Should semiautomatic weapons be banned?

[Dr. MB]

Not asking about making it harder to get one - asking about outright banning them.

I don’t support a ban.

And, if you do support a ban, has your opinion been influenced by recent mass shootings?

[Tender Branson]

Yes.

Gun laws in the US need to be significantly restricted, with only regular handguns and rifles available and a restriction to 10-shot capacity magazines.

Automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines must be completely banned.

The restrictions should also include:

* An age limit of 21 years to buy a gun (the brain still develops after the age of 18)
* A mandatory psychological test and certificate by a professional psychiatrist
* A gun handling license and a safety course that has to be passed, costing at least 300-500$
* A waiting period of 2 weeks before a gun can be purchased after getting the license
* Restrictions of ammunition purchases
* An annual background check by the police in the home of the buyer if the guns are properly stored
* A 3-year mandatory checkup with a psychiatrist to renew the license based on changing mental situation (similar to renewing the driving license for old drivers)
* An open- or concealed-carry permit should only be available to professions who are at risk at their job, such as taxi drivers being robbed or jewelry store workers. The public should get no carrying permits, only permits to keep the gun stored at home.

In general, I believe that handguns should be restricted to the police and military and that the public should only have access to guns under very strict regulations like the one above. Hunters should be exempted from the carrying restrictions, but should only be allowed to buy low-capacity rifles.

The restrictions and hurdles mentioned above would easily scare off many potential weirdos and killers, but the real problem is the huge number of guns already in circulation.

Still, these restrictions would send a first signal and an eventual lower number of handguns and ammo in circulation would start to appear after some decades (as more and more old guns are destroyed or returned).

[YE]

No. We need to focus on getting guns out of the wrong hands and addressing mental health challenges, not trying to limit the 2nd amendment, a way of life in rural areas.

[Tender Branson]

No. We need to focus on getting guns out of the wrong hands and addressing mental health challenges, not trying to limit the 2nd amendment, a way of life in rural areas.

The 2nd amendment and stricter regulations for the public can co-exist. We need to remember that the NRA was once founded as an advisory group for rural hunters and only in the early 1970s decided to scrap their common-sense approach and instead decided to pump millions of $ into political campaigns as a lobby group, which changed everything to the worse.

Rural hunters would still be able to defend themselves against wild animals under the restrictions I mentioned above while poorer people in urban areas would be more secure.

More common sense is needed again.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Yes. I've seen no legitimate reason to require weapons explicitly designed for mass killing when there are handguns and other hunting rifles.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I wouldn't want them in my country, but it's a stupid goal for America.

[dead0man]

Yes. I've seen no legitimate reason to require weapons explicitly designed for mass killing when there are handguns and other hunting rifles.

Most hunting rifles are semi-automatic.

and only in the early 1970s decided to scrap their common-sense approach and instead decided to pump millions of $ into political campaigns as a lobby group, which changed everything to the worse.

worse?  Gun crime has dropped since then.

Automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines must be completely banned.

Only 1 time since 1934 has a legal automatic weapon been used in a crime (and that was in the 50s).  Making fully automatic weapons more illegal than they are now wouldn't stop any crime at all.

[Goldwater]

Not outright banned, though it should certainly be harder to get one than it currently is.

[parochial boy]

It's a red herring guys, "gun control" should mean making it much harder to get hold of a gun of any sort - not arbitrarily banning certain types of gun and considering it as job done.

[Del Tachi]

The restrictions should also include:

* An age limit of 21 years to buy a gun (the brain still develops after the age of 18)
* A mandatory psychological test and certificate by a professional psychiatrist
* A gun handling license and a safety course that has to be passed, costing at least 300-500$
* A waiting period of 2 weeks before a gun can be purchased after getting the license
* Restrictions of ammunition purchases
* An annual background check by the police in the home of the buyer if the guns are properly stored
* A 3-year mandatory checkup with a psychiatrist to renew the license based on changing mental situation (similar to renewing the driving license for old drivers)
* An open- or concealed-carry permit should only be available to professions who are at risk at their job, such as taxi drivers being robbed or jewelry store workers. The public should get no carrying permits, only permits to keep the gun stored at home.

