The Onion’s Tips For Passing Gun Control Legislation

[Orrex]

45. Ok.

Last edited Thu May 29, 2014, 01:45 PM - Edit history (1)

I think we can do a better job of identifying those people who are potentially dangerous beyond what we do now. There are serous due process and privacy issues, but I think it can be worked out.

That's a big "if." Short of daily, comprehensive psychological evaluations of every person in the country, I don't see how this could be implemented realistically. A great many people who reveal themselves as actually dangerous don't appear potentially dangerous prior to the event. Sure, assholes like Rodgers did a lot of telegraphing before his spree, but I'm not confident that other killers give off warning signals that could be discerned beforehand.

We can improve private sales by requiring a NICS check and opening NICS to the public.

I'm ok with this.

And we can improve access to mental health

That might catch some small fraction of the small fraction of mentally ill people who commit crimes with guns, but it risks trampling on the civil rights of the others. Do we force psychological treatment on people who refuse it? Are we ok further stigmatizing mental illness by effectively assuming that diagnosable/treatable mental illness is a factor in a significant fractino of gun crimes?

and end the drug wars.

We should definitely end the drug wars, but I'm not convinced that this will have a demonstrable effect on non-drug-related gun crime. It might reduce gun sales, which is a good thing, but it's not clear that this will reduce gun crime in turn.

I think antiRKBA folks making the case for registration and making a crime out of not reporting being a victim of a crime will promote massive resistance and fewer restrictions being put into place.

It's a mistake to equate a call for responsible gun legislation with "antiRKBA folks." By your reasoning, nothing can be done at all unless we first and foremost promise not to hurt the NRA's feelings.

So carry on.