Re: Days Since Last Mass Shooting: 0
Just because another plane might crash for an entirely different reason doesn't mean it isn't worth fixing the reason this particular plane crashed going forward.
Ok, so we investigate this. Now, what do we do? What is the fix you've identified?
This guy was a security guard. He apparently had a special license authorizing him to have or carry a weapon, in addition to the conceal and carry permit available to the general public who meet the requirements. How exactly does the background check prevent this shooting (and keep in mind, I don't oppose background checks)?
The guy was carrying an AR-15, but also had at least one handgun. So, are you proposing we ban both of those? If you propose just banning one, what about the other one? You don't think he takes two handguns with him, or maybe a shotgun and a handgun if the AR-15 is banned.
People here have suggested, "just treat guns like cars", like with two seconds thought they've stumbled onto the magic bullet (pun intended) for solving gun violence.
But let's think this through.
Both are items of personal property. Both can be purchased new through dealers, and used through dealers and/or private citizens.
Both have identifying numbers, but cars also have a license plate, visible to anyone (i.e. law enforcement) who come across that vehicle in public. Are we going to do something similar with guns? Do we have to renew those plates?
Once you lawfully buy one of these items, it will leave your possession in one of these ways: You will lose it, it will be stolen from you, you will sell or barter it, you will give it away, you will die and someone will inherit it, or it will be come junk and you will discard it.
In none of those examples, with cars, do we put any sort of onus on the seller to make sure that the buyer/receiver of the property is licensed, has passed a background check, is not mentally ill, is not on some watch list or no-fly list, etc... Are we going to do that with private sellers of guns, because if that's your proposal, forget about it. That simply won't work. It's not possible. People aren't smart enough to figure that out and won't do it anyway.
So, we just let private sellers sell or gift or devise their guns to whomever they want. Now what? There goes your treating guns like cars theory.
A person who receives a car by purchase or gift or bequest actually needs to take the title and go down and register it otherwise its useless to them. If they don't do that, they'll be driving around in public with no valid plates or registration and they will be stopped. How will that work with guns, exactly?
I'll tell you how it will work. The bad guy will buy it at a private sale, he won't register it, and before you ever figure it out he'll use it to shoot up a nightclub.
I've never said we should stop thinking of possible ways to address these shootings. What I have said is that these ideas that you guys are floating simply won't work, but all they'll do is give politicians a chance to pat themselves on the back and claim they did something good for us.
