General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Your second amendment rights are getting in the way of our rights. [View all]OmahaBlueDog
(10,000 posts)Second, as I've said elsewhere on DU, I've lost two people I know (one of whom was very close) to gun violence. So, you'd think I'd be leaping to your side here. But I can't.
We didn't ban aircraft use after 9-11. We didn't ban the rental of trucks, or the sale of diesel fuel or anhydrous ammonia after OKC. A lot of people are killed and maimed by drunk drivers. We don't ban booze or cars. Bottom line, banning or heavily regulating gun sales won't stop people who are evil and or crazy from harming themselves or others.
Meanwhile, the burden of well intentioned regulation falls on the law-abiding. Ask any hunter or target shooter who has tried to ship a gun to a relative or buy ammunition. Ask anyone who has been to an airport since 9-11.
You may dislike the NRA as much as most conservatives dislike the ACLU, but both fight for the same thing -- a preservation of constitutional rights, even (or possibly especially) when preserving those rights is unpopular.
I'm not trying to start a flamefest here. I respect your viewpoint, but I disagree with it. Ultimately, my disagreement stems from the fact that the right to bear arms is Constitutionally guaranteed, and I don't like laws limiting second amendment rights much more than I like laws limiting first, fifth, or fourteenth amendment rights.