It also brings up ............registration. How else can law enforcement know who has what. Registration would also make it easier to trace a gun used in crime to it's owner. Everyone OK with registration? The mentally ill thing needs to be addressed, in clear cases. The problem is that how do you define "mentally ill". Some would say that believing the govt is out to take away all your guns and thinking Obama is a socialist and AGW is a hoax is grounds for the mentally ill label. I would agree
Not sure the laws themselves prevent crime. Knowledge of the enforcement of laws, aka fear of loss (of one's money or freedom) deters crime. Of course, socialization is the most powerful deterrent of all, but the laws need to exist in some form if they're to be transmitted via socialization.
How can law enforcement know who has what? They have all the background checks they have performed! All the wait times, every time someone had to purchase a firearm and fill out a form that went to ATF/DHS, they have those. In the case of the forms still resting with the gun dealers, they have access to those. Now, this isn't going to help catalog all the criminals that have obtained firearms illegally, of course. As for defining mentally ill, I'm ok with making it so doctors notify a national list database of individuals they treat for various disorders as being unfit for possession of firearms - so long as it is monitored by an independent agency. They would call out individuals bi-polar, autistic, hardcore liberal loons like yourself, etc.
Bingo! Whatever you put in your cereal this morning, keep adding it. This is precisely why laws with guns fail - because the crime being committed (murder) is far more harsh and carries a penalty far more harsh than illegal possession of a firearm. It would be like putting a law in place that says "if you steal, you have to pay a $1 fine". Who gives a shit, unless I'm stealing something .50?
I'm driving down the highway along with many others doing 10+ mph over the posted speed limit. ONLY when someone at the front of the pack notices a highway patrol car ahead does everyone suddenly slow down to the speed limit. The speed limit (law) itself prevented NOTHING. Only the physical presence of law enforcement caused motorists to abide by the law. Even the fines and penalties themselves, which are always present, prevent no one from speeding if they really want to. Of course as soon as the pack is out of site of the patrol car. We all speed up again.
NO! The majority of guns used in crimes are stolen. Does automobile registration prevent the car from being stolen? Does registration prevent the car from being used in a bank robbery? Criminals already possessing guns will not ever register them PERIOD All registration does is lead to forced confiscation of guns from law abiding citizens. Which further leads to only the criminals being armed. How does that help society? <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OyS3CEIbpJo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> It's only a six minute video. Surely just six minutes of facts you'd rather not accept won't kill you. A little while ago you said it was irrelevant. Which is it?
But, there is human passion to consider. Which is why we don't allow people to have even higher leverage weapons, like nukes or biological agents.
It's a little more than just passion when it comes to weapons of mass destruction. Please try to be serious.