Hypothetical question - trade 'gun license' for abolishing NFA, ATF

[Sundance]

Government never keeps its word. To them a contract (like the Constitution) is not binding, and they can change their mind at any time. If you doubt this, ask any Ukrainian about trusting the word of the US Government!

Guess you can also ask the native Americans and about any country in existence

 

[Stomper]

No for me.
A License implies something is privilege ....the 2nd Amendment is a Right , not a privilege.
Andy

Just that, a license is a "permission slip" to engage in actions or activities that you're not entitled to.

I do NOT need a "license" to live as a FREE citizen.

 

[Diamondback]

I seem to recall this exact bill of goods being sold up in Canada, and look where it got them...

 

[Stomper]

Government never keeps its word. To them a contract (like the Constitution) is not binding, and they can change their mind at any time. If you doubt this, ask any Ukrainian about trusting the word of the US Government!

Ask any of the tribes (or myriad veterans) how well the U.S. government keeps it's word….

 

[GWS]

Hard pass The government will always find a way to crawfish the deal
NO NFA, NO GCA AND NO PERMIT/LICENSE is the only acceptable deal

 

[Sundance]

Bingo, the OP assumes acting in good faith, which we ALL know that the Grabbers and their Kapo Knobgobblers *stares pointedly at unnamed "supporting" vendor* are pathologically incapable of.

Agreed, I trust the gubernment as much as every other person here . They have absolutely no credibility in keeping their word.
History of this is too long to type. Short version, it was a discussion with a friends book club that was anti-gun. I wanted to see how far I could bend them to 'our' side . Figured my proposal would make a good discussion topic here .

 

[American123]

Trade deal alert. Interpret the second amendment as it was intended when it was written and there will be less need for a second American revolution in the future.

 

[Flymph]

If we get rid of the regulatory agencies, who issues the licenses or even revokes them when necessary.

 

[nehalemguy]

Sounds great.....right up to the day they revoke your license.

-E-

 

[oremike]

No deals, the second amendment stands as written.

 

[bradsteen]

I would not be in favor of this - too many bureaucratic ways to infringe on a constitutional right. Further, cars are different because they are generally large enough to be noticed and therefore easy enough (comparatively) to monitor and ensure compliance. Government agencies do this by having police observe and pull over non-compliant motorists, speeders, etc., and by having an expiration date on licenses.

Guns present a whole different set of challenges. They can be small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, so observation and enforcement by police is impractical. You'd need a cop at every gun range to check weapons against licenses. Expiration of gun "licenses" implies loss of one's ability to keep and bear arms. That's not even factoring in potential for abuse - additional taxes and fees on firearms based on classification, increased licensing costs, and other things that would prevent law abiding citizens from exercising their rights.

Look at the NFA as an example. A $200 tax on a product in 1934 was the equivalent of $4,234 today. That regulation effectively made ownership of whole classes of firearm unobtainable by the majority of the population at the whim of politicians and special interests. After it passed the only people who could afford NFA weapons were rich folks... like the gangsters. That is the very definition of infringement, and blanket licensing would make it even easier for the government to apply similar measures on a much broader scale.

I get the idea, I understand the appeal of a compromise, but I think that is one that would come back to bite us in the long run.

 

[Diamondback]

You cannot compromise with those who say "what's mine is mine but what's YOURS is negotiable."

Better explanation from when this came up a decade ago here: http://thelawdogfiles.blogspot.com/2010/09/ok-ill-play.html

Or the "WURDZ MAKE MUH BRAIN HURTZ! NEEDZ MUH PRETTY PIKSHURZ!" illustrated version:

Cake And Compromise – Illustrated Guide To Gun Control – Everyday No Days Off