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This just proves that the gun industry and the gun lobby care nothing
about law and order, but only care about profits. Not that it was ever assumed
before, I guess, but individual advocates of the second amendment and
supporters of gun rights often use the argument that upstanding citizens should
have no fetters on their rights to own and carry a gun. Okay, so let’s assume
that gun owners keep them for going to ranges and shooting targets and/or for
self-defense. I guess I’m not really sure how this law “would unfairly focus on
legal gun owners when most crimes are committed with illegally obtained guns.”
A rational person would say that this is the precise reason why this
microstamping would be necessary, because it gives police detectives a starting
place to look for the weapon used in a crime. Just because police come to your
door asking about a weapon used in a crime does not mean they’re implicating
you in the crime, it simply means that a gun that you once owned (or still do,
but has been stolen) was used in a crime. This could be very helpful in tracing
the gun to the last legal (or illegal) owner, and eventually help to solve the
crime.
So why are the major gun companies and gun lobby against this
legislation? Hard to say… Some say that it is a money issue; the gun industry
says that it would add as much as $200 to each gun, but the State of New York –
who is trying to pass a law requiring microstamping – not only says the price
would be much lower, the law they’re attempting to pass would actually mandate
that the increased cost would be no more than $12 per gun. I guess another
reason why they’re opposed to it could be because the gun manufacturers are
away that their products are purchased by criminals and/or stolen and used for
nefarious means, but they would rather make massive amounts of money than
actually protect the lives of the citizens of this country – or at least make
it easier for police to find the guilty party when a crime has been committed.
FYI - The US gun and ammunition manufacturing industry includes about
300 companies with combined annual revenue of about $6 billion.
2 comments:
I recently read an article that was extremely eye-opening to me as far the alleged second amendment is concerned.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/25/opinion/i-hunt-but-i-oppose-the-nra.html
Thanks for this post; in light of today's shooting, it's all the more relevant.
That's a very good article, and I think helps to show that gun owners are not some bloc force that want the same things. I cannot understand the rationale that having a second amendment right to own a gun extends to any type of gun, any type of ammo, anywhere...it's bullshit.
We have first amendment rights, but those have limits. I know very few people who want to (or think it's possible) completely get rid of guns; it's just that we need to look at specific types and places where guns are detrimental to society (e.g. handgun bans in DC and NYC, assault weapons ban under Clinton, limit on magazine size).
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