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I remember seeing Rifles/Shotguns/Pistols in a K-Mart on Long Island (NY) a number of years ago, literally right over the fence from NYC. It's a Walmart now.
In NY it's like impossible legally but illegally I don't think it's hard at all unfortunately.
I’m not going to debate with the antigun crowd. It’s pointless. I’ve never seen such a crowd that has such a ridiculous belief system and an obvious lack of common sense. Moreover, there is no reason to debate whether or not we should have guns, certain types of guns, or who can and cannot have guns. The 2nd Amendment is clear on it, and all forms of gun control are therefore unconstitutional. It doesn’t say only law-abiding citizens. And who’s to say that a once convicted felon, mental patient, or a person guilty of domestic violence cannot ever return to living a law-abiding lifestyle? If somebody is too dangerous to own a gun, they should be locked up. If they’re free to roam our society, they’re entitled by the constitution to own a firearm. It’s that simple.
I am in Pennsylvania. Any person 18 or older can walk into any store in America that sells black powder guns, and can walk out with one in hand. No checks. It’s like buying a pair of sneakers.
What’s my point behind this? Some people scoff at black powder pistols. A cap and ball muzzle-loading pistol has power that’s equal or better than a 9mm or .38 Special. Now that you understand that it has real power to kill, you may think that it’s not very accurate. It’s as accurate as any other firearm, and accuracy has more to do with the marksman than the firearm. Most think that black powder guns are inferior because they’re slow loading. Consider this, most gunfights use 2 – 3 rounds of ammunition, so this is well within the six round capacity of a cap and ball revolver. Moreover, I can purchase extra cylinders and pre-load them. Hence, I can purchase 10 extra cylinders, and load them with 66 rounds. It only takes about five seconds if you’re quick or ten seconds if you’re slow to change out an empty cylinder with a full cylinder. In other words, it can be loaded only slightly slower than a modern pistol that has extra clips. If the modern semi auto pistol doesn’t have extra clips or a modern revolver doesn’t have speed clips, a black powder pistol with extra cylinders can be loaded many times faster than modern handguns.
While antique firearms are not considered real firearms by the Federal government, my state of Pennsylvania does consider them firearms when we’re talking about prohibited persons. Therefore, anybody that’s been involuntarily committed to a mental institution, has a misdemeanor of domestic violence, or has a felony cannot legally hold, purchase, or own an antique firearm. However, there is currently no system in any state that requires a background check on antique firearms. Hence, a nutter, wife beater, and felon can go into any store in this nation where black powder guns are sold and walk out with one. A black powder pistol can be had brand new in a retail store for just over 200 dollars.
There are also modern antique firearms. In most states, any firearm that’s been manufactured before 1899 can be bought without any background check. This includes pistols. Therefore, a prohibited person could purchase an 1870s lever action carbine that shoots a pistol caliber. I’m talking about a fast shooting firearm that holds 10 – 14 rounds of ammunition in its magazine, and it’s quick to reload as well.
I don’t think I would be too hard pressed to steal a firearm. Then there’s the straw man. I could easily find somebody to purchase a long gun for me if I were a prohibited person. Let’s not forget about the black market. It’s easy to find a gun there. Most guns that the police confiscate from the criminal element are illegal firearms. They’re not formally legal ones that were either stolen or purchased through a straw man that later reports it stolen, but rather they are smuggled into the country illegally.
With what I’ve just said, is it any wonder why criminals find it so easy to get a firearm? Moreover, by definition, a criminal breaks laws, so if somebody doesn’t care about murdering, robbing, or raping somebody, why would they care about something so insignificant as obtaining and using a firearm illegally.
Is gun control effective? Yes it is. It’s very effective at keeping guns out of the hands of people that would probably never use one to commit a crime. However, gun control does nothing to stop guns from falling into the hands of the criminal element, which is what gun laws are supposed to be doing…
I mostly agree with you. I don't have a problem keeping a felon from having a gun, but he can get one anyway & you are right that people can straighten out. I don't argue as strongly for the felon, as he is the one who messed up. My real fury is gun control directed toward the citizen who has never done serious wrong to anyone.
I continue to argue and debate because a few people do come around to reason. My wife didn't care for guns when we dated, but I convinced her to buy one and learn to shoot. She came to like it, though she is not a real gun enthusiast. A burglar or rapist would find himself with 5 bullets in the chest if he didn't back off when she said to.
