Write4U - 11 March 2012 04:09 PM

I am no gun expert, though I do have some, but would it be practical that every firearm is fired before it enters the market and several bullets (with their own unique markings) be saved along with the gun’s serial number as well as the buyer’s name? That way the markings on a bullet involved in a crime can be compared to the data base and make it easier to trace.

I think that’s a great idea, W4U. The NRA would surely not let that happen however. 

That’s an excellent idea but spent bullets can already be traced to the gun by ballistic testing. Each rifled weapon has a land and groove signature but the only problem here is that you have to have the gun to match the bullet. Your suggestion of a test fired bullet should work even if you don’t have the weapon. It would sure make tracing the gun easier but not necessarily the shooter. Many guns are stolen, resold often for drugs, and used for criminal activity especially handguns. That’s a major problem here as the gun laws in WV are very lax and the Detroit drug dealers come down to trade Oxy for weapons and it’s a lucrative business to say the least. The weapons are mainly auto pistols used by the drug gangs.

Cap’t Jack

Funny story. As a liberal who owns guns, I sometimes get into weird conversations. A few years ago I somehow wound up on the calling list of the NRA even though I have never supported them. It was actually a few days before President Obama’s inauguration. The conversation went something like this:

ME: Hello?
NRA GUY: Good evening, Mr. FreeInKy. This is John Doe with the NRA. How are you today?

ME: Fine.
NRA GUY:  That’s great! Have you been doing any shooting lately?

ME: Not so much.
NRA GUY:  That’s too bad. So,  Mr. FreeInKy, the reason I am calling you is to make you aware of a dire situation. As you may know, we are about to place in the office of President a man who wants to take all our guns away and…

ME: Hold it right there!
NRA GUY:  Sir?

ME: That’s bullshit, and you know it!
NRA GUY: [5 seconds of silence. Then he hangs up ]

I wish every annoyance caller was that easy to get rid of! 

NRA guy after you hung up: but, but, but wait sir! I have many other rumors, half truths and inuendos to relate to you to influence your vote for McCain and Sarah. She hunts wolves from a helicopter. Wouldn’t you like to do that too???

Cap’t Jack

yeahhhh….. we go fishin with dynomite…...always bring home the big un..

Thevillageatheist - 12 March 2012 10:52 AM

NRA guy after you hung up: but, but, but wait sir! I have many other rumors, half truths and inuendos to relate to you to influence your vote for McCain and Sarah. She hunts wolves from a helicopter. Wouldn’t you like to do that too???

LOL

Actually, this was after the election but before the inauguration, so I assume the purpose of the scare call was to ask for money. That’s a pretty typical tactic (for both sides).

Yeah, all the NRA has to do is play the 2nd amendment card and the money comes a’flowin’ in! Bibles, baby shoes and takin’ away our guns is the battle cry for the next election! 

Cap’t Jack

Thevillageatheist - 12 March 2012 11:53 AM

Yeah, all the NRA has to do is play the 2nd amendment card and the money comes a’flowin’ in! Bibles, baby shoes and takin’ away our guns is the battle cry for the next election! 

Cap’t Jack

The rumors of Obama taking our guns after his reelection are already afloat. Most of the handgun forums are heavy with right wingers spouting nonsense. The only one I can stomach is thehighroad.org. The moderators strongly enforce their tolerance rule and will shut down wingnut discussions.

FreeInKy - 11 March 2012 02:09 PM

We should treat gun ownership the way we treat the use of automobiles on public highways. It should be a privilege that must be earned by demonstration that one has the knowledge and skill to use responsibly and safely, and subject to being revoked for misuse.

Sounds good to me:

A person can operate a car at age 16.

There are no federal licensing or registration for cars. 

A person can purchase a car with no background checks for vehicular homicide conviction or drunk driving.

A person can drive high power cars like Porsches.

A person can drive a “Saturday Night Special” Car like a Yugo.

A person can drive their car across any state line and operate that car in that state no questions asked. 

There is no waiting period to purchase a car.

