USA Gun Laws - Stupidity

[Hughie]

Sad to me in Australia that the powerful gun lobby in the USA seems to have the legislators in their pockets. But haven't we known this since no real action was taken after that totally heart wrenching Sandy Hook massacre in 2012. So, I'm thinking those legislators would have been dined and wined by the gun lobby or maybe scared to get thrown out and lose their meal ticket.

Love the USA but this is so sad. This video from the Australian morning TV show Sunrise this morning.

[Retsum]

I suppose the fear among political parties is that if they banned the ownership of guns, all those who owned a gun and that seems to be a majority of the population, would vote them out of office. What needs to happen is that both political parties come together and jointly introduce legislation. But how likely is that?

[bonzo]

I think if they couldn't get rid of the "right to bear arms" after Sandy Hook they never will.

Our laws have never been anything like the US but after Dunblane they were tightend to almost bring gun ownership to an end.

This discussion comes up every time there is a mass murder in America. Personally I'm at the stage if their government keeps cow towing to the gun lobby then hell mend them.

[John Donnelly]

I was going to apologise on the front end for posting this, as it is likely to stir up a wasps nest, BUT I feel very strongly about this, so no apology. When I heard of the death toll on Monday, I thought – again – ‘am I the only sane person on the planet?’

Point one.
The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
When the second amendment came into being, the newly created USA had no standing army to defend itself against hostile neighbours, who at the time were England (GB), Spain, France, and Canada. At the same time the Indian war was going on against many different Native American nations and much of the population was still loyal to the king of England (GB). Because of this, each state set up its own militia, which were in truth very amateur and undisciplined.
If you take these things into consideration and read the amendment carefully, it has nothing to do with the rights of citizens to own guns, but concerns the formation of well-regulated militias from a population who were allowed to hold arms for that purpose.
The second amendment has been hijacked by the American Rifle Association (ARA) and is backed up by folk who think the wild west is still full of cowboys and John Wayne is still waiting for the cavalry to arrive to help him fight off the Injuns.
What sane nation allows anybody to have 47 automatic weapons in their possession? And who in their right mind would think that they needed them and why? I could just about understand someone thinking they needed a pistol to protect themselves in a dangerous neighbourhood, but 47 automatic rifles???

Point two.
A main argument trotted out by the ARA is that the best defence against a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.
My question is, ‘where the hell were all the good guys with a gun when all these massacres were taking place?’



An unrepentant JD.

[5siamese7]

I think if they couldn't get rid of the "right to bear arms" after Sandy Hook they never will.

Our laws have never been anything like the US but after Dunblane they were tightend to almost bring gun ownership to an end.

This discussion comes up every time there is a mass murder in America. Personally I'm at the stage if their government keeps cow towing to the gun lobby then hell mend them.

Actually the number of shotgun certificates have increased since Dunblane. The good thing is that less responsible people can't get them legally. The new legislation on air rifles will also stop most nutters from having them.

[5siamese7]

Making mega bucks is what's keeping gun ownership alive in America.

[bonzo]

Actually the number of shotgun certificates have increased since Dunblane. The good thing is that less responsible people can't get them legally. The new legislation on air rifles will also stop most nutters from having them.

I think the number of licensed guns went up was the simple fact that there were so many unlicensed before Dunblane.

[5siamese7]

I doubt that very much it was a serious criminal offence to have an unlicensed shotgun in the UK. at the time of Dunblane.

[Bruce]

When it comes to guns, the US - or at least the US legislators, and a substantial proportion of the population - are pretty much bonkers. The “right to bear arms” argument - which conveniently has had the ‘as part of a well regulated militia” clause forgotten - was written in the days of muzzle-loading rifles, not automatic weapons.

But remember, we’re talking about a country where it’s perfectly legal to purchase and own machine guns, but bans lethal items like Kinder Eggs and Brie....

[bonzo]

I doubt that very much it was a serious criminal offence to have an unlicensed shotgun in the UK. at the time of Dunblane.

If my memory serves me correctly it was hand guns that he used.

[5siamese7]

We were discussing shotguns.

[bonzo]

Were we? I thought we were discussing the slaughter of innocent people.