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I am a gun owner who is licensed and trained. I enjoy shooting a great deal. I do not support the NRA as their positions on guns is stupid. How can we get proper laws on the books regarding guns and their use.I oppose total disarming as I think of Germany but practical laws should be passed like having been properly trained and of the healthy mind. Those that have been in spousal abuse should be disarmed. What are your suggestions?

Marine 8 Nov 15
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3

It would help if reasonable gun owners got together and requested a ban on certain gun types or bump stocks. Most of us that want limits, really don’t want to take away all guns.

CS60 Level 7 Nov 15, 2017

It really would be nice if we could do that. I would just like some people who right the laws to be a gun owner who is familiar with abuses.

@Harleyman Since you've decided to call me an asshole, you can go to hell and take you dam guns with you!.

@Harleyman I went back and looked at a poll you ran. 21 people voted 10 "keep your hands off" and 11 " ban especially hand guns". What struck me was 14 people either said something to the effect of "didn't vote not enough options" or their replies indicated a more middle ground. I would suggest this is a mainly liberal group of people on this site. So your own poll contradicts you comment about liberal not being satisfied until all guns are banned. I'm curious if you've revisited that poll.

Many of us liberals own and enjoy shooting, whether for sport or hunting. And for those reasons we don't want to take away all guns. I suspect many conservatives are as heartbroken and upset at the mass shootings as liberals. I would love to hear how conservative gun owners would do that. We need to find common ground and stop the senseless killing.

Am I understanding you correctly, that we should do nothing about mass shootings?

1

I really don't see how enacting more gun laws are going to prevent shootings when we don't even enforce the laws we now have on the books. We need to start enforcing what laws we already have consistently and without prejudice, and only after we have done that evaluate what is working/not working and go from there. I agree, something needs to be done; however it does no good to enact law after law and then forget about them (or worse yet don't enforce them because the suspect is white/rich/Christian/etc).

2

I wish I had some positive suggestions especially since we hear of mass shooting (+4 dead or more) almost everyday in America now. I believe it is a cultural issue so one that is going to take a very long time to change in the minds of voters. The facts are obvious, but somehow voters believe that by making gun control basically for even the sound of mind, affects their 2nd Amendment rights and is the start of taking their guns away. It is basically childish, so we generally deal with children by doing what we know to be right as adults. Sadly these children just happen to now be armed and there seem to be A LOT of them in America. We don't mind most folks having guns, just have a little bit of sanity around who has them. How do you change American culture???

We start by reducing the number of police shows on tv and by stop having the news media keep replaying the news over and over again. Next we have someone who is familiar with guns assist in making the laws. Then we enforce those laws. There are places in my city that I know I could purchase a gun on the street. these need to be taken down. Those who are convicted of home abuse need to be disarmed. Gun laws should be federal and uniform in every state. Military type rifles do not belong in the hands of hunters. Magazine size should be used.These are sensible laws.

4

The thing is, the rednecks won't take kindly to any of their guns being taken away. Personally, I'm quite happy with the gun laws in the UK; criminal record checks and a legal reason to own a firearm, you can get a shotgun, rifle, even sniper. For us, it took a massacre to get us to impose restrictions on weapon ownership through democratic vote. The USA is so accustomed to these that it's become desensitised to the plight of its citizens.

Those rednecks also put trump in power . Now he is dismantling their benefits like social security,health care ,environment,and making the rich that much more wealthy!

5

We have a system of legalized corruption and bribery called lobbying, until that changes, expect no rational legislation.

This one more area that needs correcting.

0

To be honest, why not just replace lead or metal bullets with rubber bullets? It's probably not going to be feasible however if you did this it would provide people with a less-lethal form of self defense. It satisfies the desires of the individual and partially the purpose of the 2nd amendment. I still think you'll need metal bullets for long range rifles and mid range rifles but maybe only sell those at ranges or have a tier class license system for purchasing lethal vs less than lethal ammunition.

