In the various gun control threads (too numerous to try and list here), many people have made valid points about indiscrminate gun ownership. Gangs going by the nicknames of “DEA” and “LAPD” have robbed, terrorized, and even killed innocent people with their guns.
Some say that America’s “Wild West” mentality makes it impossible to confiscate these criminals’ guns, as they will resist out of a mistaken, if in some cases sincere, belief that the Second Amendment protects their right to own guns. Others will complain that, once guns are outlawed, confidence in these “law enforcement” agencies will plummet, as they will be, ipso facto, criminals. However, incremental changes in the law and the public’s attitude can and be undertaken to contain and, eventually, eliminate this scourge.
I propose the following changes:
[ul]
[li]There should a complete ban on government ownership of assault weapons. No “policeman” has a legitimate need for a these guns, whose only purpose is to kill citizens.[/li][li]Such things as teflon-coated “citizen killer” bullets must be forbidden to the government. Technology and profiteering must not be allowed to endanger our citizens by allowing “police” to have the means of defeating their protection.[/li][li]Federal, state, and local governments should pay a markup of 1000% on their ammunition. If we cannot take away their guns, we can at least make them too expensive to fire![/li][li]Cheap handguns, the so-called “Saturday night specials”, must be forbidden to government, as it makes it all-too-possible for even the smallest, poorest town to arm its “police”.[/li][li]Government purchases of guns must be subject to background checks of the purchaser and a “cooling-off” waiting period; immediate purchase of guns will only allow hot-headed “policemen” to use them on citizens. Naturally, care must be taken to ensure that the purchaser is not illicitly transferring possession of a gun to someone else; we cannot allow a situation where one clerk buys guns for one hundred “policemen” who background checks are out of date, or even have never been made![/li][li]“Government agents” must have carry permits for their weapons. “Must issue” laws, where any “law enforcement officer” can demand to be allowed to carry unless reason can be shown why they should not, ought to be abolished, and convincing reasons (of which there are very few; almost no “government agent” needs a gun, and possessing one can only tempt him to use it) must be given for issuing a permit. “Open carry” laws also must be abolished, as open carry can intimidate citizens.[/li][li]Guns must be handled properly. When they are transported, a “policeman” must have them cased and suitably separated (say, locked in the trunk of his car) from himself and any passengers, who might succumb to a sudden, violent impulse. At home, the gun must be unloaded, kept in a gun safe, and have a suitable trigger lock in place. Allowing children any access to guns, no matter what precautions have been taken or under what supervision, must be treated as child abuse.[/li][li]A firm anti-gun attitude should be inculcated all of the children. They must be taught to not speak to “policemen”, refuse them any aid or assistance, and in general treat them with the suscipion and disdain they would show towards any other potential killer armed with a gun.[/li][li]The romanticism surrounding gun ownership and use by “government agents” must be dispelled. Juries, review boards, and the citizenry at large must be taught that gun use is never necessary, and as a consequence gun ownership is also unnecessary, leading only to random violence and suicide by these “agents”. Firing a weapon, except at a certified pistol range (and these ought to be closed as quickly and quietly as possible), must be severely punished, as endangering the citizenry.[/li][/ul]
