coaledsweat wrote:Well you are wrong and as an ex LEO you should know that anyone that can legally purchase a hand gun or rifle can in fact purchase a machine gun if legal in their state.
I know many people who own firearms & keep them in their homes.....I know
NOT ONE person who owns fully automatic weapons. (Of course there are people out there that do, but my point is there are so few of them, compared to the huge population of gun owners in this country, that their weapons don't pose a major threat since there are so few of them around, better regulated for licensing & usually owned by serious collectors who lock them up very carefully.
If these automatic weapons were as plentiful as regular firearms, they would certainly be involved in crimes of passion.
(this line of debate is really bolstering MY argument in terms of showing how some gun control does protect the public from crazies with machine guns)
As far as your statement.... "anyone that can legally purchase a hand gun or rifle can in fact purchase a machine gun if legal in their state"... you are wrong. Federal law limits ownership of all "operable" machine guns:
It has been unlawful since 1934 (The National Firearms Act) for civilians to own machine guns without special permission from the U.S. Treasury Department. Machine guns are subject to a $200 tax every time their ownership changes from one federally registered owner to another, and each new weapon is subject to a manufacturing tax when it is made, and it must be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) in its National Firearms Registry.
To become a registered owner, a complete FBI background investigation is conducted, checking for any criminal history or tendencies toward violence, and an application must be submitted to the BATF including two sets of fingerprints, a recent photo, a sworn affidavit that transfer of the NFA firearm is of "reasonable necessity," and that sale to and possession of the weapon by the applicant "would be consistent with public safety." The application form also requires the signature of a chief law enforcement officer with jurisdiction in the applicant's residence.
Since the Firearms Owners' Protection Act of May 19, 1986, ownership of newly manufactured machine guns has been prohibited to civilians. Machine guns which were manufactured prior to the Act's passage are regulated under the National Firearms Act, but those manufactured after the ban cannot ordinarily be sold to or owned by civilians.
http://www.guncite.com/gun_control_gcfullau.htmlcoaledsweat wrote:Legally registered cars killed thousands last year, how many deaths by Barrett light .50 have there been? What is that? None?
Again, I return to this:..."like to apply a "Common Sense" test, rather than a "Constitutional Rights" test to these dilemmas: Weigh the potential danger a particular weapon/device poses to society vs it's utility for any lawful purpose...Obviously a legally registered car has many beneficial uses to society. A 50 cal Barret sniper rifle has none."....
It is obviously my opinion & can't be "Proven" to your satisfaction. I'm not even trying to change your mind on your opinion. Opinions are not facts that can be proven one way or the other. I'll just stand "Pat" with my opinion & let you have yours.........(even though your opinion is just flat wrong!!
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