MachIVshooter
Member
Guns are not automobiles. They are very different machines with a very different purpose, and drawing parallels between the two in the legal and political context serves absolutely no useful purpose.
I have been utterly shocked at the number of members here who are ready and willing to accept gun control, and a very common theme among these collaborators is the car/gun comparison - especially the licensure aspect.
Let's just blow this one out of the water:
1) Priviledge versus right: Driving is a priviledge, owning a firearm is a constitionally protected (not granted, protected!) right.
2) Licensure: Driver licenses require a proficiency test, but do not require a clean criminal history, or get denied for being adjudicated a mental defect; Would you rather have gun purchasers prove that they know how to handle a weapon, or would you rather know based on their history that they are not criminals and probably not dangerous?
3) Minimum ages: Despite some ridiculously ill-informed posts, there is no minimum age to purchase a vehicle.
4) Performance: Though I and many others disagree with the existing restrictions, fact remains that firearms (and other weapons) are already heavily restricted by the NFA based on characteristics of performance, requiring minimum ages, extensive approval processes and a tax to simply possess any of these "high performance" guns. Automobiles, on the other hand, are virtually unrestricted nation-wide; You can have as large or small, as fast or slow, as powerful or anemic of a vehicle as you desire (or can afford). And with few exceptions (most notably being able to physically fit between lanes), there is no limit to what you may operate on a public street, so long as you tag and insure it, and have appropriate lighting. And despite obvious dangers associated with putting a 16 year old new licensee behind the wheel of a 1,200 WHP twin-turbocharged Corvette, there are NO laws against it.
5) Penalties for misuse: There is not one reckless or careless act one can do with a firearm that doesn't already carry far stiffer penalties than a similarly reckless or careless act done with an automobile.
6) Registration: Some love to cite how we can track a vehicle owner by the registration, and so should we be able to with guns. While it often seems logical prima facie, let's look at the reasoning behind automobile registration, and why it doesn't have the same application for firearms:
A) The primary purpose behind vehicle registration is the fees collected, which are used to maintain and construct the public roads & bridges those vehicles will travel on. I don't see the FET paid on firearms being used to fund public ranges.
B) The purpose of having license plates is to 1) make sure the registration fees were paid and 2) give people a way to ID vehicles (not necessarily the vehicle's owner) that have been involved in an accident or illicit act. Both purposes are easily defeated by the non-law abiding; Do car thieves go and re-register the stolen car? Of course not. So what makes anyone think gun registration would be any different? For this reason, gun registration is useless (and it's a lot easier to spot a stolen 2 ton motor vehicle than a stolen 2 pound handgun). It puts an unfair burden on lawful gun owners, and is totally useless in the solving (let alone prevention) of crimes.
C) You are not required to register a vehicle that you're not going to operate on public streets. So I submit to the pro gun registration crowd, are you OK with only registering those firearms that will be used on public ranges? If so, how do you go about enforcing this?
7) Danger to society: Despite registration, despite licensing and despite the fact that there are fewer cars owned by Americans than firearms, motor vehicles are involved in far more injuries and fatalities every year. So I ask again, do we really want guns to be like cars?
8) Illicit use: Perhaps the most salient point is that taking away one's driver license does not stop them from being able to drive any more than prohibiting a person from owning a firearm stops them from owning and using a gun. Laws define crime, and punishments deter it, but no amount of legislation can prevent criminal acts.
I could go on, but I do believe the point is made. If anyone feels I missed something, feel free to add.
I have been utterly shocked at the number of members here who are ready and willing to accept gun control, and a very common theme among these collaborators is the car/gun comparison - especially the licensure aspect.
Let's just blow this one out of the water:
1) Priviledge versus right: Driving is a priviledge, owning a firearm is a constitionally protected (not granted, protected!) right.
2) Licensure: Driver licenses require a proficiency test, but do not require a clean criminal history, or get denied for being adjudicated a mental defect; Would you rather have gun purchasers prove that they know how to handle a weapon, or would you rather know based on their history that they are not criminals and probably not dangerous?
3) Minimum ages: Despite some ridiculously ill-informed posts, there is no minimum age to purchase a vehicle.
4) Performance: Though I and many others disagree with the existing restrictions, fact remains that firearms (and other weapons) are already heavily restricted by the NFA based on characteristics of performance, requiring minimum ages, extensive approval processes and a tax to simply possess any of these "high performance" guns. Automobiles, on the other hand, are virtually unrestricted nation-wide; You can have as large or small, as fast or slow, as powerful or anemic of a vehicle as you desire (or can afford). And with few exceptions (most notably being able to physically fit between lanes), there is no limit to what you may operate on a public street, so long as you tag and insure it, and have appropriate lighting. And despite obvious dangers associated with putting a 16 year old new licensee behind the wheel of a 1,200 WHP twin-turbocharged Corvette, there are NO laws against it.
5) Penalties for misuse: There is not one reckless or careless act one can do with a firearm that doesn't already carry far stiffer penalties than a similarly reckless or careless act done with an automobile.
6) Registration: Some love to cite how we can track a vehicle owner by the registration, and so should we be able to with guns. While it often seems logical prima facie, let's look at the reasoning behind automobile registration, and why it doesn't have the same application for firearms:
A) The primary purpose behind vehicle registration is the fees collected, which are used to maintain and construct the public roads & bridges those vehicles will travel on. I don't see the FET paid on firearms being used to fund public ranges.
B) The purpose of having license plates is to 1) make sure the registration fees were paid and 2) give people a way to ID vehicles (not necessarily the vehicle's owner) that have been involved in an accident or illicit act. Both purposes are easily defeated by the non-law abiding; Do car thieves go and re-register the stolen car? Of course not. So what makes anyone think gun registration would be any different? For this reason, gun registration is useless (and it's a lot easier to spot a stolen 2 ton motor vehicle than a stolen 2 pound handgun). It puts an unfair burden on lawful gun owners, and is totally useless in the solving (let alone prevention) of crimes.
C) You are not required to register a vehicle that you're not going to operate on public streets. So I submit to the pro gun registration crowd, are you OK with only registering those firearms that will be used on public ranges? If so, how do you go about enforcing this?
7) Danger to society: Despite registration, despite licensing and despite the fact that there are fewer cars owned by Americans than firearms, motor vehicles are involved in far more injuries and fatalities every year. So I ask again, do we really want guns to be like cars?
8) Illicit use: Perhaps the most salient point is that taking away one's driver license does not stop them from being able to drive any more than prohibiting a person from owning a firearm stops them from owning and using a gun. Laws define crime, and punishments deter it, but no amount of legislation can prevent criminal acts.
I could go on, but I do believe the point is made. If anyone feels I missed something, feel free to add.