How has it been a good thing? Last I checked, the only gun law we've actually gotten rid of was the AWB. Everything is as it has been. Nothing has actually changed. I wouldn't call that a good thing. Its neutral at best.
Its amazing how no new gun laws are considered a major victory and the reason why the GOP should be kept in.
How about getting rid of the BAFT....how about getting rid of 1968 laws and the all regulations. Then maybe I'll do a jig.
For starters, you guys are not understanding that it is a victory (in a sense) that no gun control has been passed.
While I am not satisfied, I recognize that the alternative is an anti-gun government that will push us much further back. There is absolutely no argument against that. A vote for a 3rd party will weaken the Republican chances and unquestionably bring the Democratic Party into power. I wouldn't say this if the Libertarian party had a chance to win. It is a fact that they will not even get 3% of the vote. Don't kill the messenger.
The question then is, is a vote for a 3rd party a method by which we can "punish" the Republican Party into being more sympathetic to our cause? If you are of that school of thought, then the idea is one of reforming the current party/system.
If you believe that reforming the Republican party is futile, and that the best vehicle for reform is a 3rd party. More power to you, but that is an idealistic approach doomed to failure. This is my opinion, I'd love to be proved wrong and see our Rights restored.
Secondly, the abolition of the BATFE isn't going to happen anytime soon short of a revolution. If you want to get rid of the 1968 gun control bill, you can start by chipping away at all the various other restrictions and proving to mainstream America that these laws do not work, or that their repeal has led to no ill effects. Most of America believes that the current set of gun control laws are just fine. Some want more, and fewer want less.
I, like anyone else here, would LOVE to see that law just repealed in one shot. But that's not reality. That's not America right now. It's not how things work.
Clean97GTI said:
What has happened is the Republicans have compromised our right into a privilege. You now need permission in most states to conceal a weapon. You have to pay the government for permission for this privilege.
I would love to hear an explanation on why the right to keep and bear arms requires a permit issued at the expense of the bearer. I'd then love to hear why thats a good thing.
This is bogus. What you're suggesting is that they are part of the problem. If you recall your history, the ban of carrying firearms or concealed weapons occured in most places around the country long before you or I were even born. Long before. The vast majority of gun control has been the product of Democratic (leftwingers, progressives, socialists, big government lovers) governments throughout the 20th century. This is an institutionalized problem that isn't that easy to solve. Our citizens have been led away from believing in the RKBA via media propaganda bombardment and government-run education camps (public schools) for many, many decades. So we're fighitng a hearts and minds war.
Should the Republicans have demanded unregulated licenseless concealed carry? Sure. I'd love that. But they would have never won it. Remember, American's vote. And they vote for a lot of idiots that hate guns and the 2nd Amendment. Last time I checked, we still live in a democracy and people have a say in things.
Look at the difficulty in trying to pass carry laws in Kansas, Ohio and other states! Do you think having a hard-line, zero compromise, idealistic, demanding approach to concealed carry would result in any success? Keep dreaming. A lot of American voters have put and keep putting people in office that vote against LICENSED carry, what on God's green Earth makes you believe that a Republican demand of unregulated carry would change their vote?
To achieve carry at all, a lot of Democrats had to cross over the party line. Some did it based on reason, others needed compromises. The only thing you can say is that we should not have concealed carry at all, and just wait it out till we have such an overwhelming majority of 2nd Amendment purists in office that we can then get unregulated carry.
Look, I hate licensed carry as much as you or anyone else. A Right is not a priviledge to where I need to pay for it or ask permission. This goes without saying and most THR folks agree on this. But the reality is that the alternative is no carry at all.
With no carry, it isn't very easy to make the argument that concealed carry is SAFE and effective at reducing crime is it?
That's the key. We need to change people's minds. Eventually as concealed carry spreads and becomes more and more acceptable, the general population will relax their hysteria and paranoia about guns..and that is how we achieve real reform. Not by demanding a totally unregulated 2nd Amendment from day one. Doing that is like a Jehovah's Witness knocking on the Vatican's door. No one's interested in what you've got to say. You want to be marginalized and laughed out of Washington D.C., advocate the repeal of the 34, 68, 86 or 89 bans.
The time is not right.