I already cheerfully, honestly, call myself a "gearhead who just like them as machines" - sure, very dangerous machines, but ultimately a precision inanimate object that I take immense pleasure in forcing to my will, in terms of accuracy and precision. And, funnily enough, I'm quite in favor of a lot of firearms regulation laws. But as with any double, or even single-edged sword there are a couple bits of "sensible gun control" I don't support.
I do NOT support "universal background checks"...because they don't go far enough.
I support universal FFL (Federal Firearms-dealer License) transfers instead. FFLs record every single sale on a paper form that goes in a bound book, kept on file for 20 years. That makes guns traceable, without being registered - assuming all legal transfers are via FFL, a crime gun's serial number should be tracked from the manufacturer through the sales chain to the last legal owner. Given the pooch that has been repeatedly screwed with even well-intentioned registration, I think it's the best option to give guns a chain of custody without an a priori database of who owns what - which is IMO overkill for criminal justice reasons, assuming the key issue is tracking a gun to its last legal owner. Combine that with a universal FOID card (if you have a CCW it's already a de facto FOID so stuff it) and you know who owns guns, and who was the last legal owner of a given gun...but not exactly who owns what guns, and IMHO that's something even the .gov has no pressing interest in knowing.
And the only other thing I can't ever get behind is an AWB. Principally on "gearheadedness" - the "greatest battle implement ever devised" is legal in (I think) all 50 states, while my heavier, slower-firing, long-range-ONLY deer rifle is illegal in NY, CA, MA, CT and NJ among others, because it has a pistol grip and reloads (just as fast) from the bottom instead of the top. Not to mention rifles are simply a vanishingly small problem for now. Once we all fix the handgun problem, I would be willing to sell-back my one rifle out of my four hunters.
PS - I do expect to be censured. I'm what, only 85% pure?
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