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Old 12-16-2012, 12:48 PM   #208 (permalink)
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Annapolis, MD
Posts: 455

Originally Posted by Snowolf View Post
According to the latest reports, his 52 year old mother legally purchased the weapons as home defense and told her son where they were and how to use them, etc. Sadly and ironically, she was the first victim to be murdered with her own weapons....

As to you other point, well, a couple of thoughts and you're free to disagree which I suspect you will but hey that`s democracy!

America is very very different place than it was when George Washington spoke those words and the Constitution was designed to be a "living document" that changes with societal evolution.

Additionally, I never have seen a conflict between our Constitution and reasonable, logical and rational gun regulation. The reason in my mind is that the very first sentence of the second amendment reads, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary for....." I interpret this as meaning that regulation of the militia (the people) to keep and bear arms, is within the scope of Constitutionality. I absolutely believe the government has the right and responsibility to regulate the bearing of arms to also uphold its duties to secure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and to secure the general welfare. Misuse of firearms is a clear threat to life, liberty the pursuit of happiness and the general welfare.

Like I have said, I am a gun owner and supporter of people`s right to bear arms and am not an anti gun liberal. I just accept and welcome reasonable gun regulation.
Originally Posted by Snowolf View Post
Absolutely and that is exactly what I have advocated. I am a pilot and in order to maintain my privileges to fly, I cannot smoke pot, I have to pass FAA physical and psychological examinations every 2 years, I have to take on going currency training and take flight reviews to ensure that I am not a danger to myself and others in the aircraft.

A gun is every bit as serious as an aircraft and I think it is a travesty that its so easy to just go get a gun without any licensing or training or mental health evaluations. As long as nothing is on record, you can fill out your form and away you go. Even if you cant pass the federal check, no problem! go to a gun show and as long as its a private non dealer sale between residents of the same state, you got a gun.

Some things I support are extensive security background checks, psychological evaluations that are recurring as part of renewing a gun permit. Mandatory gun safes to deter gun theft and the gun getting into the wrong hands. Training and competency testing so total yahoos and retards aren't out the killing people accidentally by being stupid. Magazine capacity limits, etc.

Gun ownership may be a right and I support that notion, but rights just shouldn't be bestowed without responsibility. So yeah, the answer to your direct question is a direct and resounding "absolutely".....
We may be in a different time, but that doesn't make what was said then any less important because violence and the threat of oppression are still very real. The government is finding ways to control our "freedoms" more and more which is a whole other topic for debate. I saw someone mention ammo limits, but there is no way to control that either. You would have to register and unregister every round purchased. The time and cost would be detrimental to an already strained budget. You mentioned a pilots requirements too.. I used to fly so I know all about those as well, but say you take your required recerts and then 2 months later decide to crash your plane into a building. There is no way to predict that, even with a psych eval. If you snap in between those required timeframes, you can't blame the system. Same with guns. I'm glad to see you are pro gun, but there is no perfect solution. If they want me to go to a class every couple of years, I'll do it, but don't try and restrict what I want to buy or limit my options.

Thanks for answering my first questions because I haven't heard the origin of that kids guns. If his parents purchased those weapons, knowing they had a kid with mental issues, they should have been locked up. I know there is a law that requires locked up weapons if a child is below a certain age. They could extend that to anyone with that kind of mental issue. My guns are all locked up to protect others in case someone tries to break into my house. In the end, I think awareness is going to be the best approach because violence is never going to go away, restrictions or bans will not stop that. It will just inflate the black market. I think you believe the same in a lot of my points by what I've read from your posts, but other want your balls in a vice which is ridiculous. There are reasonable and responsible solutions.

Last edited by sleev-les; 12-16-2012 at 12:52 PM.
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