their are unarmed.

Take new zealand and australia as examples. not only are guns prohibitively hard to get their (not banned mind you) but the police themselves are unarmed, yet as a percentage of population there is much less gun violence.

Clearly, Guns are not the solution to the problem, guns are the problem.

Raggage,

Actually there is all sorts of empirical data that indirectly supports the contention that home invasions occur less in areas where gun control is the weakest and gun ownership is the highest. Also, there is an even greater correlation to overall crime rates going down when concealed carry laws are expanded, as happened in Texas over the last two decades. All I know is that I'd rather have a gun and not need it, then not have a gun when I need one.

It's a sad day for a nation when one decides he has to protect himself with a lethal weapon.

[raggage]

The best argument for gun control is anti-gun control fanatics

Seriously now... in the U.K handguns were banned because of a massacre in a school in Scotland which shocked and appalled just about everyone. There was a massive wave of support for banning handguns.
Very, very few people owned handguns.
Automatic weapons are also banned.

Shotguns, hunting rifles etc are *not* banned (except for certain high velocity weapons, eg: pump action shotguns).

Most gun fatalities are nowadays caused by converted replicas (although the police are trying to crack down on this) and gun deaths are far, far lower in the U.K than in the U.S

But overall crime is much higher.

Yeah right.