GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE, OR DO THEY?

[HairOfTheDog]

HotD, they would have to lighten the rules a bit to make it possible for people to obtain a FFL. As it stands a kitchen table dealer is almost certain to be turned down when applying for a FFL. That is what I mean when I say they would have to make it easier to buy and sell.

It is going to be easier for some dealers to obtain a FFL because the criteria has been changed/broadened, F.U. "Dealer" determination is no longer to be based primarily on where the business transactions occur, but instead primarily on the nature of the transactions, volume in units / dollars, intent, etc... There will be more licensed dealers when these Executive Actions go into effect; that's a fact.

When they go into effect, if someone meets the broader criteria for being deemed "in the business of selling guns", they must apply for a license to sell. They will no longer be able to legally rent a table at a gun show or advertise their products on the internet or run a gun kiosk from their kitchen table without a license and background checks. They will face possible prosecution if caught doing so once the Executive Actions are in effect. That goes towards universalizing background checks and stricter enforcement of the laws.

As far as the tax stamp guns go, they will never outlaw them completely. It just wont happen, I will bet on it. They would loose to much revenue if they did. I don't look at this as a conspiracy , I look at it as big business. A good portion of the general population is unaware that those are still legal to own when a tax is paid. Most people think they were outlawed.

One of the reasons that many people think they are outlawed is because gun enthusiasts claim over and over in debate and discussion, "don't call semi-automatics assault rifles; assault rifles/automatics are already banned!". There are several such false claims posted early in this thread. But once people start questioning such false claims and researching the facts for themselves, they can easily find the information about the ways to legally buy assault weapons in the U.S., like I did: background check, $200 tax fee, fingerprints on file with ATF, letter signed by Chief of Police vouching for applicant, 90 - 120 day wait period. These 'most dangerous' weapons are subject to much greater controls than most firearms. In that sense, they're strictly regulated, but not banned.

Presently, some people are getting around the strict regulations, however, and avoiding the individual background check by having the weapons purchased through a trust or corporation. The new Executive Actions will shut the door to that possibility. That goes towards universalizing background checks and keeping guns out of the wrong hands.

If the government was just looking to make money by not banning the 'most dangerous' weapons, the government wouldn't be creating regulations to deter unqualified people from applying for them, thus forfeiting that revenue.

Anyway, I think Obama would love to ban all of the 'most dangerous' weapons. However, I believe it would require legislation, not Executive Action, to overturn the 1934 National Firearms Act and the 1968 Gun Control Act allowing the specific weapons to be sold to individuals willing and able to meet the strict criteria. You've said previously you support them being banned. You may get your wish; all of the Democratic candidates have vowed to go further than Obama and push for a ban if elected. (I believe some military weapons will be banned under the new Executive Actions altogether, but I don't have specifics yet.)

That being said, I did think about my post as I was in bed last night. I decided that maybe I was looking at this all wrong. maybe, just maybe this will all work. In fact I kinda hope it does. That way we don't ever have to deal with this subject again. Kind of a miracle cure is how I now look at this.

However in the back of my mind I have this hunch that it isn't. I have this feeling that it is just one step and soon the gun haters will be crying for another step. Its just the way it goes. They push for something and we push back, no matter how small a step is being discussed, because every step that is taken leads us to a gun registration and ban. But hey, that's taking us back to the slippery slope that the gun grabbers say wont happen.

These Executive Actions are not a miracle cure. No one, including Obama, has made that claim. If you're actually being honest about looking at them that way, you're being irrational, F.U.

The Executive Actions are designed to help curb some gun violence by keeping guns out of some of the wrong hands and making it easier to enforce existing laws. Expecting something more than promised and then claiming the Actions failed because they weren't a miracle cure would be disingenuous and foolish, but that's certainly the agenda of some gun enthusiasts and extremists.

Anyway, no matter what, some gun enthusiasts and extremists will object to any changes in gun policy - even ones they claim to support - due to slippery slope fear and an unwillingness or inability to see the government, and this president specifically, as doing anything but failing. This is true even when the changes are administrative in nature and aim for greater public safety, without infringing on law-abiders' second amendment rights and without making a gun registry or "gun grabbing" any more likely now or in the future.

For those of us who aren't gun enthusiasts or gun extremists, and also aren't gun grabbers or ban advocates, the proposed Executive Actions are fair and make a lot of sense.