Police/their uinions are afraid of the AR-15 but always count on them...

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to use their power the wrong way.

Instead of always backing their rogue, killer members in qualified immunity shootings against unarmed Blacks and POCs, they should instead, since they're afraid of them, make a unified stand to get AR-15-styled assault weapons banned and off our streets nationally,

for their and the public's protection

.

Uvalde showed how afraid they ore of them. But no, taking a stand against the NRA and gun humpers everywhere makes too much since.

I'd back them on that, and other sensible gun control measures as well. Seems to me it's a no-brainer issue for them to gain support from large swathes of the public who were nearly akways automatically agains police and their unions.

[grumpyduck]

1. I dunno...

If they use them on other people but are afraid of getting shot by them... that kinda sounds like hypocrisy and cowardice to me.

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2. Calling for a ban on them is not uning them on other people.

Re-read the post.

And it sound as if you don't know there was an assault weapons ban from 1994-2004. Republicans refused to extend it and it expired. So it can and has been done.

[grumpyduck]

9. I wasn't talking about the ban.

I was talking about cops who use the weapons on other people but are afraid of getting shot with them..

[brush]

10. The OP is about banning them. Are you for it or not?

[grumpyduck]

13. Dude, you are out of line.

For your information, yes, I want the fucking things banned. And I won't reply to any more of your comments.

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15. How is ssking if you're for banning AR-15s out of line?

Glad you are but you've got a weird perspective.

[AndyS]

3. There is history here. Police did not have assault rifles before the late '90s

and then a bank robbery in N Hollywood changed things. Two robbers with AK-47s out gunned all the local police. Their rifles fired THROUGH cars wounding and killing police who were armed with revolvers. The police actually went into local gun stores and commandeered assault weapons to match the firepower of the two perpetrators.

After that assault weapons became standard equipment for police departments across the country.

As always, the gun nuts started it.

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4. So do you agree with going for a nationwide ban or no?

[AndyS]

8. Yes but I have an idea that might be easier.

Classify all semi auto guns, rifles and pistols, as covered by the National Firearms Act of 1934. That's the law that makes it very hard to get full auto machine guns.

Most people don't know that it is legal to own real machine guns but one has to buy a 'stamp', go through a background check like a gun dealer and register the gun with the ATF.

It's there, it's constitutional and a lot easier than an outright ban. Sure a gunner can keep his AR but he has to register it and do the background check from the local dog catcher all the way up to Merrick Garland. That's what I had to do when I applied for a federal firearms license to buy antiques.

The point of my post was to show that the police lagged behind the gun humpers and wouldn't have such weapons if the nuts didn't have them first.

[brush]

11. A ban was in effect from 1994-04.

Seems doable again...possibly a permanent one.

[AndyS]

12. Oh, it's doable.

I think the NFA route is also doable and it could include pistols as well. Either way is a step forward.

I'll back and support either with both $ and ground work.

[NickB79]

14. It's not nearly that hard, in reality

Machine guns are a Class 3 firearm, which does require a tax stamp. But obtaining the stamp takes about 20 minutes of work and 3-6 months of waiting for the ATF to do the paperwork and background check. They don't do a face-to-face background check like they do with a potential gun dealer, and you don't need an FFL to get a tax stamp; it's entirely online these days. They request a fingerprint card, but the gun stores typically do those on-site and mail it in for you along with any other paperwork. And the tax stamp costs a whooping $200, which is not a significant sum.

The only reason machine guns aren't more common is the fact that the registry was closed in 1986 and no new machine guns have been manufactured since. Thus, the cost of even the cheapest fully automatic firearm starts at $20,000, which is the true limiting factor. If there were still new machine guns to be had for a thousand dollars, everyone would have them, given how cheap and easy a tax stamp is to get.

The biggest problem with expanding the NFA is that, as understaffed as the ATF is, it would take a DECADE or more to add all the guns, during which time no new ones could be manufactured and sold, and anyone attempting to buy one afterwards would have to wait years for the ATF to complete the paperwork and get their stamp. And that alone would be enough for the Supreme Court to rule that gun owner's rights were infringed upon. So before the NFA could be expanded, you'd need to spend billions on expanding and streamlining the ATF.

[f_townsend]

5. There have been many police organizations against the gun lobby

Most recently, for example, many state police orgs have come out against permitless carry.

But the "Back the Blue" GOP state legislatures and GOP governors take their marching orders from the gun industry, and have ignored the cops.

The Democrats should make the fact that the GOP has been responsible for putting guns in criminals' hands a major campaign issue all around the nation in every campaign, but the gutless people at the top shaping Democratic strategy have quashed that.

[UncleTomsEvilBrother]

6. I've always wondered...

...why there wasn't a very vocal anti-gun movement led by the police or police unions. As a matter of fact, I'm surprised that there isn't a movement by the spouses or partners of the policepersons who have to battle crime every day.

Seems like, if anybody, this group would lead the charge against the NRA.

[brush]

7. Seems a natural to me too.