What's wrong with gun registration anyway??

[pdxshotgunner]

No I'm not a liberal thread-troll looking for attention. I ask this question among many of my gun loving friends. I am one of them. I personally own about a dozen shotguns ranging from your basic pump-action 20 gauge that you can buy for under $200 at any gun store to my favorite limited addition Caesar Guerini 34" O/U 12 guage -- and I have nothing to hide and would be happy to register every one of them with the state and federal government if asked.

As a long time trap shooter, I've always felt that any man should be able to own any gun they want. But with this freedom, like so of owning an automobile, we should register with any necessary government agencies.

So many of my friends are much more diverse in their collection. Most have at least 1 handgun, several long rifles, and some even have automatics. And few of them have presented an argument that makes sense in 2008.

I am your colleague and hope to contribute to this site. I welcome your reply. I only ask that you respect my thread, as I will respect yours.

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[gunnoob75]

I agree. But the problem becomes (For instance) If Obama wanted to take guns away from us, if they're registered, he knows exactly where to go. It would be interesting to treat guns like Cars, however. Licensing for owners would be good, making sure all gun-owners are educated and understand. But it wouldn't stop criminals from having firearms anyway, so what's the point? And criminals also won't be registering theirs, so what's the point there?

Not knowing what I may or may have makes the battle field much more even. And where all the firearms I own are currently registered, sometimes I wish they weren't.

 

[PhysicsGuy]

I agree with the same thing joe said. With registration, the government knows exactly where to look for guns "they" decide that people shouldnt have anymore.

 

[pdxshotgunner]

Wake Joe,

Please show me the article that says that Obama plans to take guns away from us? I'm interested in knowing exactly what he said?

Let's separate fact and fiction and not be swept up in paranoia.

To your other point regarding criminals, I guess it's just a matter of how you look at things. If every legal, law abiding citizen had their handgun registered, then couldn't one conclude that it would be easier to track non-registered guns and therefore their users? Would there not be a scarcity of non-registered guns?
It seems to me that refusing or getting uptight about not registering a firearm gives the government good reason to "take away" that same firearm.

 

[pdxshotgunner]

Physics,
I again, I think that's a fairly paranoid way of looking at things. What agency would be in charge of such a ridiculous and time consuming task? Certainly not ATF? They've got their hands full on our borders. The FBI? No. They're too busy dealing with terrorist suspects.
Unless you have a gun that is designed to obliterate your neighbors house with a pull of the trigger, I doubt you should have much to worry about.

 

[rvmichael]

Is registration for anything, nothing more than control and taxation? Anyone see a tax per gun coming? Anyone see an Amunition tax coming. Did anyone see the abusive alcohol and cigarette tax coming? IF the Government can't get your guns...should they tax them?

 

[Doubletap]

Not even going to attempt to explain this one..

 

[PhysicsGuy]

I know I'm not Joe --- but to show his point, there may not be any proof that Obama wants to take away guns, but don't you agree that it would make it a whole lot easier? I'm not saying that he is going to take all guns away, but there are certain types that he believes that civilians shouldn't own.

A good example is in the UK, just look how they recently banned all handguns. Now in the united states there are millions of black rifles, and most of the owners would not turn them in if they were banned, because they feel that it is infringing on their constitution right. So wouldn't it be nice to have a database of where all of those rifles are so that they can be taken if not turned in?

I am in no way a conspiracy theorist, but it worked in the UK, so there is obvious reason why they are looking into it here.

 

[PhysicsGuy]

Physics,
I again, I think that's a fairly paranoid way of looking at things. What agency would be in charge of such a ridiculous and time consuming task? Certainly not ATF? They've got their hands full on our borders. The FBI? No. They're too busy dealing with terrorist suspects.
Unless you have a gun that is designed to obliterate your neighbors house with a pull of the trigger, I doubt you should have much to worry about.

I don't think that anyone is going to come to my door at all. But what is one good reason of registration?

