HOW can we protect the rights of Law abiding citizens to own guns, but crack down hard on the black market??

Question

I consider myself a leftist. I am annoyed though with the mentality that most on the right seem to have about guns-especially how so many of them seem to think that most on the left want to “take all guns away from everyone” and “even take them away from our soldiers”...Wow.

The reality is, I myself do NOT like the idea of the government telling someone like my grandfather that he does not have the right to have and must give up his old hunting rifle(though I sure as hell do not care for hunting). Also I do not like the idea of the government telling me I cannot have and must give up my legally purchased handgun in my nightstand.

I do hate however, the fact that in my old neighborhood before I left for college, kids like my best friend’s little brother were able to buy GUNS off the STREET easier then they could buy cigarettes at the store.

So, my question is this: HOW can we protect the rights of Law abiding citizens to own guns, but also crack down hard on the black market?

Answer 1

How can you fight black market, when government owns majority of it!

Answer 2

I agree with coragryph. All the drugs you buy off the street are illegal, yet are very widely available. Something that is in high demand legal or not will always have a seller. Black market crime can only be handled case-by-case, after the criminal has been caught. The best way to fight it is to just have more undercover stings on illegal dealers.

Answer 3

Can't be done. Any more than we can stop black market drugs, or anything else. Law enforcement just doesn't have the resources or the manpower to stop such a lucrative market.

The best we can do is license firearm usage (the way we make people get driver's licenses to use a car), and drastically increase the penalties for carrying an gun if you are not licensed, or for using a gun to commit another crime.

That way, gun sales are much less regulated, legal gun usage is not limited, and illegal gun usage is severely penalized. Best we can do.

Answer 4

You can't. I just got back from a trip to the States. (had a great time, by the way...) I saw something there that I have NEVER seen in Canada. On the doors of many of the businesses that I went into, there was a warning that "firearms and explosives are not permitted in this establishment." I'm not saying our system is better, but you can't have it both ways. Either allow people to carry guns, and have rampant crime, or reduce people's rights to bear arms, and have a lower violent crime rate. Seems clear to me, but that's just my opinion.

Answer 5

One has nothing to do with the other. Criminals are buying lots of stuff on the black market. There are now many states with right to carry laws. The law biding are exactly that, law biding.
They buy their firearms from licensed dealers. Criminals are violating the law carrying guns and are buying them illegally.

Law biding people buy cars. Criminals steal them. Law biding people have valid drivers licenses. Criminals drive without them.

One has nothing whatsoever to do with the other. That is why gun laws only take guns away from law biding citizens.



.