4 ms·

I actually think it should be national, but reforms should be evidence based. First off, gun homicides are actually down over 50% since the early 90s. There ar

I actually think it should be national, but reforms should be evidence based. First off, gun homicides are actually down over 50% since the early 90s. There are still too many, of course. Assault weapons bans are ineffective, since they account for 2% of crimes. Open carry and concealed carry are emotional issues, but aren't a big contributor to guns deaths. 13M people are already permitted to concealed carry, and while it has led to more aggravated assaults with guns, it hasn't been a big increase. Background checks and waiting periods actually do make sense. People with a restraining order shouldn't be able to get guns - research indicates that keeping guns out of their hands would reduce this category of murders by 10%. Most of this is cribbed from Nicholas Kristof: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/opinion/sunday/some-inconvenient-gun-facts-for-liberals.html http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/opinion/sunday/some-inconv...

hga 11y ago
Background checks and waiting periods actually do make sense. People with a restraining order The former is debatable (e.g. most handgun murders aren't committed when gun stores are even open, i.e. evening and night), and as far as I know the latter, when it's domestic violence, it's the law of the land everywhere. But that's very dangerous, since it's an easy way for the non-law abiding to strip a victim of protection when they most need it, and the threshold to get a restraining order, even a permanent one, is way too low.
- jim-greer 11y ago
  Yes background checks are required at licensed gun stores. But as many as 40% of gun sales are private.
  - hga 11y ago
    But a substantial fraction of those involve implicit background checks. I recently received 3 long guns of personal significance in my teens in the '70s, from my father (who I live with after "eviction by tornado" and now to help take care of him), and having started my education in all gun things starting in 1963-4 he knows my character better than just about anyone else. The first time I bought guns was from a professional couple, and they wouldn't have done it if I and my SO hadn't convinced them we were also such, and would treat them with all due respect. Of course, no one denies there are problems at the other end, but we are talking about a Constitutionally enumerated right in an era where all Constitutional protections are under threat (yes, even the 3rd Amendment, pervasive surveillance is exactly what quartering troops was all about way back then). I won't predict a violent counter-revolution if the nation went to mandatory background checks, like would be certain if registration became mandatory, but that would be playing with fire.

hga 11y ago

Background checks and waiting periods actually do make sense. People with a restraining order The former is debatable (e.g. most handgun murders aren't committed when gun stores are even open, i.e. evening and night), and as far as I know the latter, when it's domestic violence, it's the law of the land everywhere. But that's very dangerous, since it's an easy way for the non-law abiding to strip a victim of protection when they most need it, and the threshold to get a restraining order, even a permanent one, is way too low.

jim-greer 11y ago
Yes background checks are required at licensed gun stores. But as many as 40% of gun sales are private.
- hga 11y ago
  But a substantial fraction of those involve implicit background checks. I recently received 3 long guns of personal significance in my teens in the '70s, from my father (who I live with after "eviction by tornado" and now to help take care of him), and having started my education in all gun things starting in 1963-4 he knows my character better than just about anyone else. The first time I bought guns was from a professional couple, and they wouldn't have done it if I and my SO hadn't convinced them we were also such, and would treat them with all due respect. Of course, no one denies there are problems at the other end, but we are talking about a Constitutionally enumerated right in an era where all Constitutional protections are under threat (yes, even the 3rd Amendment, pervasive surveillance is exactly what quartering troops was all about way back then). I won't predict a violent counter-revolution if the nation went to mandatory background checks, like would be certain if registration became mandatory, but that would be playing with fire.