bunch of nutters... so whats changed since 2005? am not a fan of soros but this cld be a good thing: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/news http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/Story/0,,205945,00.html US gun laws In the wake of the recent spate of killings by a teenage gunman at Red Lake High School, Mark Tran explains just how easy it is to get your hands on a gun in the US Thursday March 24, 2005 Guardian Unlimited What are the restrictions on buying guns in America? You have to be 21 to buy a handgun or ammunition, and 18 to buy a rifle or shotgun from a shop. Under 18s are banned from possessing a handgun or ammunition, and it is illegal to provide a handgun or ammunition to such minors. Are there exceptions? Yes, for target shooting or hunting. But, regardless of age, it is illegal to possess a firearm on or within 1,000 feet of school property, with certain exceptions. Are there loopholes to gun buying? Current federal law requires criminal background checks only for guns sold by licensed firearm dealers, which account for just 60% of gun sales. This means that two of every five guns acquired in the US change hands without a background check. This includes guns bought at gun shows, through classified ads, and between individuals. There are between 2,000 and 5,000 gun shows held every year. How effective are background checks? They aren't foolproof. A US government accountability office investigation held between February and June 2004 found that suspected terrorists sought permission to buy or carry guns 44 times. How many applications succeeded? In all but nine cases, the federal or state authorities who handled requests allowed applications to go through because the applicants had no felony convictions and weren't illegal immigrants. The FBI has more than 50,000 people under "investigation or surveillance" for "possible terrorist or gang-related activities." The implication of its March report is that quite a few of them would have be able to get their hands on guns. How many people die through gun crime in the US? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, there were 28,663 firearm deaths in the US in 2000. Of that figure, 16,586 (58%) were suicides, 11,071 (39%) were homicides (including 270 deaths from police action), and 1,006 (4%) were due to accidents or undetermined causes. The numbers are by far the highest in the industrialised world, but the National Rifle Association (NRA), claims that firearm accident deaths are at an all-time annual low, nationally and among children, while the US population is at an all-time high. Total gun deaths in the US have been dropping steadily since 1993, when they peaked at almost 40,000. What is the NRA? The NRA is the largest and best-known gun rights and gun sports advocacy group. It was originally formed in 1871, following the civil war, to promote marksmanship skills among the general population. The NRA was mainly a shooting-sports association made up of small, local clubs but became a powerful lobbying force after the gun control act of 1968, which made gun control a national issue, was passed. The NRA argues that the right to bear arms is enshrined in the second amendment of the US constitution. But gun control advocates say that guns, on balance, imperil rather than protect Americans. What's the big gun control issue today? A major cause of debate is whether people should have the right to sue gun makers. Since 1998, dozens of municipalities and cities have filed lawsuits against gun makers, alleging that they are responsible for the unforeseen acts of criminals. But 33 states have passed legislation to prohibit these such cases being taken. The NRA is campaigning for legislation to be passed by congress to ban what it calls "reckless" lawsuits "aimed at bankrupting" gun manufacturers. How many people own guns in the US? According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, there were about 215 million privately owned guns in 1999. The NRA estimates that half of all American households (total US population is 294 million) have at least one gun owner
I'd say the biggest gun control issue today is the pending Supreme Court case concrning the Washington, Dc law that virtually outlaws possession of handguns and severely restricts possession of other guns. It was struck down as unconstitutional by the influential D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Many gun control groups advised the city to let the ruling stand rather than risk and adverse supreme Court precedent, but the city appealed anyway. This has been an embarrassing failure for the Republicans. They could have overturned the DC law at any time when they were in control of congress but they didn't. Now the Bush administration has filed a brief in the case which is highly equivocal in its support for Second Amendment rights. Once again the Republicans talk tough, but when they have a chance to actually do something, they are found wanting. And they wonder why people find Ron Paul attractive?
as a memeber of the other half that doesn't, i don't feel any safer that my neighbors to the right and to the left are armed to the teeth
And you shouldn't, they aren't armed to protect YOU. Besides, most guns, when used for self protection, are not used in the home to prevent home invasions, etc, but out in public. If you want to feel safer at home, get a good alarm. Or a Doberman.
Its widely expected the Supreme Court will rule in favor of Government restriction while upholding, in spirit, the Constitutionality of the 2nd amendment. Basically, we've got a 2nd Amendment Right but the Government can restrict it however they want. Americas going down the shitter fast.