Four steps for preventing gun violence.

[boxman15]

1.) Keep certain weapons that are especially deadly and have no place for hunting or protection purposes (semi-automatics, for example) off the shelves. Will that make the guns disappear? No. But it will make it harder for someone in an unhealthy state of being from finding them and would make possession of one of these weapons very risky (ie, heavy jail time, not a slap on the wrist like so many of our current gun laws.).

2.) Invest in mental health care again. Far too many people who need help don't get it because it's either not available or ridiculously expensive.

3.) Invest in education. Much of the nation's gun violence is related to gangs or a gang mentality in our inner cities. Because education is not an emphasis anymore in most inner cities, the gang life is seen as the only way to succeed for many of our youth. Giving them an opportunity to succeed through education would eradicate many of the problems of our inner cities.

4.) Make possession of illegal guns/weapons and the use of gun violence severely punishable if caught. Right now, more often than not, possession of an illegal weapon results in a slap on the wrist more than anything. Pro-gun advocates like to point out that many nations, including Israel and Switzerland, have lower gun-related crime rates despite having higher rates of gun possession per capita. They ignore, however, their extremely strict gun laws that make gun violence severely punishable, resulting in years and years in prison. The U.S. needs laws like those, and it wouldn't hurt to heavily tax bullets, either.

[napoleon_in_rags]

1. Good post.

I like the idea of reclassifying the semi-autos. Right now, for instance, people can get full auto guns with the right clearance, and who have business having them. People like ex military security consultants. Basically just get a process in place that allows people who really have an interest to go through the training hoops and sanity checks that let them own these arms. Access still exists, but more screening.

Mental health is key. Its a big problem that overlaps somewhat with this issue. People can be really helpful by reminding lawmakers that there are well documented effective supports OTHER than involuntary incarceration in institutions, whereby people get supports they need, and give up some freedoms for a time (guns, drugs) but are being actively guided to live responsible self sufficient existences while in the the community.

Education is great. Gun safety may be a good idea: I grew up rural, shooting my guns all the time without ever thinking of them as a means to murder. Maybe there is a way to train a positive and responsible attitude to guns that could identify the nutcases early on (hint: The kid who shoots at others with his BB gun does NOT get to go on to .22 short class. )

Taxes on bullets beware: They key here is not to create a black market. reloading tech is widespread, and gunpowder/primer is easier to make than many of the drugs that currently are floating around.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. While I understand your goals, there are some issues with your details

Semi automatic handguns are the best choice for self defense and should not be taken away. I believe that magazines should be limited to that which fits in the handle. Yes that will mean more than 10 rounds in some handguns, but that is not really a serious issue. Pistols can be designed to make that limit inherent. The Ruger .22LR handguns are a good example of that as were 1950s Astras.

For long guns any semi automatic with a blind (fixed) magazine is fine.

For detachable magazines, any non semi automatic is fine.

For detachable magazine semi automatics, I understand the desire to limit them, but it will be very hard. Still working on ideas for that. Perhaps a tiered ownership system, but I am not sure.

I agree with improving mental health and education. We have had all these kinds of weapons in the US civil population since WWI but the level of violence (guns and otherwise) was never like this. Solutions need to be found and implemented. People need to admit its not just the guns and open their POV

Vigorous enforcement of what is already on the books would be a great thing. Less than 10% of the referrals for violation of the Brady Act are prosecuted. We need to fix that. In many places the laws are retreating from heavy sentences and 3 strikes, doubling down on illegal guns would be counter to that trend. Its cyclic so who knows.

Bullets have never been the problem. Draconian taxes on them and firearms just makes our firearms laws more classist and racist than they already are.