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On Gun Control:
Sometimes I think the best way to argue with someone is to agree with them... Okay if I concede that you are right in this matter, how will you implement your changes?
How?
The theoretical world is awesome... the real world not so much.
So if we agree to some form of gun control, how will we implement it?

Theoretical World (TW) - Make it harder to acquire guns.
Real World (RW) - your proposal only affects the legal acquisition of guns... the illegal acquisition of guns remains the same.

TW - Stop manufacturing and selling "assault weapons."
RW - There are more guns in America than citizens. No one would ever try to kill you with a used gun would they?
TW - Confiscate all guns.
RW - Will you repeal the Second Amendment, knowing that it takes a majority of states to amend the constitution?
Will every citizen willingly relinquish every one of their guns? No? Will you search every house, every car, every backyard, every secret cache? Will you conduct these searches periodically in case the weapons were moved and then moved back? What about the Fourth Amendment? Will you imprison every person in violation of your gun ban? Aren't the prisons overcrowded? Won't your incarceration campaign disproportionately affect gangs composed of minorities?
TW - Just do it.
RW - Again, how?

I am well aware that those in favor of gun control will use gun registration to facilitate their ends. It is the precursor to confiscation. But even then, how will you deal with people that no longer own the registered weapon or refuse to surrender it? And again, illegal gun owners will not be affected by any of this.

This is a complex problem, and a simple solution doesn't cut it.
The Real World often puts the kibosh on theoretical proposals.
So... if the proponents of gun control have no specific, concrete plans for implementing it, then they're just using it as an issue to get elected.

I'm not saying that you should let pragmatic considerations stop you from even attempting solutions... but at least be aware of the difficulties in applying a theoretical solution in the real world. Facts, physics, and math are pesky things.

An_Ominous 7 Mar 30
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How many times have I seen or heard the rebuttal to banning guns: If you outlaw guns the only outlaws will have guns. It is a truism but it is a reality. One can go to any big city that has very restrictive gun control and search the many inner city neighborhoods and find that most of the guns are in the wrong hands.

When I was younger I was in favor of gun control. As a martial arts practitioner of many years... I was against guns because they took away my advantages 🙂
But as I grew older I came to realize... there were just too many guns out there. All any gun control laws could possibly do is take them away from the "right" hands.
And as I grew older I started to understand a bit more of why the founders added the 2nd amendment.

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I like to come at the gun control debate from a different angle. I want suicide to be more difficult. The act of owning a gun or having it in a household massively increases the chance of suicide.

Now I admit adding a waiting period wouldn't do much for people that already have a gun, but if someone wants to shoot themselves now, they may change their mind in a day or two.

Acquiring a gun for the sole purpose of suicide... I imagine that filling out the paperwork would be kind of difficult.
Gun dealers probably shouldn't accept any applications from applicants that appear to be in an agitated state.
Then again, dealers are not psychologists and getting some sort of psychological screening training for all dealers would no doubt prove problematical.
Isn't there already a 5 day waiting period to purchase a gun?
A waiting period might deter someone in that frame of mind... but then again if they have the will they might find another way.
I think Suicide Prevention, through education and counseling should be more... prevalent.
My wife is a teacher and if she suspects a student is having thoughts about suicide she is required by law to contact a counselor.

Thanks for your reply.
Suicide... it's a delicate matter and it's harder to address because no one really wants to think or talk about it.

@An_Ominous Part of the reason no one really talks about suicide is because it can cause more suicides. It's a really weird balancing act you have to be able to pull when trying to tackle it.

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