Gun control

[LHutton]

I was thinking more in terms of the doctor simply informing a proposed gun licensing agency (like the DMV but for guns) that the person is no longer fit to own a gun, and they then revoke the person's license and I ask them to hand in the licensed weapons (which would be recorded on their license with every purchase) within 7 days, giving them a full refund. No confidential details need be involved, just a gun fit - yes/no - type affair.

[thesameguy]

Yeah, that'd be my vision as well. That's how driver's license revocations/suspensions work, no reason a gun license needs to be any different.

There are certainly significant logistics in what happens next - do you turn in your gun? Is it held for you? Who holds it? If you don't turn it in, do the cops come after you? No idea. Any sort of regulation here is going to be complicated from an enforcement perspective.

I ultimately just don't have enough information to come to what I'd consider a useful opinion on this matter. I believe gun control is boondoggle from a variety of standpoints. People that want to do harm are going to do harm, whether it's driving a semi through a playground or burning down churches. I think attempts to legislate away tools of violence wastes resources that are better allocated towards managing causes of violence. I would much rather have more, better-educated police than a task force sent to collect firearms. I would rather have better [mental] healthcare than a bureaucracy that manages medical exceptions to gun licenses. I would rather have a ditch-digging public works program than bigger jails to house people who break gun possession laws.

In modern society where things are cheap and transport is easy I don't see a lot of value in bans on anything. I see huge value in giving people reasons and opportunities to get along. Our government has become so obsessed with validating itself with the creation of legislation that I believe it's lost sight of the actual goal. It'll all part of a broader myopia that affects us all.

[LHutton]

Yeah, that'd be my vision as well. That's how driver's license revocations/suspensions work, no reason a gun license needs to be any different.

There are certainly significant logistics in what happens next - do you turn in your gun? Is it held for you? Who holds it? If you don't turn it in, do the cops come after you? No idea. Any sort of regulation here is going to be complicated from an enforcement perspective.

I ultimately just don't have enough information to come to what I'd consider a useful opinion on this matter. I believe gun control is boondoggle from a variety of standpoints. People that want to do harm are going to do harm, whether it's driving a semi through a playground or burning down churches. I think attempts to legislate away tools of violence wastes resources that are better allocated towards managing causes of violence. I would much rather have more, better-educated police than a task force sent to collect firearms. I would rather have better [mental] healthcare than a bureaucracy that manages medical exceptions to gun licenses. I would rather have a ditch-digging public works program than bigger jails to house people who break gun possession laws.

In modern society where things are cheap and transport is easy I don't see a lot of value in bans on anything. I see huge value in giving people reasons and opportunities to get along. Our government has become so obsessed with validating itself with the creation of legislation that I believe it's lost sight of the actual goal. It'll all part of a broader myopia that affects us all.

I would basically implement a fine on top of admin costs for late handover and then give the GLA (Gun Licensing Authority) police powers to come and seize the unlicensed guns.

I broadly agree with the rest of it but you can't have crazy people with guns anymore than you can let blind people drive cars. The risk is at a level where government intervention is necessary. I don't believe in bans on certain types of weapon (they tried that twice in the UK and a third massacre still happened, they didn't repeat the mistake a third time) but I do believe in stricter licensing. Sure there are other ways of causing harm but not as conveniently and they don't lend themselves so well to a get-out-of-jail by shooting yourself in the head afterwards plan.

It would be nice if everyone could just get along, but unfortunately this is reality. Unemployment is a cause of violence but not having 100% employment is government policy and there are no plans to end it.

[Dicknose]

Need to be careful of having doctors get involved, mostly because it would discourage people for seeking professional help.
You could further alienate people who actually need help.

[thesameguy]

I broadly agree with the rest of it but you can't have crazy people with guns anymore than you can let blind people drive cars. The risk is at a level where government intervention is necessary.

Oh, for sure. I'm just not adequately versed in what is necessary to get a gun license in the first place, nevermind the fact that it does vary by state. A lot of people assert that gun control laws in most places are already quite strict and certainly adequate. The ratio of firearm crime vs. licensed weapons seems to support the idea that most people shooting other people aren't doing it with weapons carried legally. You see the same thing with drugs and even prostitution - the people being irresponsible are doing so totally outside the law. Making stricter laws doesn't stop the scary people, they weren't law-abiding to start with.

Need to be careful of having doctors get involved, mostly because it would discourage people for seeking professional help. You could further alienate people who actually need help.

It's very true, and personally I don't trust bureaucracies enough to suggest some centralized psyche eval prior getting a license. There is just no way that works out.

[Godson]

Oh, for sure. I'm just not adequately versed in what is necessary to get a gun license in the first place, nevermind the fact that it does vary by state. A lot of people assert that gun control laws in most places are already quite strict and certainly adequate. The ratio of firearm crime vs. licensed weapons seems to support the idea that most people shooting other people aren't doing it with weapons carried legally. You see the same thing with drugs and even prostitution - the people being irresponsible are doing so totally outside the law. Making stricter laws doesn't stop the scary people, they weren't law-abiding to start with.



It's very true, and personally I don't trust bureaucracies enough to suggest some centralized psyche eval prior getting a license. There is just no way that works out.

No license is required for purchase of a gun outside of a drivers license.

[thesameguy]

Not in California... gotta have an FSC to get any type of gun.

[Godson]

Well, California is kinda another country.

[LHutton]

Oh, for sure. I'm just not adequately versed in what is necessary to get a gun license in the first place, nevermind the fact that it does vary by state. A lot of people assert that gun control laws in most places are already quite strict and certainly adequate. The ratio of firearm crime vs. licensed weapons seems to support the idea that most people shooting other people aren't doing it with weapons carried legally. You see the same thing with drugs and even prostitution - the people being irresponsible are doing so totally outside the law. Making stricter laws doesn't stop the scary people, they weren't law-abiding to start with.

Well that's another part of the problem, guns enter the system legally and then find their way to illegals via unrecorded weapon sales.

Need to be careful of having doctors get involved, mostly because it would discourage people for seeking professional help. You could further alienate people who actually need help.

Surely you could say the same about epilepsy and driving?

[Conman]

So, not having a drivers license kept my brother from driving for almost two years. Damn, I wonder who that guy was driving his car. Dumbasses.

Rules are not for rule-breakers. Locks are for honest people.

Any license to own or operate anything is for the law-abiding citizen. The nut jobs and law-breakers are going to do as they please. But please carry on in your utopian version of gun-control.