dagblog - Comments for "I Think I Have The Gun Solution (Not Kidding)"

Well, Mr. LaPierre did say

acanuck — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 07:41:22 +0000

In reply to I see no any ill-intention in

Well, Mr. LaPierre did say the country needs a national database of people with mental problems. I don't recall him saying anything about a national database of gun-owners to compare it with.

I see no any ill-intention in

Michael Wolraich — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 03:14:00 +0000

In reply to Michael was pretty clear in

I see no any ill-intention in the comments, erica, but you're correct that the linked articles are beside the point.

That said, I think Mr. Chained's comments do point the way to another approach to the problem: a national gun database.

PS I'm sure the NRA loves this idea.

Michael was pretty clear in

erica20 — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 01:16:01 +0000

In reply to I suggest you read Bamford's

Michael was pretty clear in saying that having/using a national registry of gun transactions is a political hurdle, not a technological one, so I'm not sure what sort of Aha! moment you believe will be provided by the Bamford piece. And while arresting people for making vague threats on Facebook might have some effect, it certainly wouldn't stop your more quiet massacre-ers from going about their business, and it's questionable from a rights standpoint.

Indeed, I am not sure what the intention of your last few comments is, other than to not-very-helpfully let the rest of us know that we have no idea what we're talking about.

Sorry if that seems grouchy of me.

I suggest you read Bamford's

demunchained — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 23:28:20 +0000

In reply to Unfortunately, we don't have

I suggest you read Bamford's piece:

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/

and this:

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/12/28/portage-teen-arrested-for-making-threats-on-facebook/

The notion "we can't stop perpetrators of mass murder" is nonsense of the worst sort.

Unfortunately, we don't have

Michael Wolraich — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 23:05:00 +0000

In reply to LOL.. I'm not sure why we

Unfortunately, we don't have the tools. Or rather, we're not allowed to use them...

For example, under current laws the bureau is prohibited from creating a federal registry of gun transactions. So while detectives on television tap a serial number into a computer and instantly identify the buyer of a firearm, the reality could not be more different.

When law enforcement officers recover a gun and serial number, workers at the bureau’s National Tracing Center here — a windowless warehouse-style building on a narrow road outside town — begin making their way through a series of phone calls, asking first the manufacturer, then the wholesaler and finally the dealer to search their files to identify the buyer of the firearm.

About a third of the time, the process involves digging through records sent in by companies that have closed, in many cases searching by hand through cardboard boxes filled with computer printouts, hand-scrawled index cards or even water-stained sheets of paper.

In an age when data is often available with a few keystrokes, the A.T.F. is forced to follow this manual routine because the idea of establishing a central database of gun transactions has been rejected by lawmakers in Congress, who have sided with the National Rifle Association, which argues that such a database poses a threat to the Second Amendment. In other countries, gun rights groups argue, governments have used gun registries to confiscate the firearms of law-abiding citizens.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/us/legislative-handcuffs-limit-atfs-ab...

LOL.. I'm not sure why we

demunchained — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 19:12:21 +0000

In reply to I Think I Have The Gun Solution (Not Kidding)

LOL.. I'm not sure why we need outlandish, impossible solutions when we already have all of the tools we need to preempt/stop at least some of the rampage killings.

"The Joker" in Aurora being a prime example.

The guy planned his attack for FOUR months, making numerous purchases of guns/ammo/gear online with his credit cards. deliveries were made to his home or workplace. the guy made NO attempt to hide what he was up to.

The notion that buying hundreds of rounds of ammo online is "normal" for a hunter or sport shooter, and therefore when a brainiac college student/NON hunter makes similar purchases (given the fact several recent rampage killers have been college students or in that age group) and that should not raise a red flag is total, dangerous nonsense.

Let's stop the bullcrap excuses.

Enacting this policy would be

DF — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 22:58:29 +0000

In reply to While we're in creative mode,

Enacting this policy would be tantamount to banning handguns:

Data is from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Again, this is why I keep trying to point out that discussions focused on rifle furniture are misguided. Knives are responsible for as much or more death in the US than all other guns combined, including any that have features frequently targeted by many gun control advocates.

Yes! I'm telling you... the

Michael Maiello — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 03:38:20 +0000

In reply to Isn't this kind of a

Yes! I'm telling you... the technology exists. It's all about putting it to work.

Heck, maybe I invited criticism by suggesting we retrofit the guns out there. This could be applied to guns going forward, and that would either deter new gun sales or make for guns with off switches taking over as the rest of the arsenal ages.

Also, your comment brings to mind... ignition locks on cars for people with DUI convictions. We could make people take a breathalyzer before firing a gun!

Isn't this kind of a

MrSmith1 — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:54:15 +0000

In reply to I Think I Have The Gun Solution (Not Kidding)

Isn't this kind of a combination of the OnStar and LoJack systems for cars? They can track stolen cars and unlock doors remotely ...

I like the idea and even with

The Godfather = The True Godfather — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:41:34 +0000

In reply to Ha! We are the collective.

I like the idea and even with the flaws mentioned above, it could work. You could probably add some anti-tamper mechanism that would ruin the firearm if an owner tried to tamper with it. The biggest hurdle would be modifying firearms that are already in circulation. Actually, the biggest hurdle would be gun owners who already feel the government is too intrusive in their lives. They'd fight this with motto's like "They can take my life, but they won't touch my guns!".