I don't particularly favor an "assault weapon" ban or a ban on large capacity magazines, and I don't really think I'm wacko. I just don't think those bans are going to accomplish much of anything except making certain guns and magazines harder to find and more expensive. Midwest Gun Trader is on fire right now. A few days ago, there were ~550 MO ads. RIght now there are 917. Prices on semi-auto rifles and high cap mags are already around 20% or more higher than normal.knucklehead wrote:You say most gun owners favor an assult weapons ban and an ban on large capacity clips. Ok fine, they are not wacko. It is the people that are vehemetly opposed to those things that are wacko.
The main thing Obama is pushing that has a chance to actually do some good in the long term is the universal background check requirement. I have walked into gun shows and just handed over cash for guns, no questions asked. It's easy and convenient, and I certainly like it from a personal perspective, but I could just as easily be a violent criminal. That's not cool. On the other hand, I'm not sure how practical it will be to expect private gun owners to run background checks before selling their guns to someone in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Like many people I know, none of the guns I own were purchased by me from a dealer, there were no background checks, and there's no record of any of the transactions or of me owning them. If I want to sell one, is it just going to be the honor system requiring me to perform a background check? If so, I don't see a lot of gun owners, particularly the more paranoid wacko anti-gov types, participating willingly.
Side note: biometric security on firearms is long overdue.