# Resolved: Gun control is unworkable and impractical **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 7, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532 "2005-09-07T16:03:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/81 "2005-09-09T17:28:53Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > Since I have not offered a plan… Exactly. Apparently, the status quo is acceptable to you. That’s some plan you got there, Butch. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/82 "2005-09-09T18:47:50Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Exactly. > > Apparently, the status quo is acceptable to you. > > That’s some plan you got there, Butch. I don’t see a problem, Sundance. If anything, there are too many useless laws out there anyway. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/83 "2005-09-09T18:50:34Z")
Let me rephrase that… The problem isn’t a lack of laws, it is the lack of laws being followed by criminals and a lack of law enforcement _enforcing_ said laws. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/84 "2005-09-09T19:44:40Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > So now registration is synonynous with prohibition? Nobody said you can’t have guns. Nobody said you can’t buy guns. That isn’t anything like Prohibition. We banned the illegal sale of narcotics. How’s that working out? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/85 "2005-09-09T19:49:42Z")
> [@newcrasher](#): > > We banned the illegal sale of narcotics. > > How’s that working out? What kind of Bizarro logic is that? Banning narcotics is equal to not banning guns, how? ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/86 "2005-09-09T20:03:41Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > What kind of Bizarro logic is that? Banning narcotics is equal to not banning guns, how? I am not comparing the banning of the item (gun/narcotic). I am comparing the illegal sale of the item. Forget that many narcotics are illegal (w/o a prescription). The SALE of the narcotic is illegal as well. It doesn’t seem to have stopped the creation of a vast distribution system full of illegal sales and purchases. If your theory worked, the drug supply would have withered and disappeared by now, since the illegal sale of them has been law for decades. How do people find drugs, if the sale of them is banned? ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/87 "2005-09-09T20:04:11Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > How would gun control prevent people from defending their homes? Since when is gun control synonymous with gun seizure? Even the strictest proposed gun registration laws say nothing about seizing guns and preventing citizens from defending their homes. The notion that gun control, or gun registration is inevitably the first step to gun seizure, is a loony conspiracy theory. [Confiscation of Registered Guns in New Orleans](http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/08/national/nationalspecial/08cnd-storm.html?ei=5094&en=efe0a58b7fc8e12c&hp=&ex=1126238400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=all) How loony is it? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/88 "2005-09-09T20:08:52Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > What kind of Bizarro logic is that? Banning narcotics is equal to not banning guns, how? I’ve never heard of somebody being (genuinely) addicted to handguns. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/89 "2005-09-09T20:54:15Z")
> [@newcrasher](#): > > The SALE of the narcotic is illegal as well. It doesn’t seem to have stopped the creation of a vast distribution system full of illegal sales and purchases. Pardon me, where on this dime bag do I find the serial number, the one registered to the ATF so they can track down the one who made the illegal SALE? ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/90 "2005-09-09T21:11:52Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Pardon me, where on this dime bag do I find the serial number, the one registered to the ATF so they can track down the one who made the illegal SALE? The medicinal marijuana will have a prescription, as will the methadone and oxycontin. The ones that are illegal will not. Just like guns. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/91 "2005-09-09T21:50:33Z")
Sundance, are you going to respond to my points about registration leading to confiscation, or just keep on the drug thing? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/92 "2005-09-09T22:02:26Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > Sundance, are you going to respond to my points about registration leading to confiscation, or just keep on the drug thing? You made a claim to that effect, but I fail to see how what is taking place in NO has to do with the broader issue of registration and confiscation. I don’t buy it. For the record, I am against banning guns. I am against confiscating guns. I _am_ in favor of strict registration of guns. I don’t see any inconsistency in those postitions. ---
