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9 true gun stories you WON'T hear on the evening news...
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Baloo: [QB] [QUOTE]Baloo, I'm not saying that people should not have guns. End of story. QED. There are responsible gun owners out there.[/QUOTE] I agree. There are, and they are a very large majority. [QUOTE]I think the US would greatly benefit from the adoption of a weapons control program similar to that of Australia. This means that you can apply for a license which allows for certain types of civilian authorised rifles and pistols. To get the license they'll do all the usuall checks. This takes maybe 3 weeks.[/QUOTE] The U.S. gun laws require one to fill out a form that includes a lot of information about you, including history of mental health, criminal record, etc. (a long list). There used to be a one-week wait while they checked to see if you were ineligible to own a gun, but the local gun shop now can call a toll-free number and read the information to a representative from ATF, who checks it against his database. If you are legally eligible to own a gun (read that: no disqualifying characteristics, such as being underage, having been convicted of a felony, etc.) you may purchase the gun. The folks at the local gun shop would be more than happy to hold you for the police if you turned out to be a convicted felon or a parolee, since it's illegal to attempt to purchase a gun in that case. The procedure for purchasing a rifle is similar, but somewhat different. To purchase a muzzle-loading rifle, musket, or caplock revolver, you don't have to show anything except cash, but the percentage of blackpowder weapons used in crime is almost (if not actually) zero (the reload time alone would give the cops plenty of time to arrest you before you were a significant danger, having fired once). So tell me. How does waiting three weeks before I can take that puppy out to the range keep me safe? [QUOTE]After that you have to purchase 1 weapon at a time, and register each one with your local station.[/QUOTE] And what if I want that matched set of pistols for the Single-Action Shooting Society target shoot? Or a pistol and a rifle? Or a varmint gun for coyotes and a .22 revolver for rats and snakes in the barn? And the police don't have a need to know what I own unless it requires a special license (in which case they will). [QUOTE]At home, the weapon must be kept in a govt approved safe at all times, unless in transit to or from a shooting range.[/QUOTE] [list=1] [*]That's [i]my[/i] responsibility, not theirs. [*]What if I want to go shooting on public land (or private property, with the owner's permission)? That's legal here as long as you take the proper safety precautions. [*]What if I want to take it to a friend so he can see it or explain the proper way to care for it? [*]How do they know you are going to the range? Do you have to call them in advance? Do you have to have a special permit? Is it legal to stop for a soda and a sandwich along the way? [*]And who has the right to enter my house to check all this anyway? I'd like to see a search warrant before tolerating such an invasion of privacy. [/list] [QUOTE]This system basically ensures that people who are fit to own a weapon do so.[/QUOTE] Ours does, too. Of course, that's only when they follow the rules, and that applies to the Australian model as well. The folks who want illegal things badly enough will either get arrested, tried, and convicted (good!) or they will find a way to get what they want without getting caught (bad, of course). [QUOTE]Afterall, how many shootings are there in Australia? Even % wise.[/QUOTE] I don't know. You live there. You tell me? [QUOTE]I don't see why a law abiding US citizen would have a problem with that, afterall, if you have nothing to hide, what's the problem? This law actually protects you.[/QUOTE] "If you have nothing to hide, what's the problem?" ?!? Well, if the appointed officials are trustworthy and honest, they'll keep their noses out of other people's business until they have evidence that the law is being violated. That's part of what the privacy laws are for in the U.S. Never mind guns, for a moment. What if the local gendarmes decide they don't like the cut of your jib? It's happened before (not to me thankfully) and I like having the protection of the law from it's enforcers. Under the law they can't abuse my freedoms just because they want to have some amusement at my expense. That law protects you only as far as the police are willing and able (and don't have conflicting priorities). That is not much of a guarantee. I believe the current laws are adequate, when enforced (and I believe they are. Locally, anyhow). --Baloo [/QB][/QUOTE]
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