And maybe I do have a gun that would obliterate a neighbors house

 

[PhysicsGuy]

And its not the fact that there has to be ANY department that will come to doors and get the guns. Its the fear that they will, all they have to do is say that they know where the banned guns are (through registration), and that would scare many guns owners into turning them in. (again proof of use in the UK)

 

[Anoobie Knewberton 47]

pdxshotgunner, Your question of: "What agency would be in charge of such a ridiculous and time consuming task?" is valid. I tend to agree that no federal agency would be able to go door to door collecting firearms. Yet along the same line of thinking it could be argued that w/ the meth, heroin, and cocaine epidemics this nation faces it would stand to reason that the DEA would not take part in the ridiculous and time consuming task of arresting marijuana abusers. So does that mean that no marijuana abusers get arrested? None are in prison, and/or in the court system? I don't want this thread to drift of onto this subject, but if a law hits the books, then it would be addressed locally, even if it goes against popular reasoning.

 

[pdxshotgunner]

Physics,

I already gave a great reason to Joe in my reply to him.

In regards to what's happened in the UK, we are not the UK. We have a long tradition of gun ownership that was established by our forefathers. Everything about our "rights-as-citizens" politics are different here. As far as Obama is concerned, taking away any otherwise-considered lawful firearm is probably #1001 on his list of a thousand things to do when he gets into office. Your guns aren't going anywhere.
I heard this same mantra of disillusion paranoia when Clinton took office, and do you know what happened: With the exception of NY State, owning guns became easier across the nation. Whether you support it or not what's you fear? Registration shouldn't cause even 1 single hair to stand up on the back of anybody's neck, but yet it does.
Me, I'm much more concerned with the government taking my property rights. The local city shaved off 200 sq feet from my neighbors yard with eminent domain. He got fair market value according to today's market. They didn't go in and take his silencer for his Weatherby 700 Magnum. It's registered and no one cares.

 

[pdxshotgunner]

Anoobie,

Illegal gun distribution is not considered in law enforcement as an "epidemic". Meth spreads out of a basement or shack in someones back yard and has a very negative impact on everyone it touches. This poison is easily made, and can be transferred from person-to-person cheaply and very discreetly in neighborhoods all across the US.
Illegal guns, and ammunition can not be created or distributed this way.

 

[PhysicsGuy]

I actually do agree that there really is nothing to fear as far as people coming and taking guns. I just see no benefit in requiring registration of firearms

As far as your example of using the unregistered firearms for locating criminals, those unregistered firearms are only going to show up in crime scenes, or on a criminal that is already being arrested for another crime (or in a random search). I just don't see any benefit to this, since any illegally owned firearms aren't going to be readily visible, so why make visible the legal ones?

 

[Doubletap]

Good Lord..save us from the naive....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-taU9d26wT4

 

[PhysicsGuy]

Anoobie,
Illegal guns, and ammunition can not be created or distributed this way.

illegal guns and ammunition can be distributed by "corrupt" FFLs and or anyone else without a prior background.

or... the #1 way they get in the hands of criminals -- they are stolen!

 

[gunnoob75]

I never said Obama would take guns, i said "Let's say, (For instance)". Not "OBAMA IS TAKING OUR GUNS!". Hypothetical, bud...

 

[sweetbeard]

I smell a troll.

 

[PhysicsGuy]

Good Lord..save us from the naive....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-taU9d26wT4

a perfect example

 

[Anoobie Knewberton 47]

Anoobie,

Illegal gun distribution is not considered in law enforcement as an "epidemic". Meth spreads out of a basement or shack in someones back yard and has a very negative impact on everyone it touches. This poison is easily made, and can be transferred from person-to-person cheaply and very discreetly in neighborhoods all across the US.
Illegal guns, and ammunition can not be created or distributed this way.

That isn't the point I was making at all. The point was if guns and ammunition were to become contraband, law enforcement would deal with them as so.

If law goes on books, then law gets enforced.