verslagen1 wrote on 05/16/14 at 10:56:20:Let's keep on subject, please.
This is not a discussion about the 2nd amendment.
Thanks shorty for the stat's
laws only work when you have upon law abiding citizens.
what can we do to prevent guns getting into the hands of criminals?
It seems that we can't. The only thing we can currently do is dissuade them from using it by being armed ourselves.
^^^^ this!!
Being a "free" people requires that each person to be responsible for their own security, ie to be armed. The alternative is ... well is everything else.
I would love to see gun crimes go down... go to zero, but not at the expense of being free to protect myself.
There are really only two deterrents to gun crime:
1) fear of the victim ( to out gun you)
2) fear of the law enforcement, and criminal courts to find you/lock you up
I know from personal experience that #2 has failed, and is in constant failure, and has been for a long time. If what I propose is true.. then an "fixes" should lie with #2 and NOT with #1.
Sri and I already had this discussion here.. and I think we came to an understanding if not an outright agreement. (for those that dont know Sri was very anti-gun and rather liberal, but we agreed on many issues)
Sri's point was that gun crimes in Detroit or Chicago were completely out of control, and he advocated nearly a ban. Yet I pointed out that here in the south guns were common and really did not seem to be an issue. If I recall right, we agreed that, culture and population density seemed to hold a larger causation then lack of laws. I think we can see it, large cities are pushing hard to ban guns or reduce access to them, while rural states see no need for such encroachments.
I dont think there is a simple answer, beyond lowering population density and addressing cultural norms that popularize and re-enforce the crime and inhumanity seen in big cities.
Given all the above I do NOT see a need for national change on gun laws. I do see a need for local areas to be allowed to address their issue locally, and to whatever extent they can get the voting public to accept.
Guns are being stolen in MS in record numbers... mostly from wildlife services trucks ( 3 AR-15's this year). But crimes are not being committed (here) with them.. instead they are being sold .. yup up north in the big cities.