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By definition more gun law (restricted sales) results in more gun crime if those laws are enforced. "Get rid of gun laws and you rid yourselves of gun crime" w

By definition more gun law (restricted sales) results in more gun crime if those laws are enforced. "Get rid of gun laws and you rid yourselves of gun crime" would seem to be more equivalent. Crime is more often in the intent/implementation, not the tools.

tantalor 11y ago
You can relax all the laws around gun sales, ownership, brandishing, etc. but shooting somebody will still be a crime. The moral equivalent with drug laws would be drunk driving. (And I think that kills more people than guns.)
lisper 11y ago
At the risk of stating the painfully obvious, "gun crimes" refers to crimes committed with guns (murder, assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, etc.), not to violations of gun prohibition. There is no analogy to that with drugs. The only crime you can commit with a drug is a violation of prohibition. (Well, OK, maybe you can try to poison someone, but that's not exactly a rampant problem.)
- LordKano 11y ago
  At the risk of stating the painfully obvious, "gun crimes" refers to crimes committed with guns (murder, assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, etc.), not to violations of gun prohibition. In that case, one could argue that "drug crime" isn't really violation of prohibition laws but the crimes committed to feed the habits of addicts or crimes committed while under the influence of drugs. In reality it's both. Gun crimes are shootings and non-violent violations of firearms regulations. Possession of an unlicensed machinegun is a gun crime.
  - lisper 11y ago
    Sure, but the vast majority of "crimes committed to feed the habits of addicts" would simply evaporate if there weren't prohibition because the price of drugs wouldn't be so high, so addicts wouldn't need to commit crimes to support their habit. I don't know how much crime is actually committed under the influence. I'm pretty sure that smoking marijuana actually reduces one's tendency to commit crimes.
    - LordKano 11y ago
      From what I remember, nothing more serious than mischief takes place when people are under the influence of marijuana and there is still a great deal of debate about whether or not marijuana is even addictive. "drug crime" also includes the crimes committed by people who are addicted to heroin or cocaine.
- TrevorJ 11y ago
  >he only crime you can commit with a drug is a violation of prohibition. Also DUI, Minor in possession, providing controlled substance to minor.
  - lisper 11y ago
    Those last two are definitely prohibition violations. DUI is arguable. DUI used to be called DWI - Driving While Impaired. But there are all kinds of ways you can be impaired. The fact that driving drunk is a crime but driving-while-sleepy isn't is evidence that anti-drunk-driving laws are really prohibition in disguise.
    - pstuart 11y ago
      Using a mobile device whilst driving is probably a bigger overall threat to public safety than stoned drivers (not that people should drive while high).

tantalor 11y ago

You can relax all the laws around gun sales, ownership, brandishing, etc. but shooting somebody will still be a crime. The moral equivalent with drug laws would be drunk driving. (And I think that kills more people than guns.)

lisper 11y ago

At the risk of stating the painfully obvious, "gun crimes" refers to crimes committed with guns (murder, assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, etc.), not to violations of gun prohibition. There is no analogy to that with drugs. The only crime you can commit with a drug is a violation of prohibition. (Well, OK, maybe you can try to poison someone, but that's not exactly a rampant problem.)

LordKano 11y ago
At the risk of stating the painfully obvious, "gun crimes" refers to crimes committed with guns (murder, assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, etc.), not to violations of gun prohibition. In that case, one could argue that "drug crime" isn't really violation of prohibition laws but the crimes committed to feed the habits of addicts or crimes committed while under the influence of drugs. In reality it's both. Gun crimes are shootings and non-violent violations of firearms regulations. Possession of an unlicensed machinegun is a gun crime.
- lisper 11y ago
  Sure, but the vast majority of "crimes committed to feed the habits of addicts" would simply evaporate if there weren't prohibition because the price of drugs wouldn't be so high, so addicts wouldn't need to commit crimes to support their habit. I don't know how much crime is actually committed under the influence. I'm pretty sure that smoking marijuana actually reduces one's tendency to commit crimes.
  - LordKano 11y ago
    From what I remember, nothing more serious than mischief takes place when people are under the influence of marijuana and there is still a great deal of debate about whether or not marijuana is even addictive. "drug crime" also includes the crimes committed by people who are addicted to heroin or cocaine.
TrevorJ 11y ago
>he only crime you can commit with a drug is a violation of prohibition. Also DUI, Minor in possession, providing controlled substance to minor.
- lisper 11y ago
  Those last two are definitely prohibition violations. DUI is arguable. DUI used to be called DWI - Driving While Impaired. But there are all kinds of ways you can be impaired. The fact that driving drunk is a crime but driving-while-sleepy isn't is evidence that anti-drunk-driving laws are really prohibition in disguise.
  - pstuart 11y ago
    Using a mobile device whilst driving is probably a bigger overall threat to public safety than stoned drivers (not that people should drive while high).