Way too many people today have been raised in sheltered environments where they have never seen people hunt or target shoot, didn't have many friends or family with guns, etc. Mom & Dad said only "those bad people down the street" have guns and that guns are dangerous & evil. Same with pacifist parents who teach that "if we cooperate during a robbery or rape, they won't kill us" or "violence never solves anything". Yea, right! Everyone murdered in my community the last few years cooperated and still wound up dead.
The police do their best. But they cannot and will not protect every citizen. Court cases have established that they have no particular obligation to any individual. That basically leaves us on our own.
Gun control was established to keep certain people "under our thumbs", starting with American Indians, later with slaves & free Blacks. Most in those groups had little chance of legally owning a firearm and were helpless at the hands of armed thugs.
We sometimes hear of the abuses in Sudan. Basically, Black Christians in the south are controlled & abused by Arab Muslims from the north. Blacks are virtually forbidden to own firearms & are highly restricted on ammunition. Arabs are allowed whatever weapons they wish. Guess who comes out on top?
I never claimed that, we have many problems. But I don't recall knowing anyone who moved to NJ from anywhere for better opportunities. I knew one guy who went there 40 years ago for work, then moved back in recent years. I know 15-20 people from NJ who moved here & never plan to return. 1 guy hated NJ so badly, he advises friends not to even travel through there on the interstate. He may be a little extreme.
I mostly agree with you. I don't have a problem keeping a felon from having a gun, but he can get one anyway & you are right that people can straighten out. I don't argue as strongly for the felon, as he is the one who messed up. My real fury is gun control directed toward the citizen who has never done serious wrong to anyone.
I continue to argue and debate because a few people do come around to reason. My wife didn't care for guns when we dated, but I convinced her to buy one and learn to shoot. She came to like it, though she is not a real gun enthusiast. A burglar or rapist would find himself with 5 bullets in the chest if he didn't back off when she said to.
Way too many people today have been raised in sheltered environments where they have never seen people hunt or target shoot, didn't have many friends or family with guns, etc. Mom & Dad said only "those bad people down the street" have guns and that guns are dangerous & evil. Same with pacifist parents who teach that "if we cooperate during a robbery or rape, they won't kill us" or "violence never solves anything". Yea, right! Everyone murdered in my community the last few years cooperated and still wound up dead.
The police do their best. But they cannot and will not protect every citizen. Court cases have established that they have no particular obligation to any individual. That basically leaves us on our own.
Gun control was established to keep certain people "under our thumbs", starting with American Indians, later with slaves & free Blacks. Most in those groups had little chance of legally owning a firearm and were helpless at the hands of armed thugs.
We sometimes hear of the abuses in Sudan. Basically, Black Christians in the south are controlled & abused by Arab Muslims from the north. Blacks are virtually forbidden to own firearms & are highly restricted on ammunition. Arabs are allowed whatever weapons they wish. Guess who comes out on top?
I'm from Britain and as i'm sure you know guns are fairly rare. I think that checks need to be done because there is a chance that some 'wack-job' will try and get hold of one.
I never claimed that, we have many problems. But I don't recall knowing anyone who moved to NJ from anywhere for better opportunities. I knew one guy who went there 40 years ago for work, then moved back in recent years. I know 15-20 people from NJ who moved here & never plan to return. 1 guy hated NJ so badly, he advises friends not to even travel through there on the interstate. He may be a little extreme.
People move to NJ for opportunities all the time. It has one of the highest standards of living in the U.S. and is actually a surprisingly beautiful state. It's dark pockets are dark indeed, though.
Do you really expect to get an unbiased view of the state from the people who left it?
Germane to the topic, I don't know how hard it is to get a gun in NJ, but there is a fair bit of hunting there, deer, fox, and bear.
I'm from Britain and as i'm sure you know guns are fairly rare. I think that checks need to be done because there is a chance that some 'wack-job' will try and get hold of one.
I've read a lot of reports that violent crime has increased a lot in the UK,that gun control has not helped at all.
I've read a lot of reports that violent crime has increased a lot in the UK,that gun control has not helped at all.
Read the British press and you'd think that every street in every town in Britain is a war zone, the reality is thankfully still very different.
There has certainly been an increase in gun crime in the UK over the past 20 years or so but these incidents are still nearly always confined to certain gangs on certain estates (projects in the US) within our larger cities.
Britain's certainly not without its problems but for the vast majority of people here, it'd still be incredibly difficult to get your hands on a gun.
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