General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I do not want an "assault rifle" ban [View all]Deep13
(39,157 posts)no one's .22 is going to be used in a mass shooting or even a one off shooting. same with ancient firearms. there is no reason to punish a large segment of the voting public that has not done anything wrong.
houses are real estate. no one actually owns real estate, we only possess it. you pay taxes for the right to possess it. if i am paying punitive taxes on guns I owned before new regulations, then I want that money to be used to maintain public shooting ranges, the same way auto excise taxes pay to keep the roads paved. the dog licenses, well, that's just a way for the town to gouge you.
Here's an alternative proposal. SBRs, short-barrel rifles, are shoulder-mounted guns with barrels less than 16" long. They are technically legal, but only after a federal fee and special permit. You need that stuff before you can take possession. No ordinary gun shops sell SBRs because they are a bureaucratic pain in the ass. I have never heard of a gun crime being committed with a legally registered (as opposed to a hack-sawed improvised) SBR despite the fact that they are actually ideal for many crimes including mass shootings. Silencers are the same way. The states that allow them only allow them after a significant registration procedure. Lawful silencers are never used in crimes (again, not including things like shooting through a pillow).
So, treat any "assault weapon," however we end up defining that, as an SBR. Only serious gun enthusiasts will bother with the red tape and they will never transfer them to a third person.