Personally I think that everyone should have the privilege of gun ownership once they turn 18 and have undergone significant safety training and weapons handling training. At least until/unless they have shown to be an unsafe member of society (i.e. drug habit, alcohol abuse, past criminal activity, aggressive behavior, mental illness, etc.). So it should be free for all to access if they meet the basic minimum requirements that show they are not a threat to others or themselves.

Also regardless if the USA passes any gun laws, you're just going to see an increase in deaths at the hands of knives, acid, arson, etc. Australia has extremely strict gun laws but they don't work. We still get criminal gangs running around with guns, or the police lose their pistols. Plus whenever there is a gun related issue in the US, for some reason our politicians turn it into a "we need stricter gun laws" debate and pass a new bill which increases the cost of owning a firearm for law abiding citizens. They punish the law abiding citizens for something they didn't do. Thats ludicrous.

0

I don't often agree with our Oligarch but he's correct in saying the problem is one of mental health. Sadly, it's a'Merikan culture (going back to 1786, at least) which has created the culture. We are violent. In all our years this nation has only had a couple dozen which were peacetime. War does terrible things to human minds (both as a soldier and as a society in which we read about, and pass off, the horrors of war). We then carry that violent nature into our entertainment, idioms, children's games, adult games, problem solving ("I'm going to kill so-and-so for doing such-and-such" ), and all other manners of society. We worship the gun-toting violence of the Old West and gangster periods. It's astounding we've made it this far.
My solution would be to flood the nation with mental health and counseling centers. Make them as common as Pay-Day Loan centers and much, much, cheaper. If someone was having real trouble coping they should even be able to see someone who is paid by health taxes. This might help calm down people who are in the moment. People should not be faced with being involuntary detention for thoughts of hurting themselves, either, as it discourages from seeking a counselor.
But society also needs to start reigning in our love for weapons. If a gun is the ultimate solution to everything from a locked door to killer satellites then we have an unrealistic view. Let's start paying more attention to human dramas in storytelling and humor in tolerance. Maybe in a few generations this disease of mass murder will die out.

The right to ownership should also require a doctor.s approval. That would screen the mental problems to a degree. Gun ownership is a privilege as well as a right.

In a sense, all rights are privilege because a nation must have enough basic wealth to make such concerns possible. If I'm worried about roving bands of govt assassins then free speech is probably not high on my list of concerns for the moment. But our constitution does make gun ownership a right. Now, one can't say just anything despite having free speech, and our possessions can be searched despite a constitutional right against that, so I see no reason why guns can't have provisions to limit their danger. Sadly, saying so in a campaign tends to lose votes and elections so I don't uphold the idea of doing so. I think the GOP has made this an issue which only they can address. Eventually they'll have to. Democrats should focus on winning issues like healthcare expansion (including mental health). If we don't get elected we can't enact better policies and more people will die from lack of healthcare (even with ACA) than do from shootings.
Ideally we'll eventually settle both.

3

As long as the NRA can give money to lawmakers don’t expect anything to change. The same holds true for drug costs and affordable healthcare.

The NRA is part of the problem and the Constitution is enough protection.

1

Getting proper and practical laws in this country regarding guns is about as possible as getting the actual country to obey their own laws. Nixon summed it up the mentality of the country best, "When the President does it, that means that it is not illegal".

1

Unfortunately, I think it will take many more tragedies.

I was thinking though, that if a pool owner can be held responsible for a kid hopping over their fence and drowning, just because they own a pool (I don't agree with this by the way. I think if a kid respasses and gets hurt it's the kids own fault and the parents should nto be able to sue just because they didn't teach their kids any better). Then I think gun owners should be held accountable for not properly storing weapons and ammo in a gun safe. Let there be a few huge lawsuits filed against gun owners for being irresponsible, and the laws may not change much, but gun owners would suddenly start to act more responsibly.

I think most people who should nto have guns but do anyways, own guns because deep down they feel inadequate in some way and are afraid, and owning a gun makes them feel like others wont' challenge them on their inadequacies. So make them afraid of beign sued. Scare them into beign responsible.