These are much too restrictive, and the bolded ones are Constitutionally dubious and would probably  not be held up in any American court.  A $300-500 "fee" for exercising an individual's right to bear arms is akin to a Poll Tax. 

To answer the question, no.  New laws and regulations should focus on identifying and treating potentially violent and mentally ill individuals, not restricting gun sales to law-abiding citizens.

[dead0man]

I wonder what it would cost in blood and coin and missed crimes to have the cops go to every gun owners home in the country every year for "well being" check.  My guess, $500B/year, 863 lives lost (including 424 cops)/year and "thousands"/year.  Hell, they might stumble upon a crime or two!, totally worth it!

Just a silly idea.

[dead0man]

oh, but I suppose if only a few people have guns in this utopia.


I wonder what it would cost in blood, coin and missed crimes to have all the cops round up all the guns in this country.  My guess, $2.8T, 14,724 dead and "millions", that's just the first 5 years....you'd never finish the job.

[Person Man]

It's a red herring guys, "gun control" should mean making it much harder to get hold of a gun of any sort - not arbitrarily banning certain types of gun and considering it as job done.

This. Banning certain guns is just dumb. That said, if a weapon system can't really be considered an "arm", they should definitely be banned. No one should own a working tank with shells or an RPG.

That said, what we need is a better and more fair way of determining who is prohibited and making sure prohibited individuals and the public at large knowing that they ared prohibited.

For example, for felonies and qualifying misdemeanors, a ban from firearms shouild be part of sentencing. Another example is that those who are subject to restraining order of any kind must know they are prohibited and will have to apply for restoration after a rehabilitation period. Those who are Baker Acted should have their firearms determination made by a clear and convincing evidence standard. Anyone should also be able to petition that one undergo a competency determination if they can show by preponderance of evidence that one is needed. Every competency determination must be explicitly made unless it is determined administratively determined that one is demented or mentally retarded.

Individuals who were subjected to restraining orders should be able to apply for restoration after 3 years after their term expires and non-violent felons and prohibited misdemeanants should be able to apply after 5 years post-satisfaction of fines, restitution, and supervision. And it should be 10 for anyone who was convicted for any other felonies with a maximum sentence of now more than 15 years. All other crimes are followed by non possibility of restoration. Restoration terms or availibilty will be made upon being determined prohibition by incompetence.

No non-convictions will result in prohibition and no specific firearms should be banned as long as they are actually firearms. Perhaps there should be mandatory public registrations of prohibited persons or "DO NOT CARRY" should be written on the license.

[The Govanah Jake]

No. Don't support any ban on any type of gun, just restrictions and regulations, along with greater precautionary measures. A ban of a certain gun anyway would never be tolerated by the gun toting American Public. It would just cause a avoidable backlash.

[they don't love you like i love you]

Only 1 time since 1934 has a legal automatic weapon been used in a crime (and that was in the 50s).  Making fully automatic weapons more illegal than they are now wouldn't stop any crime at all.

Actually no, there was another shooting involving one about a decade ago. But the perpetrator was a cop.

[Grand Wizard Lizard of the Klan]

Obviously yes. I wouldn't feel safe in country where any random guy can own such weapon and they are pretty easy accessible.

[America's Sweetheart ❤/𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗]

No. but it should be very hard for an average Joe to get his hands on one legally.

[Free Bird]

If you think this, then you support a pistol ban as well.

[Alabama_Indy10]

I have a semi and fully auto BB gun. Should they be banned too?

[catographer]

No ban, but make them much harder to sell and much harder to buy. Need to restrict the proliferation of millions of firearms in the US so they don't get into the wrong hands.

[Storebought]

In my ideal world, gun ownership would be a privilege that the State grants with great reluctance to a select few individuals. Reducing the firearm distribution of the US would also lower the distribution of firearms within the Caribbean and Central America where they do the most damage.

[1978 New Wave skinny trousers]

Yes. I've seen no legitimate reason to require weapons explicitly designed for mass killing when there are handguns and other hunting rifles.

[Grand Wizard Lizard of the Klan]

I have a semi and fully auto BB gun. Should they be banned too?

Yes, why the  anybody would need such weapon? You Americans are crazy.

[Horus]

So long as cops are included.

[GoTfan]

We've managed to get by without semiautomatic weapons in Australia for 20 years. Why do you need a semiautomatic rifle to defend your home anyway?