There is no limit on the amount of cars a person can own.

A person can drive their car to any public park, including federal ones.

There are no laws restricting cars 1,000 feet from a school or bar. 

A person can sell their car to any other driver at any time with no background check on the purchaser. 

A person can have their driver’s license revoked yet drive their Jeep on their ranch as much as they want.

Now if we can only force people to get a license before they could practice their First Amendment Privilege as spelled out in the first 10 Amendments of the Constitution also known as the Bill of Privileges.  Same for the 4th Amendment Privilege, 5th Amendment Privilege the 14th Amendment Privilege, etc.   

The current administration did pass this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization_Act_for_Fiscal_Year_2012  Load your machine guns patriots!

Of course a car is designed to transport persons or goods and not for the specific purpose of killing something….

DarronS - 12 March 2012 06:36 PM

Thevillageatheist - 12 March 2012 11:53 AM

Yeah, all the NRA has to do is play the 2nd amendment card and the money comes a’flowin’ in! Bibles, baby shoes and takin’ away our guns is the battle cry for the next election! 

Cap’t Jack

The rumors of Obama taking our guns after his reelection are already afloat. Most of the handgun forums are heavy with right wingers spouting nonsense. The only one I can stomach is thehighroad.org. The moderators strongly enforce their tolerance rule and will shut down wingnut discussions.

Obama has been the best thing that could happen to gun dealers.  The rumors of him taking away our guns were rampant before his election the first time, and now there is a run on guns again, simply because he may win a 2nd term.  This is nonsense, as gun control beyond the availability of the most egregious types of weapons, has been and will be so far down the list of priorities, that if Obama were concerned about it, he will not get to it.

Howdy

“Guns don’t kill people, its the bullets that are fired from the guns that kill people”  IDBC

I don’t know what is the number two weapon used to commit murder, but if guns are banned and whatever the X weapon is become the new number one, should it be banned?

Have A Thinking Day And May Reason Guide You

IDBC - 14 March 2012 01:44 PM

Howdy

“Guns don’t kill people, its the bullets that are fired from the guns that kill people”  IDBC

I don’t know what is the number two weapon used to commit murder, but if guns are banned and whatever the X weapon is become the new number one, should it be banned?

Have A Thinking Day And May Reason Guide You

I was visiting Scotland several years ago.  Guns are not readily available there.  While there, we saw on a a news report that adolescent gangs were having street fights with swords.

This issue is a lot more nuanced than has been shown on this thread. The problem is not guns, it is guns in the hands of the wrong people. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety 406 people were convicted of murder in Texas in 2009. Only one of those had a Concealed Handgun License. source

In 2009 33,808 people died in auto accidents in the United States. source

Why are people not crying out to take cars away from us? Yes, I know cars are not manufactured to kill people or to be used for self-defense, but we clearly have a major problem here. If we licensed car ownership the same we we license concealed carry weapons we could probably cut the annual death rate by 90 percent, cut our carbon footprint tremendously, and eliminate most traffic jams. Face it, 3/4 of the people driving on our public roads are incompetent.

In 2009 15,399 people were murdered in the United States. source No mention of how many of those murders involved guns, but that is less than half the vehicular fatality rate.

Yes, guns are violent, but not nearly as violent as car accidents. Have you ever seen two cars hit head-on at 70 mph? I haven’t, but I have seen photos of the aftermath. The destruction is unbelievable. Frankly, cars are far more dangerous and far more violent than guns, but because most of us go through our day without seeing an accident we don’t think of cars as potential destroyers. As for guns, the people who are licensed to carry concealed weapons are the least likely members of our society to commit violent crimes. That is partially because they are screened before getting licensed, and partially because they are trained to only use their weapons as a last resort.

I plan to get a gun to protect myself when I am out in the wilderness taking photos. I am not particularly worried about people. Violent criminals seldom trek to out of the way places. I am worried about mountain lions, feral hogs and coyotes. Bears? Not so much. If a bear wanted to attack me I wouldn’t have time to draw a gun anyway.