**Author:** ![Aagramn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Aagramn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aagramn)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/93 "2005-09-09T23:38:35Z")
> [@newcrasher](#): > > Have the recent events illustrated the fact that our Second Amendment rights are more essential now than ever? Is gun control a concept that has proven unrealistic and short sighted? It is easy during times of relative quiet and security to say no one needs powerful firearms, but if I was a New Orleaner last week, I would have wanted an AK-47, AR15 or assault shot gun to defend my family and property from the lawless. Disagree. A far larger number of people were made homeless by the Asian tsunami, yet I don’t remember any reports of lawlessness hindering aid operations. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/94 "2005-09-10T01:53:58Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > You made a claim to that effect, but I fail to see how what is taking place in NO has to do with the broader issue of registration and confiscation. I don’t buy it. Guns were registered by law abiding folks, now they are being confiscated, what part of that is not relevant? > [@](#): > > For the record, I am against banning guns. I am against confiscating guns. I _am_ in favor of strict registration of guns. I don’t see any inconsistency in those postitions. I couldn’t care less whether you are being inconsistent or not. You attempted to smear those who link registration with confiscation. I provided a cite, from today’s news stating exactly that. Police going door to door with lists of gunowners, law abiding gunowners by the way, forcing them to turn over their firearms. **THIS** is what happens when guns are registered, one does not need to be “LOONY” (your word) to see the truth. Your plan sucks. It stops no crimes from being commited, places lists of gun owners at the fingertips of any “well meaning” authorities, and makes buying or selling a gun a royal pain in the ass. Do you even know how guns are tracked today? To tell you the truth, what is happening in NOLA right now will cause NRA membership to swell. Specific example of what happens when you allow your guns to be registered. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/95 "2005-09-10T03:05:31Z")
If I believed, or could be convinced, that gun registration would never lead to confiscation or banning, I might consider it. But since there is no evidence that registration would lead to less crime, I would have to consider it again. I also think that many pro-control/registration folks think that anything is better than nothing. Just one more law. I also think that a good portion (not all) of the gun control folks, people that typically know nothing about guns, end up voting for anything that restricts gun ownership. The AWB and BMG ban demonstrates this. Chicago and DC’s ban are also good examples of how this gets pushed through. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/96 "2005-09-10T03:28:24Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > Guns were registered by law abiding folks, now they are being confiscated, what part of that is not relevant? So tell me, did they only confiscate guns from people who registered them, or did they pretty much take all of them? To hear you tell it, the criminals got to keep theirs. > [@](#): > > To tell you the truth, what is happening in NOLA right now will cause NRA membership to swell. You know, the gun confiscators hardly have to register guns to know where to find them all. All the need to do is seize all the NRA records, and they can bust down the doors of 6 million gun owners. No bureaucracy needed. How’s it feel to do the evil wicked government’s work for them? ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/97 "2005-09-10T03:39:16Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > So tell me, did they only confiscate guns from people who registered them, or did they pretty much take all of them? What difference does that make. Legal gun owners have had their LEGAL property siezed. > [@](#): > > To hear you tell it, the criminals got to keep theirs.You know, the gun confiscators hardly have to register guns to know where to find them all. All the need to do is seize all the NRA records, and they can bust down the doors of 6 million gun owners. No bureaucracy needed. How’s it feel to do the evil wicked government’s work for them? Grasping at straws now are we? Defend your idea not your strawman. ---
**Author:** ![OliverTwistofLime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b487fb/32.png) [@OliverTwistofLime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OliverTwistofLime)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/98 "2005-09-10T08:50:11Z")
Looks like we are not going anywhere in this debate. Here is an interesting thought one of my friends came up with: Good thing we have criminals…if we didn’t tens of thousands of police would be out of a job. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/99 "2005-09-10T12:04:05Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > What difference does that make. Legal gun owners have had their LEGAL property siezed. Well, since you were the one who argued that the confiscation was a direct result of registration, my point pretty much lets the air out of that canard. I know you don’t like the confiscation in NO, but I see no connection to registration. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532/100 "2005-09-10T14:07:01Z")
Many people that are for registration are also for outright banning. That’s what happened in Chicago. Violent Crimes per 100,000 Chicago – 1630 Houston – 1119 The only thing we know for sure is that registration will put a burden on honest gun owners, it will create a massive Bureaucracy, and it has led to banning in the past. That’s it. With that knowledge, it’s hard for me to believe that many, if not most gun control advocates are either completely uninformed, or have a (not so) hidden agenda. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-gun-control-is-unworkable-and-impractical/320532.md?page=6)