You just have to keep your gun loaded, cocked and drawn and watch everyone suspiciously 24/7.

Of course if someone accidentally bumps into you, there might be an accident.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"The whole world is a circus if you know how to look at it."
Tony Randall, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)[/center][/font][hr]

Whether you want to regulate guns or regulate people, or simply educate the public (and law enforcement) away from violent behavior with guns we need the research.

Effective education, effective policing, effective governance all depend on trustworthy information.

I understand the concern over politicization of the research process (and findings). But steps can be taken to prevent this, and the CDC can contribute to research in this area. There is gun violence research going on (a lot of it, actually), but the CDC has massive resources at its disposal. It could contribute enormously to the store of knowledge about this phenomenon in America.

Clearly they aren't able to secure it, and what if it's used in a crime after its stolen/lost.

Keeping it well regulated.

There can be auctions for guns with high/historical significance. But private sales could be stopped pretty easily, especially with regulations as the 2a states.

Yes, some people will still violate the background check requirement, but I think there would be a lot greater compliance than with an outright ban on private sales. I'm anxious to see what sort of effect on gun crime that our recent adoption of universal background checks has here in Oregon. Too soon to tell, but I'm hopeful for some benefit.

That part is easy. Cost him money to prove otherwise.

Are not tracked.

held responsible. So when you bought the weapon and filled out paperwork for that S/N then the store owner is no longer responsible. If you sell it, you and have the new owner fill out the transfer online to make you no longer responsible for the S/N and the new person is.

Throw a fit.

How do they do that?

In a walmart parking lot he has no requirement to record the name.

We need universial background checks even for private sales.

The problem is our weapons laws do not have much in the way of teeth. That needs to change. And that will not change until we get fed up with the slaughter of innocents in this country and go to the source, starting with the NRA.
There are millions of ways to fix our gun terrorist problem, if only we would.

Gun violence is bullshit. I want to cripple gun manufacturers. They are responsible for world-wide carnage. Daesh kills with guns made by 'respectable ' corporate people.
We must muster the votes to enact extreme gun control regulations.

Create and enforce laws charging the legal gun owner each and every time his/er gun is lost, stolen, misused, involved in a crime, etc.
Bad guys get guns from good guys.

The level of gun violence in the country indicts the moral and ethical compass of everyone, who looking at the status-quo of America's gun-insanity and collateral damage, says this is better than his/er losing a precious toy designed solely for killing other souls.

At what level, at what number of deaths in America will the ammosexuals finally stop deifying the gun over human life.

I'm not a policy wonk, I work 60 hours plus a week. Doesn't allow me much extra time to come up with policy proposals.

On this issue IMO O'Malley wins.

Make possession of firearms punishable by death and release an army of metal detecting, body scanning armed robots into the streets to enforce.



Or maybe a little bit not.

But people want the simple answer to a complex problem. Therefore the discussion it is all about guns and gun violence. Remove the guns and you still have violence

I have no trouble addressing restricting access to guns from those who should not have access but in the long run I'd much rather solve the problem of violence.

As in Japan, GB, Australia, etc.

You will not "solve" violence.

reliance is by its very nature going to be more violent, I think. We all see each others as competitors, and we're told to compete for spots in school and for jobs. Because health care is attached to jobs, we're competing for things that help us live a better life. In societies where things like health care are more equitable, there's going to be less of a feeling of competition for basic necessities. This is a huge simplification, and decreasing violence is going to take more than that -- it means changing the culture of stigmatization against getting help for one's self or family when it comes to mental health care, breaking the cycle of violence in families, funding child care and education more effectively, and so on. It's a huge interconnected issue takes a lot more than two words, "ban guns," to fix.

You can limit the damage that a lone nut can do. For example, limit the automatic fire power of weapons. Limit the access to weapons to people without a criminal record or mental health issues.

Been done with automatic weapons.

and states have found a way to get most people to give up smoking... taxing the hell out of cigarettes.

So, why not tax the hell out of ammo? I admit people having access to guns that shouldn't is a huge problem but if getting ammo was also much more difficult, then that would help quell some of the gun violence.

Also, limit the amount of ammo people can stockpile. There's no reason for one individual to stockpile thousands upon thousands of rounds of ammo (if they are a sport shooter, they can apply for an exemption and pay a hefty annual fee to have that exemption). In some states there are specific stores for alcohol sales and liquor sales (meaning you go to one store for your beer and another for your wine and liquor)... Well, have state regulated/managed ammo stores. When you buy ammo, you have to show ID. Also, ban ammo/weapon sales online. Again, make people go to actual stores to purchase weapons/ammo. I think background checks for ammo is necessary too. Without ammo, a gun is useless.

Finally, pass legislation that requires all ammo to have serial numbers of some sort that traces back to the store of origin and the purchaser. This helps track whether the ammunition was acquired lawfully (and there has to be an easy way to do tracking for those that make their own ammo too). Chris Rock had it right that if ammunition was expensive, people would stop to think about firing that gun recklessly and in the heat of the moment.

Yes, all these suggestions are a pain in the ass for "responsible" gun owners but should they not jump through a few hoops to keep the rest of us safe if they are so hell bent on retaining their second amendment right to bear arms? No where in the 2nd Amendment does it say it should be easy or cheap to own and bear those arms so make it cost prohibitive to do so.

You have to mortgage education, go bankrupt if you get sick, choose between groceries OR rent and a roof over your head is getting harder and harder each year to come by.

Economic stagnation IS violence.

Sucks having to live on a finite planet.

2,000 doctors were in Washington yesterday to lobby against it:

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/12/02/3727406/doctors-gun-violence-research/

Guess who's in the way? Fuck the NRA and anyone who supports them in any way.

than a f***ing gun. This makes absolutely no sense to me.

sniff sniff

The genie is not going back in the bottle, and people yelling "gun control" as if it's going to fix everything are deluding themselves. Part of me wants to see them try their solution, see no changes, and ask them, "So, smartass, what's your solution now?" But that would be a waste of time, money, and effort.

We have a severe SOCIAL problem in this country. People think nothing of violent solutions to everyday problems, whether it's getting that last TV they want at Walmart on Black Friday or bludgeoning a girlfriend to death for breaking up, much less blowing up a Planned Parenthood because they're having a religious temper tantrum. WE are the problem. People tolerating open bigotry, the christian or right-wing takeover of our school curricula with non-factual propaganda, etc. are just fueling this trend. War is peace, love is hate...

Then only the very richest, most criminally connected and big league politicians would have guns.

gun humpers are willing to gleefully ignore until either they've had enough or the American people have had enough and join the rest of the civilized world in banning these weapons of war.

I don't expect any politician to support a total gun ban today but they will have no choice eventually and we're way past the point of "stronger background checks" since most of these mass shooters either don't have a background or they get a hold of a firearm from a family member or friend.