"Criminals kill people not guns".... Yep! And carpenters don't drive nails, hammers and nail guns do. But,you take both out of their toolboxes and they're gonna be out of work.
People are going to kill people. Always have, probably always will. Do we really need to make it so easy to do? Or, so quick? I agree in some of your premise, I think. Guns are just a tool, a tool to kill and pretty much nothing else, but a tool that can be misused as easily as used properly. Shouldn't we get the same safety assurances and have the same restrictions as we do for other dangerous tools, like vehicles? Where I live I can pick up a pistol of damned near any caliber, or a semi-auto weapon in less than 3 days, and have a concealed carry permit in just another few hours. Total cost (not including weapon and ammo), is less than half of my 4 year driver's license fee - and I have to pay it every four years. The driver's license also requires more time, background checks and testing (both on paper and a driving test).
I'm not even saying we should put all the same restrictions on gun purchases/ownership as on driver's licenses, but shouldn't there be more restrictions and checks for guns compared to how we do most everything else? I mean cars aren't designed to kill, though they can. And, we have so much motor vehicle legislation that I can be ticketed heavily for going over the speed limit, texting, talking on phone in many states - hell, even for not wearing my seat belt. As compared to loose regulation on guns that ARE designed to kill people. In what universe or dimension would you say this makes sense?
@Tommy10 ... I honestly don't follow it too well, but what has happened to gun deaths and gun violence rates since the change in gun laws over there? One nutter (wacko, right?) getting a gun and a sloppily handled hostage situation means that should all be thrown out? You don't say how many were killed - and hope not many at all - but doesn't seem like as many as would have died over past few years if not for tightened gun laws. Really, I don't know. I don't follow things over there too closely. But, I do know gun violence issues over there aren't the same or as bad as over here - and never were.
If you find perfect anywhere in anything, let us know. But, in the meantime better is still better, right? Or, you're the type to think we should throw the baby out with the bathwater? Not sure about MMJ laws there, but here some states have better programs than others, and I think most (not just here, or in our community - but ALL people) support recreational use and public sales. Since some of those state MMJ systems are a mess, we should just throw everything out and eliminate any MMJ or rec programs because they're not perfect?
Gun regulation needs to be fixed - both here and there, and maybe in opposite directions. More limitations here, and less there. But, nowhere should everything related to guns just be thrown out - same as pretty much everything else. To compare to MJ legislation again.... while I'm full in favor of legal recreational weed, I don't think you should be able to sell it to 12 year olds.