when someone argues "but criminals get guns from the street corner anyway" they are falling into a fallacious line of reasoning - unless they are willing to legalize possession of all contraband (say, nuclear weapons, anthrax, child porn, etc.) because "criminals get it anyway".
uuummm, I don't think so. First of all, firearms have a legitimate role in a civilized society for an honest, decent person. None of the things you mentioned do. Nuclear weapons of any variety have NO PLACE in the hands of an individual. Anthrax is a biological agent utilized by domestic and/or international terrorists. Child porn does is for perverts and child molestors and serves only to victimize innocent children who later grow up to have deep-seated emotional problems.
Criminals are not wired like law abiding folks, that is why we call them criminals.
I respectfully disagree. Although some may be "wired" differently, I believe that most know what they are doing is wrong and don't care because of pure selfishness. Whether it's because they grew up in an environment that did not encourage a good work ethic, because they need money for crack, or whatever, they consciously CHOOSE to disregard the well-being of others for their own benefit.
For the record, I am against background checks in their current form. However, I also do not believe that everyone should own a gun.
I believe you should only not be able to own a firearm if:
A) you are a convicted VIOLENT criminal offender (burglary, battery, rape, murder, etc.)
B) you have been adjudicated mentally ill (by a court of law only)
The reason why I don't believe all felons should be prohibited from owning firearms is that not all felonies are created equal. If someone got busted riding down the road with a couple ounces of reefer or trespassing on a construction site, that's BS that they can't defend themselves.
The reason why I believe that mental incapacity must be proven in a court of law is *ta-da* the Fifth Amendment. You know, that whole "due process of law" thing? I don't think it's right if a kid has a bout of situational depression in seventh grade and gets labeled by a counselor/shrink and placed in a hospital for observation that he/she should be considered a nutcase for life.