Because it’s not more likely than not that an ex-felon would cause havok with an automobile. For starters.
Driver training and standards for driving enable us to take the licenses away when people screw up, or do things that stastically lead to screwing up.
Pro-gun and dem, here. In fact, sometimes it’s the issue that drive me to vote for a third party candidate.
Yeah, and suspending and revoking driver’s licenses works so well to keep drunk drivers off the road.
I can’t even count the number of people I see in the police report being caught driving without a license, some of them five, six, ten times.
She’s saying that we don’t license and register drivers to make driving safer… we do it to regulate who uses public roads.
The ultimate point, rjung: Licensing and registering firearms will do no good aside from be a major hassle to gun owners, and act as a major threat to their rights (take a gander at New York City and Washington, D.C., buddy boy).
Where are minors allowed to buy cars? Last I checked, you had to be 18 to register a car, as well as to sign the various contracts, loan forms, etc. involved in paying for it and transferring the title.
I had a car registered in my name the day I turned 16. The state seemed only to care whether or not I had the money to pay the annual fee.
And I didn’t need loan forms or contracts to get the car, so that issue never came up.
Don’t pick nits, Mr2001… minors are allowed to drive, which is something I’ve always found daffy: They’re allowed to be in charge of a ton and a half of a hurtling pile of metal death that can kill dozens of people if placed just right, but they can’t vote…
But then, that’s a completely different debate.
ANYWAY, what Susanann’s post demonstrates, quite clearly in my eyes, is that comparing gun ownership to car ownership is silly.
Pro-responsible-gun-ownership-non-member-of-any-politcal-party person checking in.
I lean more towards Democrats than Republicans, but that’s because I’m kinda liberal on most issues. Guns are one thing I’ve actually changed my mind about, though.
I used to be anti-private-citizens-owning-guns. Even though my first husband was an avid hunter, and he insisted that I learn to shoot his guns (he wasn’t going to get rid of them just because I didn’t like them), and I did. I even learned to absolutely love venison. But I still didn’t like guns. Then, I joined the SDMB.
I realized it wasn’t the guns that were the actual problem. It was the completely stupid people with no clue as to personal responsibility for those guns that was the problem.
I still don’t own guns, and never will. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to fight against private ownership of guns anymore. <i>Most</i> gun owners respect and obey the laws that are in place. They handle their guns safely, and store them properly where no one could be accidentally harmed. They buy their guns from fully licensed dealers, and never have any intention of using those guns to commit any crimes whatsoever. Hell, they buy them for the same reason I buy Barbies–they’re cool to look at, fun to have, and every once in a while, you can take them out and play with them (of course, you don’t play with a gun the same way you play with a Barbie, but I assume you understand what I mean).
I must say, though, that comparing car ownership to gun ownership is kinda silly…but kinda not. Because even though I will no longer argue any law-abiding citizens’ right to own a gun…guns and cars were created for two entirely different purposes. The purpose of a car is so that the person behind the wheel can get from Point A to Point B, for whatever reason. The purpose of a gun is so that the person holding it can kill something, for whatever reason. Of course, the person behind the wheel of the car may decide to turn said vehicle into a bomb and drive it into a building, deliberately harming lots of people. And the person who owns the gun may do nothing more with said gun than hang it on the wall for show. But whether or not those objects fulfill their intended purpose is *entirely up to the person handling the object. *
But I’m also for stricter background checks on people purchasing cars (from dealers–as with guns, the only way you could truly regulate private sales would be to make them entirely illegal), and I’m also okay with being licensed to own guns. There’s nothing wrong, IMHO, with not selling a car to someone because the buyer cannot provide the proper evidence that he/she has successfully completed the training required to learn how to operate a motor vehicle. I can’t see a problem with a gun buyer being required to provide similar evidence–documentation showing that he/she has successfully completed training to learn how to operate a gun. And just as you have to have different licenses for different motor vehicles (motorcycles, different types of trucks, etc.), I don’t see a problem with licensing for different classes of guns.
If registering guns will cause a problem (like the aforementioned problems with confiscation of said guns after ownership was made illegal), well…there’s got to be a better way. Because even though I don’t own guns and don’t want to, even I can see the inherent wrongness in that. I mean, my husband just bought a van last week. And if next week, the government decides that that type of van should be outlawed, well, hell yes I’d be pissed off.
Interesting discussion, though, and I’m learning a lot here!