The Illinois State Supreme Court found a strict assault weapons ban passed after the Highland Park shooting to be constitutional in a ruling issued Friday.
The Illinois State Supreme Court found a strict assault weapons ban passed after the Highland Park shooting to be constitutional in a ruling issued Friday.
@djflusso @MicroWave
Coming from a nation with exactly zero right-to-carry I disagree.
I have visited the US before but honestly won’t again. I’m just not comfortable walking around with people who have become immune to the violence they perpetuate by carrying guns just about everywhere.
It makes no sense to me to live in that kind of constant fear. Like seriously, I don’t know how all you aren’t dead because your amygdala and hypothalamus are exploding from the stress.
“How to tell an American from an Eurpoean: An American can tell a gunshot from a firework by sound alone.”
As a pro-gun girl from liberal Massachusetts, I largely agree with you but have a few caveats:
These kinds of laws always bother me due to the nebulous nature of the definition of an “assault weapon” in this country. A quick search will tell you that there is no single definition for an assault weapon from a legal standpoint, but that it generally refers to “semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns that are able to accept detachable magazines and possess one or more other features.” This definition includes almost every pistol ever created, as the defining attributes of a pistol that differentiate it from a revolver are that they’re semi-automatic and almost always use a detachable magazine, except for some early designs like the Luger which use an internal magazine. Notably, the Colt AR-15 (the one all over the news for mass shootings) is not an assault weapon, and neither are rifles like the FN FAL, which was the French army’s rifle for awhile during the Cold War. I have also seen stuff like AK-47 variants that are legally considered pistols here in the US, and even pump-action AR-15s, which would be completely legal under these kinds of bans despite being able to fire rounds almost as quickly as a standard AR-15.
It’s even legal to anonymously buy the majority of parts for a gun online here, except for the lower receiver, which is a part that has a unique serial code on it that must be registered. Which brings me to my main issue with these kinds of laws: they always feel like stopgap measures which don’t do anything about the actual issues but allow politicians to pat themselves on the back and claim they’ve solved the problem forever.
It’s completely possible to have a country where you can own guns without having the issues we do, but everybody is too wrapped up in this 2nd Amendment spat. Countries like Australia have shown that it’s possible. Australia used to have a gun culture identical to the US until they had a school shooting in the 70s. At that point, everybody in the country agreed to never let something like that happen again, tightened their gun laws and had a mass turn in of guns, and they haven’t had a school shooting since. There’s even a country in northern Europe (I wanna say Sweden?) where everybody has to do like 3 years in the army, and they can keep their service rifle after that time, and yet, they have no issues with mass shootings like we do here.
The belief that everybody in this country has a right to own a gun, whether they can be trusted to be a responsible gun owner or not, is probably the biggest problem we have towards actually solving this issue, and no one state can do something about it. These kinds of bans are always fairly easy to circumvent just by going to the closest state with relaxed gun laws, and they punish responsible gun owners who are going to freak out for suddenly being criminals for owning something that they bought legally. So we end up with these bans that treat a symptom and not the root causes while also pushing gun owners to vote for politicians who want to get rid of any regulation at all on guns.
You’re probably thinking of Switzerland and they can’t own personal ammunition.
As for the rest of your point, the second amendment is the hot button because those who want to take away the fundamental right to own arms are basically saying that rights are affordable. That’s not how they work. As someone in this thread said, the bill of rights do not grant you these rights, they already existed and the bill is acknowledging them. IE, under no circumstances does the government have any capability or authority to deny or revoke it under any guise. The very concept of the people for the people would be erased otherwise.
If the culture of America legitimately swung overwhelmingly in favor of handing in their arms (never going to happen) cosmopolitanism tells us that is fine and good. If the government decides for you that everyone is in agreement, that is a spit in the face of liberty and a complete fabrication of their ability to revoke rights (which as stated they don’t have).
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Australia didn’t ban guns because of a school shooting in the 70s. They banned guns after a mass shooting known as the Port Arthur Massacre in 1996.
