Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles; site ea.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!ea!mwm From: mwm@ea.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: Gun Control again... A Position Pape - (nf) Message-ID: <3300042@ea.UUCP> Date: Mon, 23-Jul-84 15:06:00 EDT Article-I.D.: ea.3300042 Posted: Mon Jul 23 15:06:00 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 27-Jul-84 08:57:09 EDT References: <801@ihuxp.UUCP> Lines: 44 Nf-ID: #R:ihuxp:-80100:ea:3300042:000:1922 Nf-From: ea!mwm Jul 23 14:06:00 1984 #R:ihuxp:-80100:ea:3300042:000:1922 ea!mwm Jul 23 14:06:00 1984 /***** ea:net.flame / ihuxp!wbpesch / 5:52 pm Jul 21, 1984 */ Therefor: my proposal is to allow private ownership of rifles and target shooting handguns as long as it is kept at the local Police Station, and must be checked out for your weekend of hunting or the day of skeet shooting. Walt Pesch AT&T Technologies ihnp4!ihuxp!wbpesch /* ---------- */ Yuch. What about my uncles, who live 7 miles from the local police station (and a mile from anyone but family)? If they have some spare time on the weekends, they like to target practice out in their fields. Driving the 28 miles (to the local police station & back, twice) would take more time than they usually spend shooting. Of course, such a law is also *unconstitutional* - you know, something about "the right to keep and bear arms". What they're doing being unconstitutional hasn't stopped the government often, but they've normally left the Bill of Rights alone. What's next - quartering troops in our houses without consent, or censorship of anti-government views? Guns are like cars, only less dangerous, and should be treated similarly: 1) Requiring a license to own/use a gun. 2) Not granting the license until some minimal competence has been demonstrated (living long enough !?! & passing a test). 3) Registration of all guns. 4) Laws putting minimal standards on the state of the gun, both at the time of sale & at yearly safety inspections. The basic problem with the strict control on fire arms you propose is that it doesn't solve the real problem. The problem is that people aren't trained to handle the things properly, and aren't willing to get that training. Passing laws to protect people from their own stupidity is a bad habit we've gotten into lately. Passing laws to protect people from the stupidity of others is a good idea, but we tend to ignore the "innocent until proven guilty" policy the US is supposed to have.