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Gun control debate: Background checks
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Just as this title is misleading, so is every gun-control advocate's attempt at making gun control sound like a good idea. I recently watched a video where Ted Nugent faced off against Piers Morgan about gun control. Mr. Piers' stance is "guns must be less accessible (to everyone)". He would like to have every gun in the world destroyed, but that's just not going to happen. But what Ted Nugent failed to express is WHY accessibility remains at the forefront of the battle. First, it is a federal offense for any convicted felon to be in possession of any firearm. Plain and simple. Second, all retailers are required by federal law to complete background checks for all firearm(s) purchases. Again, plain and simple. This includes gun shows where retailers are doing business. This does not include private sales. We'll get to that in a moment. The VAST majority of gun crime is committed in heavily populated areas and by gangs and convicted criminals. "Well how did they get guns"? Well you see, many gang members have never been convicted of a felony. And that's what a background check actually checks! So if they haven't been convicted, they can legally purchase a firearm. Now they have a gun they intend to use wrongly. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a legal purchase. But since there are so many guns in circulation, criminals will always have their guns, so restricting the ability to purchase them doesn't keep them from buying them at retail because the only ones who do that don't have a criminal record because they haven't been caught. The rest of them buy off the streets. So what about the "gun show loop hole"? Let's be clear: if you are a retailer (which means you have an FFL), and are selling a firearm from your store's inventory, you are required by law to complete a background check. This goes even for gun shows. But if you are an individual making a personal sale, you are not required to provide one. It doesn't matter where you make the sale. So there really isn't a "gun show loop hole". What you are really talking about is the "personal sale loop hole". The VAST majority of gun owners obey the law. Since it is legal to sell and trade firearms, we do. Anybody who sells their guns don't like to sell them. They sell them for one of 2 main reasons: get money for something more important than their hobby, or to trade UP (or to trade down for budgetary reasons...again relating to what's more important). Most people who buy guns from individuals have a mutual interest-be it hunting, tactical, or competition shooting. If you are so concerned that a criminal is going to make a purchase in the form of a "personal sale", please keep in mind that any responsible gun owner is going to take into consideration who he is selling to. If this guy looks like a straight up thug, then in my book, he's not buying my gun. As for "crazies" who have no record and look normal, but are planning a mass assault or whatever, how are you going to stop him? No record, so no background check will help. Well...you aren't going to stop him. As for online sales of guns, the only way you can purchase one of those is if the firearm is shipped to someone holding an FFL license (because it is illegal to ship firearms to non-FFL holders). Again, a background check is REQUIRED because now that gun is coming out of that retailer's "inventory". Even then, you can't get around it (except for advertising a personal sale in the classifieds such as craigslist or your local paper). So what? You want to make personal sales illegal? That will greatly hurt the gun industry. While prices don't drop a lot for guns, they do drop enough in private sales as compared to retailers that helps people buy guns they normally can't afford. Again the reason people sell is because they want something else, so they will no longer buy product for that gun. But the person who does buy it WILL buy product for it. But if no one can trade guns, then gun product consumption will decrease, thereby hurting the gun industry (IE economy, jobs, etc). So what do you want to do? Require background checks for personal sales? OK, i'm down with that. As long as you make the service FREE. Otherwise, cash non-refundable will be demanded of the purchaser. Want to make it a requirement that all personal sales must be brought to a retailer so a background check can be accomplished? OK, I'm down with that too, but there will be an extra fee from the retailer that will fall on the purchaser. And keep in mind, a background check, while a very good thing, is not comprehensive. It checks only for felony convictions. It doesn't give a medical history listing mental illnesses or drug prescription/usage, any type of drug or alcohol abuse history, etc. Even though those checks are good, they only do so much. This is why you see, and very wisely, gun-rights people crying out for more help for the mentally unstable, crying out for the heavy restiction/abolishment of violent video games and other media. The first amendment provides freedom of speech. Video games aren't speech. Last time I checked, speech meant what sounds were coming out of my mouth. What about how much negative news is spread on TV? The news media blasts the names of criminals and all bad things that happen SO MUCH it's disgusting! I can't find ANY good news! It's so rare! Why do they report so much negativity? They only bring fame to bad guys, and that's what they want! Then it gives other people the idea to do the same or 1-up it. If They didn't report it, it wouldn't happen as much. So you can see that there are so many other things wrong with American society besides the availability of guns. The availability of guns IS OUR FREEDOM. Our country and constitution was founded by militiamen. You respect our founding fathers so much? Then don't try to undo what they fought to give you. You take that away, you spit in their faces saying, "I don't want your freedom". Another thing I'd like to point out is this: our education system is WHACK. how much teaching did I get on our constitution and other basic historical documents? Very little. Was I expected to memorize it and know what it means, get historical context and the meaning of word usage back then? Nope. I do wish I was! I'm now having to educate myself on that! Our children need to be educated on our government system and educated well. Not only that, they need to be taught to appreciate what they have and how valuable our constitution is. They also need to be instilled with passion that says, "The constitution is the ultimate law of the land. If my government oversteps these guidelines, then it is my responsibility to stand up and say 'NO' ". That is was gun owners recognize. There are other ways to curb "gun violence". While mass murders are tragic, more people are killed every day across the country than any recent mass murder, and every year, the majority of murders are committed by means other than a gun. Evil is simply a human condition. Guns are not evil. Let us be able to readily protect ourselves and others from tyrannical government and from bad guys with the most effective means possible: a gun.
Sincerely,
Micah Rockwell
Sincerely,
Micah Rockwell
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