The reason for that is laws themselves. You and I may have different definitions of what an “assault rifle” is but could probably come to some agreement. Perhaps some combination of the caliber, rate of fire, magazine capacity, etc. Finding that form of consensus across the electorate would be impossible. The people who write the laws have to write specific wording which will be immediately and voraciously attached by the well-financed pro-gun lobby. It will also be attacked by ingenious (and I mean that sincerely) hobbyists who will do their best to circumvent the laws. I’m sure there are a few hardcore 2A enthusiasts who hate Trump for banning bump stocks, which serve no purpose other than to make a slow-firing weapon into a fast one… and just happened to be used in a mass killing.
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It’s just a different mindset. People carrying don’t have to be fearful or stressed out like you assume. They just want to have the ability to defend themselves or loved ones. Police simply cannot protect everyone all the time and violence is a thing that can happen sometimes. Violence certainly doesn’t happen all the time but many people prefer to carry and not need it then need it and not have it.
The people who are actually a danger are still going to be dangerous regardless of how unarmed others choose to be.
Maybe you feel like you can depend on your police or your local criminals are less violent.
@borkcorkedforks @MicroWave
Cops are as bad here as they are in America, as are criminals and crime – with the notable exception of gun-related crime and deaths.
The only difference between your nation and mine, in this context, is open-carry is NOT allowed.
You do realize that open carry doesn’t mean you can just walk around with a gun in your hand, right? The gun has to be on a sling or in a holster. Holding it in your hand in any way that looks like you immediately intend to use it is brandishing and results in a charge.
Criminals don’t care about carry laws as breaking laws is kinda their whole deal.
Normal people carrying isn’t a problem unless you assume normal people get murderous the second they have the opportunity.
You haven’t said your country but I’m willing to wager that there’s more difference between your country and ours than you’re led to believe.
@FireTower
Unfortunately there isn’t because we share a very long undefended border with you.
It’s not fear, lmao, it’s prevention. Do you wear a seatbelt because you fear dying in a car crash every day you enter it? Or is it preventing the possibility of that hypothetical serious injury?
No licensed CCW owner here is walking around armed like a schizo looking over their shoulder and afraid of every person they meet ready to fire. They simply understand there are humans in this world that would take advantage of you if they could, and if that situation occurs, why handicap yourself.
Government data itself from the DOJ shows you’re less likely to be a victim of injury in crime by having a gun compared to simply not doing anything, hell having a personal knife could be more likely to get you killed. The point made is it’s not the government’s right to decide for us if we want to arm ourselves. The individual is enough to make that decision.
That sounds exactly like a lot of Republicans, so are you sure about that?
I mean, do I have to start listing people getting shot because they pulled into the wrong driveway or delivered a package while being black?
“Believe me guys, I know most Republicans! Swear!”
Did I say most? I’m pretty sure the thing you quoted didn’t use the word most. Again- I can start listing people being shot for pulling into the wrong driveway or existing as a black person if you like…
No need. I think it’s clear we’re not going to change eachothers minds. I will ask though about people who shoot recreationally. Do they not deserve to own your standard run of the mill ar15?
No. “I enjoy this” does not equal “I deserve this.”
I can also list all kinds of things some people enjoy which they don’t deserve. Like sex with women who don’t consent. I could go on…
@Torvum
Prevention is acting out of fear.
That’s contradictory. Prevention is preparedness. As in pre-emptive. As in it’s not an action to be ready for something before it happens, as the action only comes when needed. I keep a first aid kit not for fear, but use. Do I fear coming along to someone with a deep wound that needs suturing because I own it? Obviously not. You must have never heard the phrase, better to have it and not need it than be without.
When a risk is so small, there’s no reason to be prepared. That’s fear acting.
If you truly believe situations needing a gun are as common as needing a first aid kid or being in a car crash, then I would quickly move somewhere else.
Besides that, being prepared is not always the solution.
When hiking, you can stuff your backpack for every little risk you might take, but your hike won’t last long, as you’ll quickly realise you won’t get far with the weight you’ve carried. You’ve even increased the risk of injury.
This is what gun carriers are to me. By unnecessarily preparing, they actually increase the risk of falling victim to what they prepared for.
You might not carry out of fear, but you’ll learn to fear soon, because you’re contributing yourself to the problem.