Suppose the 2nd amendment to the Constitution was repealed. Would government be able to get such a control on guns that violence associated with the gun would be greatly reduced? Would the murder rate in Chicago and other large cities be virtually eliminated?
I have a pretty good feeling that repeal of the 2nd amendment would have little effect unless the USA became, in effect, a police state. There are just too many guns out there and we virtually have an open border with Mexico, a source of guns of all kinds, including assault rifles. In addition we have long coastal waters which can't be patrolled all the time. To eliminate guns from our society at this stage would be a daunting task. About as successful as our war on drugs have been. Which almost everybody agrees is a total failure.
Guns are widely held throughout the United States as shown in the figure below. Not surprising, the most liberal states, which already have strict gun control laws show the least percentage of gun ownership, at least legal ownership.
Also not surprising, is that gun death rates line up fairly well with the percentage of gun ownership.
There are more guns in the United States than there are people. To get rid of that number of guns, without even considering smuggling, would be next to impossible without a extensive change in the current laws. The state would have to trample on essential freedoms and rights we think we have.
First, you would have to allow police officers and other law enforcement to raid any place they choose and stop and frisk any one without a warrant.
Second, you would have to make the owing or selling of an unauthorized firearm a serious crime, in and of itself. I mean serious, big fines and prison time.
You would have to limit, severely, the condition under which a permit would be issued and restrict the types of weapons that would be authorized. No sim-automatic, automatic, or large capacity magazine guns would be permitted. Essentially the guns that would be authorized, when clear need has been shown, would be the revolver or other limited magazine gun shot guns and sport rifles. Permitting would only be authorized by he federal government's ATF agency. And, limit the sale of ammunition only to those people authorized the possess a gun.
You would have to make the punishment severe for anyone smuggling a firearm into the country.That means severe prison time.
Next, but not the last, sentencing anyone who commits a felony with a gun to very long prison sentences, even up to life imprisonment or the death penalty.
A look at the gun laws in Britain is probably the model for what gun haters in the US would strive for:
The following are generally prohibited:
- Fully automatic or burst-fire weapons, which may include some air guns.
- Semi-automatic or pump-action rifles that fire centre-fire ammunition
- Manually Actuated Release System Rifles (M.A.R.S) and Lever Release Rifles (not to be confused with Lever Action)
- Cartridge-ammunition handguns, regardless of caliber
- Firearms disguised as another item (e.g. walking sticks, mobile telephones, etc.)
- Rockets and mortars.
- Air guns chambered for self-contained gas cartridges. (Existing owners prior to 20 January 2004 w
- Any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other substance. This would generally include stun guns, or electric shock devices, (tear gas), (pepper spray), etc. Cattle prods would not generally be included, but it would depend on the type.
- Any weapon of any era is never allowed ownership subject to obtaining a firearm certificate)
Firearms that previously fell into a prohibited category cannot be made legal if converted into an otherwise permitted form. For example, a pistol which is adapted by permanently fitting a 60-centimetre (24 in) long smooth-bore barrel to it does not thereby become permitted.
It has been said that in the presence of restrictive gun laws only the criminals would have guns. That is obviously true. But, consider this. The events that gets the Woke crowd up in arms is the mass shootings that have become all too common place are not being done by known criminals. They are often carried out by a some disgruntled individual that has a bone to pick with the institution he attacks. All too often the warnings were there. A disturbed individual that just slips through the cracks.
All that, of course, presumes that the Supreme Court did not step in and declare that this range of laws were unconstitutional. One would suppose that a population that permitted the 2nd amendment to be nullified, might have elected a President and congress that appointed enough liberal justices that the laws would stand. An all to likely future event.
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