General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Can you guess what all this talk, talk, talk about gun control is doing? [View all]Socal31
(2,484 posts)In most ways that I agree with. I agree with more of our CA laws becoming the standard in most states. But there is a reason that even this tragedy will bring a token watered-down "hey, look we did something" bill if it passes at all.
Like most issues, the two fringes get the attention (gun buy-backs on one side, and the Prepper Ted Nugent whackos on the other). But unlike most issues, the people in the "middle" are so spread out across political, racial, economical, generational, and geographical backgrounds, that there needs to be serious, level-headed discussion. The fact that I have even posted about guns on this forum after years of membership, when I would never be mistaken for a bible-loon or Re-thug of any sort, by anyone who knows me personally....
It feels like the people that want no restrictions on guns at all have never been to LA, Oakland, Detroit, or Chicago. It seems like the people who want to completely ban personal firearms have never seen the beauty of most of my state, Montana, Alaska, etc, where calling 911 doesn't bring the armada, and shooting at something and missing doesn't go through your wall and into your neighbor's home.
As far as your points about the rest of the BoR being touched, I would say that is a weak argument. If you "threaten" someone with a gun when you do not have a legal right to, you will lose your freedom and gun privileges with a felony. If I were to buy a gun here in California, there is a 10 day waiting period while the feds check me out and to make sure it is not an emotional purchase. (This is something I am 100% for. In fact, this needs to go deeper....into mental health records.) If the government was given 10 days to review this post before it showed up on a publicly accessible message board, I would definitely have a problem with that, as I hope most people would.
The abomination that is the "Patriot Act" should definitely never be used as a basis for more restrictions. But mental health needs to be re-examined on a national level, at the same attention as gun control is getting right now.
We need to look at not only the reason that most shootings happen (drug war and economics), but we need to look at the reason that most mass-shootings happen (mental health). They are not mutually exclusive either.
Believe me, when I read that x% of Americans are on Benzodiazapines or Opiates or Amphetamine Salts, I think about guns, I think about people behind the wheel, I think about people working with heavy machinery, I think about a lot of things.
To end this rant that probably nobody read anyway, my whole point is that starting high like a used car salesman, much like my Senator is doing with her national gun bill that goes beyond even the current CA one, won't put us with a reasonable price at the signing table. It will turn off so many people, that we walk off the lot empty-handed.
Have a good night!