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New York Passes Landmark Gun Law
New submitter mallyn points out that the state of New York has become the first state to pass a new gun control law since the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary last month.
"Called the New York Safe Act, the law includes a tougher assault weapons ban that broadens the definition of what constitutes an assault weapon, and limits the capacity of magazines to seven bullets, down from 10. The law also requires background checks of ammunition and gun buyers, even in private sales, imposes tougher penalties for illegal gun use, a one-state check on all firearms purchases, and programs to cut gun violence in high-crime neighborhoods. ... New York's law also aims to keep guns out of the hands of those will mental illness. The law gives judges the power to require those who pose a threat to themselves or others get outpatient care. The law also requires that when a mental health professional determines a gun owner is likely to do harm, the risk must be reported and the gun removed by law enforcement."
Meanwhile, the Obama Administration is expected to propose a new federal assault weapons ban later today.
Way to miss the point.
Murder and assault harm other people, they are against the law for four main reasons (not all of which everyone believes in but there's overlap in the methods so it works out). To discourage people from doing them, so we can punish those that do them, so we can rehabilitate them, and so we can lock people up who show they will do them and hence prevent future repeats.
Possessing a 10 round magazine does not harm other people. Using a 10 round magazine to shoot more people that you could manage with a 7 round magazine does harm other people - but the shooting people part is the crime and that's already covered by the two items you already mentioned.
A better idea than banning 10 round magazines would be banning private ownership and use of cars, clothing, and bags/suitcases. Just how is the shooter going to get his assault rifle to the school without being seen and reported to the police and hence stopped before he can start? I admit it gets a little cold in New York State in the winter but I'm sure they can work something out.
I'm sure startled, panicked, untrained people spraying bullets left right and centre in a darkened cinema would have reduced the death toll to around a hundred.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
That's right, I think fully automatic rifles, grenades, RPGs, Javelin missiles, and shoulder fired AA missiles should be available at every Walmart. How else will I take on the UN black helicopters when they raid my ranch?
Also - if the government denies us this, only criminals will have these weapons, in effect making the public defenseless.
I gladly welcome greater regulation of all firearms, but I have no desire to see them outright banned. I am not an opponent of the Second Amendment, though it seems you seem to have a very limited view of what it says. Do not be confused, the Second Amendment does not simply say "The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed." If you bother to read the whole text, it states "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
The purpose of the Second Amendment is not to grant every yokel the right to whatever firearm they please. The purpose is not to take up arms against your own government, but rather to take up arms for your government, as part of a militia, in order to defend your country from others. Within that scope, I am fully supportive of the right of individuals to bear arms. However, I do not support the right of anyone and everyone to go buy an assault rifle with no regulation whatsoever, as many gun enthusiasts are crying out for.
Except you can convert an AR-15 to fully auto very very easily. You cant do that with grandpa's 30-06 or 12 gauge. Yeah I know, you're going to deny it or say how hard it is, but it's not. Just google 'how to convert AR-15 to automatic' and the instructions are there, plain as day. Yes, yes you now you are replying with stock answer #2 designed to convince me that I'm a moron, unpatriotic, how the people need to keep the gov't in check, etc.
I don't fucking care. From now until the day I die, I will fight to keep people like you from having them. Not one single person in the world who is not in the military/law enforcement has a legitimate need for a weapon that is convertible to automatic. Not one. Just because you WANT something does not mean you NEED it.
Enough is enough. Go crawl into your survival bunker and STFU.
At the time -- Clinton-era, think -- there was a major push by the anti-gun lobby. There was a major issue with gov't-funded research painting ridiculously poor pictures, using bad data and analysis, drawing bad conclusions, all in an effort to ban firearms.
That the statistics favour the anti-gun lobby doesn't mean they're bad statistics. It means the anti-gun lobby are right.