Ideally, I think all assault weapons should be banned and all hand guns should be registered. The two commonalities between hand guns and assault weapons is that both were designed specifically to be used against other people.

It is sad that responsible gun owners get painted with the same wide defamatory brush as the immature and insecure idiot gun owners.

Lately the shooters have been getting killed and I doubt most anything worth suing for. Most seem to be angry losers.

Sadly guns were designed to kill even though I use them for pleasure. I have never hunted but I have served in the military. The laws are not uniform and not well enforced. I feel that licences should be federal and include a medical checkup.

1

I lived in Germany for 15 years. My parents once visited me and my dad complained about the, supposed laws against owning guns. All this as he was speeding down the Autobahn. My mother replied we have rules controlling speed but not guns, with the Germans it is the other way around. They have a different perspective on what is important.
As many know Germany produced/s some of the best and most famous guns. They are also a very big hunting society. Many restaurants are "wild" meaning there is game meat on the menu. One must belong to a hunting club and pass some tests on hunting rules to be able to hunt. Guns are kept at the clubhouse. People can collect guns but the ammunition is controlled. True there are laws to control the use of guns but not ban their ownership.
I live on an island with a lot of sheepherders. Therefore predators are not allowed which means the deer and rabbit population has exploded (kind of like people). Hunting is allowed during certain times. Rifles are banned as they are too powerful and many hunting sites are also hiking trails and part of a National Monument. Shotguns, muzzle loaders, pistols,bows and crossbows are permitted. I was thinking, in light of the recent shootings, if the county can control rifles maybe we can enact a ban on assault guns. Some of us will pursue this.

My problem is gun laws are being made by people who do not understand guns and how they work. Thus the laws are stupid and do not address the real problems. I would have a problem with having my gun available only at a gun store. I have a license to carry concealed weapon and prize this right highly and do not abuse it. I am trained ,shot expert in the Marines , keep my guns properly stored

3

I think you would have to start by get a group of like minded people together. Possibly a sportsman club. Unfortunately, the NRA has poisoned a lot of minds, and the republican party.
I have seen some posts from veterans and others that agree with common sense gun control.

I as a gun owner have been to the state hearings and my voice and others like me were not heard.This is also a problem because we have people making laws that do not understand guns and sensible laws are not being created. Spousal abuse should be cause to disarm an individual, Not enough effort is being placed on buying of illegal guns. Many of the shootings in my state are drug related or at least gang related. These gangs need to be disbanded.Laws against military rifles need to be passed and magazine restrictions on automatics.

1

Your comment about Germany I do not understand. I spent years in Germany and I can tell you that the Nazis did not disarm people -- they armed them. After WWI private possession of firearms was forbidden, except in shooting and hunting clubs and the weapons had to be kept in the club and not at home. As a result gun deaths in Germany are s mall fraction of what we have here. How can you oppose that outcome? Australia DID disarm people and the results have been great -- hugely lower gun deaths and reduced crime. How can you oppose that outcome.

As a teenager I joined the NRA because -- at that time- it supported hunting and gun safety. I am a gun owner and fired "expert" with an assault rifle while in the us Army. But I do not believe that any private citizen should own an assault rifle, an automatic weapon of any kind -- rifle or pistol or any pistol as the primary purpose of those guns is killing people. We could do it too if we had the strength of character!

Why does one have to be a part of the NRA to support safety? Of course all that has changed. Now, according to a NRA advertisement, there are 3 precious metals, Gold, Silver and 'Lead'.

I agree with most of your comments but have a problem with automatic pistols as these can be controlled by magazine size. With regard to assault rifles I totally agree, they serve no purpose for hunting and should not be permitted. I also shot expert on rifle and pistol in the Marines and have been shooting since I was 10 years old.. I have never hunted as I do not believe in killing for fun! There does not seem to be any laws controlling the purchase of parts to convert weapons to auto and I think these mail order places need to be shut down.It would be nice if the people making the laws included people that shoot which would avoid dumb laws and requirements.

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