Up until 1968 GCA felons could own firearms.
This is good, no man should be deprived of freedom.
Elmer fudds are on this forum and in this world will disagree and say they are freedom as long as its done legally.
Wait, what? Are you calling forum members "Fudds" if they actually support depriving certain convicted felons of legal gun ownership? (Some have said that when the Fudd word is introduced in a thread, it's a sign that rational discussion has ceased.)
Deprived of freedom? First of all, you don't need to possess a firearm to be free. One does not need to possess a firearm to have means of self-defense. Depriving a man of the legal right to possess a firearm is not the same as depriving him the right to defend himself, his home and his family.
Second, I guess in your estimation I'd be a Fudd, because I've been acquainted with way more convicted felons than probably all but a few forum members, and I'm here to tell you that most of these folks I've been involuntary familiar with should never, ever be able to legally purchase or own a firearm. I want it to be difficult for them to obtain a firearm. And if they are found in possession of a firearm, I want them to be hammered to the extent of existing law.
And are some of you not aware that there already are processes for convicted felons to regain their right to buy and own firearms? In some states, the process is not even complicated. Can it be difficult? Sure, but should we have a problem with making sure someone has clearly demonstrated signs of being reformed/rehabilitated, ready to move on and function civilly in society? Yes, they may have completed their last sentence, but now they are still going to have to earn back some rights and privileges to re-integrate with society. Or do we automatically give them the right to go out and buy a new gun with their gate money as soon as they clear the salle port upon release, because sure, we trust them now?
But all this should not be construed to mean that I would be opposed to evaluating existing law to determine whether all felony convictions should result in loss of gun rights. Although some here have argued that it's
all about the RKBA, I disagree and think that there is much other reform in the criminal justice system needed before we go cherry-picking only certain rights for restoration, which will only exacerbate the confusing, complex existing patchwork of the myriad unnecessary, superfluous, redundant and (to many) unconstitutional laws on the books now. There's a lot of work to be done before trying to "fix" this issue, a lot of evaluation and classification, and if you think it can be done with one swoop of the pen, you could be wrong. Or I could be, who knows? I was once
wrong before, once...
Also, as I noted before, even most felons post-incarceration don't necessarily consider being able to legally arm themselves a top priority -- for those that don't plan to go back to the same street corning and slinging rock, it's almost always being able to secure affordable, safe housing and meaningful employment. Also being able to support their families, for many, furthering their education or getting into a trade, paying off their LFOs, voting, etc. Obviously, on an RKBA-centered forum, we think of every issue with how it relates to 2A and firearms, but for those not in the RKBA community and gun culture, there are other issues that may take priority.