We must act now to prevent gun violence (Milwaukee Op-Ed)

[shadowrider]

When is the right time to take sensible and pragmatic action with regard to guns?

- Snip -

Ensuring background checks on all gun sales would close one of the major loopholes in our current gun laws and make it harder for criminals and those with mental illness to gain access to guns.

We should make it a felony to purchase guns for those who can't legally buy guns themselves. We need stricter penalties for those who refuse to abide by the provisions of the concealed-carry law. We should deny a firearm permit for habitual offenders who have three misdemeanors in a five-year period. We should strengthen criminal penalties for crimes committed with guns.

We should reinstate the national ban on assault weapons and have a serious review of Internet sales of large amounts of ammunition.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/six-dead-and-a-debate-over-guns-we-must-act-now-to-prevent-gun-violence-0v6e2nc-165788416.html

Simply enforce the laws currently on the books. "Just one or two more laws and all these shootings will go away" isn't going to cut it. Laws don't stop evil.

[darkangel218]

1. ok, but how is banning assault rifles..

..And limiting the amount of ammo one can buy online would stop mass murderers? It won't.

[shadowrider]

2. Agreed. These would be more "feel good" laws that do nothing but give the impression someone

is trying to do something. And when these don't work, it'll be more of the same, yada yada until they're finally banned.

[safeinOhio]

5. Current laws on owning full autos seems to be working.

No one has shot up a movie theater or temple with one in a long time.

Some laws work very well.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

6. Are you in favor...

...of eliminating the full-auto ban since it does nothing?

[safeinOhio]

7. I'm not banned from owning a full auto

just very hard and expensive to do, as it should be.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

8. So are you in favor of...

...removing those difficulties since they weren't effective in stopping Holmes or Page?

[gejohnston]

9. other than the mob

and ones people like Dillinger stole from the cops and National Guard, they were not used much back then either. One of the ones used in the St Valentines Day Massacre was also used in a couple of mob hits in Detroit. Until 1977, Canada's machine gun control was like our rifle control. Full autos are used more often in Europe for some reason, so I think it is safe to say the reason is much larger than NFA.

[Hoyt]

10. It would at least signal that the days of coddling gun cultists is over. We really need to change

how guns are perceived by society, much as we have with tobacco users, polluters, banksters, racists, etc.

[Missycim]

14. Gun save lives as well

and they are good protection, none of what you wrote helps anyone..

[gejohnston]

3. just a few thoughts

How would you do background checks on private sales? I agree in principle. Wisconsin can pass a law, some states have. On the federal level intra state private sales..............I think the commerce clause might get in the way.

We should make it a felony to purchase guns for those who can't legally buy guns themselves.

Is he talking about a state law? LBJ signed the federal law and took effect under Tricky Dick.

We should reinstate the national ban on assault weapons and have a serious review of Internet sales of large amounts of ammunition.

Neither of which would or did anything.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. His Oped was rudely treated in the comments section

and deservedly so. Surely we can do better than his ilk in the next election.

[Hoyt]

11. Right wing cultists do that whenever someone questions/threatens their guns.

[ileus]

13. Citizens don't bite on antigun lies these days.

[ileus]

12. "We should reinstate the national ban on assault weapons"

That's as far as I need to read....clueless people shouldn't be given a platform to preach upon.