The RIAA: “Internet file sharing of mp3s is eating into our profits. Government, we want you to ban the Rio Volt SP250 mp3 player.”
The Government: “Yes, banning only that specific make and model of mp3 player and none of the rest of Rio’s product catalog, or any mp3 players manufactured by any other brand, will completely and permanently address this scourge of copyright infringement. Consider it done.”
That’s you! That’s how DUMB you sound!
–GLaDOS.
Here’s what happens when you ban a firearm by name: manufacturers change some extremely minor detail, change the model number, and keep selling it. The Tec-9 open bolt machine pistol was used in a few school shootings in the 90’s, most prominently the Columbine massacre. California banned the gun by name in state law. The manufacturer responded by moving the sling ring from one side of the gun to the other and calling it the Tec-DC9, with “DC” standing for “Designed for California.”
It’s not an engineering problem. Banning individual makes and models is how you solve (or at least end) an engineering problem. This is a culture problem.
Gun buying is not really the issue, it’s people getting unauthorized access to firearms from people who did go through the process of buying them legitimately. Stealing a gun from a family member who leaves them in the glove box of their truck, or in an unlocked case under the bed is much easier than trying to do a straw purchase.
Or, just target the thing that is used in over 60% of gun crimes, and focus on handguns rather than sporting rifles. They’re way easier to steal and conceal, easier to accidentally drop/leave somewhere where unauthorized people (i.e. kids) can access them, and from the perspective of the very pro-2A side, are far less useful against tyrannical state actors.
I would agree that the proximal issue is how easy it is to illegally obtain guns, but I think the solution to that is just reduce the availability of guns for those who don’t need them, are on the fence about buying, won’t take the responsibility seriously, etc. I think the problem is how overly normalized gun ownership is, and how unseriously it’s taken. The solution just has to be more barriers to entry to ensure the people getting them are (on average) more serious about safety and responsibility. I also agree about the handguns thing.
I wholeheartedly agree, to a point. I don’t think it’s good to stipulate a “need”, and I have no problem with gun ownership being normalized, but you hit the nail on the head with the lack of seriousness. As darkly hilarious as it is, the fact that I’ve visited someone’s home where they literally just had a loaded handgun in a fruit bowl on the kitchen table was frankly disgusting to me, and certainly highlights how many people will buy a firearm but just really don’t understand the responsibility, and it gives a lot of responsible gun owners a really bad image.
I make it a huge point to take people shooting, show them how to handle firearms responsibly, and try to get some education out there so they can not only handle themselves, but potentially call out irresponsible firearms behavior they may see and teach others.
“Military grade arms cannot be sold to civilians. Any civilian in possession of such a weapon will face trial. Any shop that sells them to civilians will be closed and the owner will face trial.”
I want you to imagine the following scenario:
The RIAA: “Internet file sharing of mp3s is eating into our profits. Government, we want you to ban the Rio Volt SP250 mp3 player.”
The Government: “Yes, banning only that specific make and model of mp3 player and none of the rest of Rio’s product catalog, or any mp3 players manufactured by any other brand, will completely and permanently address this scourge of copyright infringement. Consider it done.”
–GLaDOS.
Here’s what happens when you ban a firearm by name: manufacturers change some extremely minor detail, change the model number, and keep selling it. The Tec-9 open bolt machine pistol was used in a few school shootings in the 90’s, most prominently the Columbine massacre. California banned the gun by name in state law. The manufacturer responded by moving the sling ring from one side of the gun to the other and calling it the Tec-DC9, with “DC” standing for “Designed for California.”
It’s not an engineering problem. Banning individual makes and models is how you solve (or at least end) an engineering problem. This is a culture problem.
Yes, effective gun control measures need to target the buying process for firearms more generally, instead of fixating on specific models.
Gun buying is not really the issue, it’s people getting unauthorized access to firearms from people who did go through the process of buying them legitimately. Stealing a gun from a family member who leaves them in the glove box of their truck, or in an unlocked case under the bed is much easier than trying to do a straw purchase.
Or, just target the thing that is used in over 60% of gun crimes, and focus on handguns rather than sporting rifles. They’re way easier to steal and conceal, easier to accidentally drop/leave somewhere where unauthorized people (i.e. kids) can access them, and from the perspective of the very pro-2A side, are far less useful against tyrannical state actors.
I would agree that the proximal issue is how easy it is to illegally obtain guns, but I think the solution to that is just reduce the availability of guns for those who don’t need them, are on the fence about buying, won’t take the responsibility seriously, etc. I think the problem is how overly normalized gun ownership is, and how unseriously it’s taken. The solution just has to be more barriers to entry to ensure the people getting them are (on average) more serious about safety and responsibility. I also agree about the handguns thing.
I wholeheartedly agree, to a point. I don’t think it’s good to stipulate a “need”, and I have no problem with gun ownership being normalized, but you hit the nail on the head with the lack of seriousness. As darkly hilarious as it is, the fact that I’ve visited someone’s home where they literally just had a loaded handgun in a fruit bowl on the kitchen table was frankly disgusting to me, and certainly highlights how many people will buy a firearm but just really don’t understand the responsibility, and it gives a lot of responsible gun owners a really bad image.
I make it a huge point to take people shooting, show them how to handle firearms responsibly, and try to get some education out there so they can not only handle themselves, but potentially call out irresponsible firearms behavior they may see and teach others.
“Military grade arms cannot be sold to civilians. Any civilian in possession of such a weapon will face trial. Any shop that sells them to civilians will be closed and the owner will face trial.”
Sounds right to you?
Define “military grade”
That’s lawyer’s work I guess.