SWEET!!! A GUN BAN DEBATE!!!
At one point in time, I was on the other side (anti) of the issue. I'm reluctant to admit that these days. But then I got to thinking...what was the intent of the framers of the constitution, concerning the 2nd amendment? That the citizen should possess a firearm, solely for the right to hunt? Perhaps for self defense then, against thy neighbor? OR that citizens have the right to possess firearms, should the need arise to overthrow a corrupt government??? (which if you remember, was what happened back around 1776).
Problem is, the government at this point far outguns any thing the population can possibly muster. With all of the smart bombs and fully automatic rifles, etc... If the antis had it their way, every firearm would be registered (think Canada), and the most lethal weapon you could hope to own would be a break action shotgun/rifle.
I think a law abiding citizen ought to be able to possess basically anything short of a WMD (i.e. nuclear, biological).
HOWEVER, that being said, I think a person who chooses to own a fully automatic weapon ought to be held accountable, to the fullest extent of the law, should that weapon be stolen or misused in any manner...bottomline. I understand my statement might sound a bit radical
, but I also believe in QUICK, and accurate background checks. I think with todays technology, they ought to be able to conduct an accurate, on the spot background check... or if they still purport that statistics prove that a "waiting period" significantly reduces crimes of passion
and the like, I suppose a three-day "cooling off" period
, before you buy an Uzi, might be ok
(I just wanted to see how many graemlins I could fit into one splurge!)
OK, now bring it on!
EDIT: Well said Blake. Funny that I was sitting here at work, being constantly interrupted with, like work and stuff, that it took me about 40 minutes before I could complete the post