The Economist: "Unpicking gun laws:Roll-back"

[friendly_iconoclast]

http://www.economist.com/node/17633250

Unpicking gun laws
Roll-back
The advance of the second amendment
Dec 2nd 2010


IN SEPTEMBER James D’Cruz tried to buy a handgun at a shop in north Texas and was rebuffed. As a sane 18-year-old with no criminal history, he can still amass a legal arsenal. Texas law lets him buy handguns from unlicensed sellers (such as a friend or a vendor at a gun fair) and rifles or shotguns in licensed shops. Federal law, however, prohibits licensed gun dealers from selling handguns to anyone under the age of 21.....

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[sharesunited]

3. Your answer to poison? More poison.

[valhalla]

4. No, but...

the answer to offense is defense.

[PavePusher]

5. So, what is your answer to criminal violence, regardless of the tool used?

Again, I note that you have steadfastly not volunteered to personally provide security for any individual or group.

Yet you seem to want most desperately to disarm them.

Occam's Razor indicates you may be one of the criminal class, advocating for an easier job for yourself.

[Katya Mullethov]

8. I have had mixed results

With offering fellatio .

[Glassunion]

9. Out of sick curiosity... What was your ratio of success? nt

[PavePusher]

10. ROFLMAO!!!!!

Inquiring minds....

:rofl:

'Tho from a purely "scientific" standpoint, it would be interesting to know whether that tactic had a better or worse success ratio than armed resistance/unarmed resistance/capitulation.

[Name removed]

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[Katya Mullethov]

13. Hold on there

Dont be stuffing words in his mouth .

[sharesunited]

14. Observe the UK and Australia. And in Canada all handguns are either prohibited or restricted.

[Katya Mullethov]

15. That was a mouthful .

Are we engaged in the same conversation ?

[X_Digger]

16. Yet handgun violence (and violence in general) is rising in the UK..

They have that whole 'sea to shining sea' thing going on.. and yet it's on the increase.

Why is that?

[rrneck]

18. Three explorers were captured by a tribe of cannibals.

They were given a choice of death or "bunga bunga". The first chose "bunga bunga" and they promptly gang raped him to death.

They offered the second guy the same choice and he decided to see if he would survive "bunga bunga". He didn't.

The third guy wanted no part of "bunga bunga" and decided to get it over with.

The chief, upon hearing his choice said, "Ok. But first - bunga bunga"

[Katya Mullethov]

12. Half laugh

The other half wanna fight when you renege .

[one-eyed fat man]

7. You forgot the children!

......also the source of all the North Korean grenades, rocket launchers, and machine guns the Mexican cartels buy from the gun shows Texans hold as kindergarten fund raisers instead of bake sales.

[Euromutt]

6. Yeah, for a newspaper that considers itself classically liberal...

...The Economist has a rather knee-jerk attitude against private firearm ownership. At the very least, I was hoping the writer and/or editor would acknowledge the logic that, if you're going to permit citizens to buy handguns from FFLs and acquire concealed carry permits, it makes sense to do it at the age at which one becomes legally an adult. And this is not the first time that the paper has reported claims made by the Brady Campaign and the VPC without questioning their veracity.

Also, from The Economist Style Guide (7th ed.), in the introduction:

4. Do not be too chatty. Surprise, surprise is more irritating than informative. So is Ho, ho, etc.

Somebody forgot to consult the guide, methinks.

[SteveM]

17. "Roll-back" to some, clarification and consistency to others...

"As a sane 18-year-old with no criminal history, he can still amass a legal arsenal. Texas law lets him buy handguns from unlicensed sellers (such as a friend or a vendor at a gun fair) and rifles or shotguns in licensed shops. Federal law, however, prohibits licensed gun dealers from selling handguns to anyone under the age of 21..."

Does the Economist have a definition for "arsenal," or do they want their readers' collective minds to run wild?
As for the rest of the statement, does the Economist have a point? "Dealers" are licensed by the Feds, and have their own requirements to meet; those who are not dealers do not have those requirements. Same as it ever was.

Perhaps legislation lowering the age of handgun sales (by dealers) to those 18 yrs. and older would clarify things, and would certainly be in line with other constitutional and legal measures recognizing emancipation.