• Twitter
  • Facebook
News-Sentinel.com Your Town. Your Voice.
Opening Arguments

Straw man

The Indianapolis Star gets on the gun-control bandwagon, or at least waves encouragingly at it, in editorializing about Don's Guns, identified as the No. 3 spot in the nation for sales of guns later used in crimes:

It's extremely difficult to catch stores abetting straw purchases in any case, an expert told The Star. And the argument would be less relevant if Indiana restricted quantities sold at one time.

To do so would not violate Second Amendment rights to possess firearms for hunting and self-defense. It would discourage the flow of guns into the hands of criminals and of young people who might become violent criminals only because of easy access to deadly weapons.

So would background checks for buyers from private dealers at gun shows, now not required. So would waiting periods for rifles, shotguns and most assault-style weapons, also not a state mandate.

Straw purchases are illegal, but they're hard to prove, so let's restrict everybody's ability to purchase guns. Typical gun-control logic. And hunting? What Second Amenment are they referring to here? Anybod know a young person, by the way, who became a violent criminal because of "the easy access to deadly weapons"? There wasn't, you know, perhaps a slight inclination present to become such?

Comments

tim zank
Thu, 12/30/2010 - 11:09am

Natural progression and correlation:

Getaway cars used in crimes. Cars once sold at licensed used car dealers are known to have been used by criminals in the furtherence of their crimes. The problem is state law, there is no limit on how many cars a "legitimate" buyer can buy and then turn around and sell to a criminal.

/sarc

Bob G.
Thu, 12/30/2010 - 4:37pm

Tim:
Better be careful...AJ might take offense to our generational values by you saying stuff like that...LMAO!

;)

Phil Marx
Sat, 01/01/2011 - 3:12am

Leo, I think you know the kind of activities that go on in neighborrhoods like mine. Things have calmed down quite a bit in the last year, but it was not that long go that my neighbors were frequently shoooting at each other in the streets.

I don't care what their tendencies are, they are far less dangerous when they don't have guns in their hands. That is why I feel very strongly that we need to make serious changes to the current laws which make it far too easy for these guys to get guns.

tim zank
Tue, 01/04/2011 - 9:30am

Phil, all due respect, do you honestly think the guys in your neighborhood are getting their guns at Walmart or Bass Pro Shops, or even Dons Guns?

Bob G.
Tue, 01/04/2011 - 12:11pm

Guys:
They get them the "old-fashiioned" way...ILLEGALLY!

I know if I worked in a gunshop and someone that LOOKED like a gang banger walked in and wanted to purchase an AK or a few large caliber handguns and the ammo to feed them...I'd not be forthcoming to "want" to sell that person anything at all (and the panic button would be in easy reach, as would MY handgun...just in case of an impromptu robbery).

Sound a bit "BIASED"?
Sure...if it LOOKS like a duck, WALKS like a duck (baggy pants waddle syndrome?) and QUACKS (ebonics?) like a duck.

You do the math.

;)

Phil Marx
Tue, 01/04/2011 - 9:25pm

Tim,

No, I don't think the guys in my neighborhood are getting their guns at Walmart or Bass Pro Shops - because it's illegal for them to do so. But I do think they're getting them from people who get them at those places.

There are far to many illegal guns out there for theft to explain away the problem. People are purchasing these guns legally, then knowingly passing them on to people who can't legally own them. And while it may be illegal for them to pass them on to the felons in my neighborhood, there is absolutely no enforcement mechanism for this. That is the problem, as I see it.

larry morris
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 12:33pm

Phil, knowing they don't get their guns at law-abiding establishments, what laws do you propose to change or enact to solve the problem while still letting us law-abiding citizens get them ?

Phil Marx
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 12:42am

Larry, the short answer is that I think we should require all firearms to be registered and all potential purchasers to first submit to a felony background check.

And if you're inclined to call me a gun-hating liberal, please read my post on this first.

http://myhudhouse.blogspot.com/2011/01/banning-straw-purchase-of-guns.html

larry morris
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 12:46pm

Nope, I won't call you a "gun-hating liberal"

Quantcast