Enough with the Semi Autos Already...
Yesterday I saw a poll showing that 60% of the American people support some form of unspecified greater gun control. That number is only slightly higher than historical figures for similar polls going back decades. So it would seem that Americans are disturbed by gun violence but still committed to the idea that the Second Amendment guarantees gun ownership to all (felony free) citizens.
Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. But lets assume that the 2nd Amendment prevents the government from barring the private ownership of weapons. Even with this assumption, the 2nd Amendment certainly does not guarantee the right to bear all arms. So let's start with the semi autos. No more nines, tens, 45s, 380s, pimpy little .32s or flightly .22s. From now on, if a civilian wants a handgun they go old school. Six (maybe seven shots) in a double action pistol. Either pull the trigger all the way or cock the hammer. No more 15 round clips and no more ability to lay down a string of bullets in a few seconds.
It makes no difference you say? I disagree. Such a proposal (Which I call Dock the Glock, or Minimize the Mayhem) would not erase all gun violence. But it certainly would minimize the damage, allow greater chance for escape, restore a firepower advantage to law enforcement and perhaps just as importantly, take away the air of invincibility that seems to come with carrying a semi automatic weapon.
Combine this measure with re-institution of our Assault Weapons Ban (which Congress let expire in the President's first term) and maybe you can lower the body count. The only folks who can really oppose this with a straight face are the NRA, but they would not be on board with anything anyway. Gun manufacturers will likely oppose it because semi autos are popular and can be sold at premium pricing (they are the SUVs of the gun industry). But I suspect there are a lot of gun owners and Second Amendment loyalists out there who would support this kind of pragmatic approach.
Because it represents a practical compromise in the gun debate, I can safely predict this proposal -- or anything similar -- will never see the light of legislative day.
Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. But lets assume that the 2nd Amendment prevents the government from barring the private ownership of weapons. Even with this assumption, the 2nd Amendment certainly does not guarantee the right to bear all arms. So let's start with the semi autos. No more nines, tens, 45s, 380s, pimpy little .32s or flightly .22s. From now on, if a civilian wants a handgun they go old school. Six (maybe seven shots) in a double action pistol. Either pull the trigger all the way or cock the hammer. No more 15 round clips and no more ability to lay down a string of bullets in a few seconds.
It makes no difference you say? I disagree. Such a proposal (Which I call Dock the Glock, or Minimize the Mayhem) would not erase all gun violence. But it certainly would minimize the damage, allow greater chance for escape, restore a firepower advantage to law enforcement and perhaps just as importantly, take away the air of invincibility that seems to come with carrying a semi automatic weapon.
Combine this measure with re-institution of our Assault Weapons Ban (which Congress let expire in the President's first term) and maybe you can lower the body count. The only folks who can really oppose this with a straight face are the NRA, but they would not be on board with anything anyway. Gun manufacturers will likely oppose it because semi autos are popular and can be sold at premium pricing (they are the SUVs of the gun industry). But I suspect there are a lot of gun owners and Second Amendment loyalists out there who would support this kind of pragmatic approach.
Because it represents a practical compromise in the gun debate, I can safely predict this proposal -- or anything similar -- will never see the light of legislative day.
posted by Jack Reed at 10:45 AM
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