An excellent question from Aasif Mandvi....

[Playinghardball]

found on the Being Liberal Facebook page

[Recursion]

1. Laws about how you use guns work

Laws banning things have been proven time and time again not to work. Laws banning behavior can be effective.

[CJCRANE]

2. But traffic laws regulate cars.

They don't ban them.

[Bicoastal]

4. The argument always leaps straight from "more regulation" to "prohibition."

Doomsday scenarios are prevalent in the NRA's universe.

[Recursion]

8. Nobody's talked about "regulating guns"

People talk about getting rid of guns. Regulating guns would be thinks like licensing and registering them, which as far as I can tell almost everybody in the Gungeon supports.

[EOTE]

10. Nonsense, loads of people have talked about regulating guns.

But ANY mention that gun access should be slightly less unfettered than it currently is is met with hysterical howls from the NRA crowd. There has been tons of sensible discussion regarding guns, but the gun nuts get all frothy about it all.

[Recursion]

11. OK, currently Senator Feinstein is introducing a law that keeps rifles from having bayonet mounts

So, yes, there is talk of regulating guns, it's just kind of stupid talk.

[EOTE]

13. And many others, of course, as well.

Of course when regulations are brought up, it's typically derided as stupid talk by those who just can't bare preventing the deaths of innocents if it means they'll be inconvenienced in the slightest.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/12/17/manchin-gun-regulations-momentum/1774613/

[CJCRANE]

3. It's just RW inertia.

Many of today's conservatives have a strange fatalistic mindset, they seem unwilling or unable to do anything about anything.

[RegieRocker]

5. Roflmao

I have the answer for this one. Only 10% of the population are obeying traffic laws. People are speeding like crazy and through work zones. Law breaking is at epidemic proportions. This is a total logic fail. I was thinking of this yesterday. Back whe I was young it was quite uncommon for people to speed the way they do today. To cut people off. To jump in line. No it's quit obvious what ails our society. No concern what so ever for their fellow person. No politeness. No courtesy. It's all about me me me.

[TroglodyteScholar]

18. I like the tweet

But you make an excellent point that really puts things in perspective. Thanks for sharing it, and I hope we can all find ways to address that. The responsibility of the individual in a free society has more than one side, and people like to ignore that reality or deem it inconvenient.

[laundry_queen]

20. Funny

when I first learned to drive, in the area I now currently live in, again, people were NUTS. Speeding, running red lights, passing in no-passing zones. I tell you, when I moved back, I was friggin SHOCKED that I was now the speed demon going the speed limit. People now regularly go 5km/h under. What changed?

Police presence in the community. Constant photo radar. ENFORCEMENT of the law.

You're right - any gun law without enforcement won't do its job. The law needs to be explicit, and enforced, constantly.

By the way, the mememe shit reminds me of some people I've seen here over the last few days....

[Laelth]

6. Good question. k&r n/t

-Laelth

[frazzled]

7. I have been saying this all weekend

and slapping myself upside the head when people don't seem to get it.

Just because people will break laws is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for not passing them. Laws express the intent and values of our society. They will never be 100% effective: laws will always be broken.

The question "how effective would a ban on assault weapons be?" is wholly immaterial and specious. When we pass such a law we are saying that we don't wish to have people in our society owning or using these dangerous weapons. We're not saying they won't obtain them illegally, or use them for crimes. Just as most states have laws that say, "if your car can't pass an emissions test, we won't allow it to be on our roads." Or "if a refrigerator or air conditioner contains freon, we won't allow it to be sold." Same with semi-automatic rifles. If we decide that people can use other firearms that are more societally acceptable to hunt or do target practice, and that there is no reason for these more dangerous weapons to be in use in our society, we have this right to make such a law.

[ehrnst]

9. Those people sure think that it works to regulate abortion.

And marijuana.

And Meth.

[hack89]

12. Its the difference between regulating behavior and regulating objects.

we do good at regulating behavior that everyone accepts to be bad. We do poorly on regulating objects that are viewed as neither good or bad.

[mainstreetonce]

14. I say this to the idiots

all the time.

They say criminals don't obey gun laws, why have laws.

I say predators don't obey laws,why have laws.

They can't answer.

Only gun people believe less law brings more order.

[PatSeg]

15. AND

If "guns don't kill people, people kill people", I think we should ban PEOPLE!

[Cleita]

16. Yep, but those of us who have said the same thing for the last decade or so

were looked upon as nut cases.

[ReRe]

17. Sounds like libertarianism...

...or possibly Anarchy There's ya' some "logic." Or no logic at all.

[taxpayer2000]

19. Why have any laws if you selectively enforce and adjudicate them? ...

We have had two horrible toddler shootings in 2012, one included a loaded handgun UNDER A PILLOW and a 4yo boy killed his 2yo brother. In one case the parents pled guilty to gross negligence (misdemeanor and probation) and another has yet to be charged (or even arrested!).

Guns are a very local issue. Your County and State AG will likely have more impact on gun violence than our 113th Congress. I am focused on stuff I can impact, notably County stuff.