It's tempting to look at how well we control fully automatic weapons in this country and say, why can't we control semi-automatic similarly?
There were at one time some full auto weapons on the street. But not as many of those, not nearly as many, as there are semi auto now.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

And how do you propose to do this when there are over 17 million semi-automatic rifles currently on the street? There's enough out there that even if you stop manufacturers from making them, someone who wants to commit a mass shooting will almost certainly be able to get their hands on one. You can't propose something asinine like Beto O'Rourke did when he said he was going to go door to door and confiscate them. Talk about problems! That would cause extreme casualties to the people confiscating guns and the people who refuse to give them up. Confiscating property from innocent people who did nothing wrong is akin to stealing. I and a lot of people like me, don't allow people to steal from us. I will defend my property to the death. Not that I'm admitting to owning such a weapon, but property in general. Mandatory confiscations would lead to more bloodshed than any mass shootings would ever cause. People aren't just going to voluntarily turn in firearms that they legally bought with their hard earned money. It's just not happening. 

As far as the mental health aspect. It needs to be addressed responsibly. Those with depression aren't going to go out and start killing people. That's not how depression works. Depression is almost always directed at hatred of oneself. The only real danger people with depression are is to themselves. There is always another underlying issue to accompany depression when these people snap. Those accompanying issues are the ailments that need to be addressed. There needs to a tier list of psychological issues with the highest ones meeting the standard of those who would be unable to own weapons. As far as what those would be, that should be left to the medical professionals. I'm certainly no doctor, but if you have a history of violence, have been on record stating you want to commit mass killings or have said you hear voices that make you do things, these are certainly 3 areas where most people would agree, that you shouldn't own weapons of any kind. 

Nothing that is done will totally end mass killings though. If someone wants to kill a lot of people and they can't get a hold of a semi-automatic weapon, all they have to do is go online and learn how to build a bomb. These things are way too easy to find on the internet. They shouldn't be, but they are. Bad people will just go from one means of committing murder to another. It's a vicious cycle that will never end. There will always be evil in the world and there is no way to stop it, no matter what kind of regulations and rules are put into place.

You can play the long game here.  OK, there are 17 million semi-auto rifles.  Lets stop more from going into circulation. So stop the sale of all semi-automatic weapons from now on.  Add a federal tax to bullets.  Is it just coincidence that the States with a highest tax on cigarettes also have the lowest rate of smoking?

Implement county wide laws requiring guns to be locked and do spot checks and fine those who don't comply.  

Get imaginative rather than saying it can't be done.  This country wasn't built on can't be done.

As for confiscation, eminent domain allows land to be acquired by the Government for just compensation.  So it's not as if the Government acquiring assets legally purchased have never been done before.

Stopping the sales of new weapons will not prevent anything. Everyone I know who has one (a lot of people,) purchased theirs used. Most people I know can't afford the price tag of a new weapon. Many will run you in the $1500 to $2500 range. You can find used weapons from $500 on up, depending on the make. I know a lot of people who collect old AK-47 type weapons from various countries and you can get some of those pretty cheap. You used to be able to get them for as low as $150, but those days are long gone. If you can find one for $500 nowadays, that's a steal. 

I have no problem with over taxing ammunition. Every other vice is taxed to death, so this would just be par for the course. 

As far as spot checks........NO! I'm not allowing anyone on my property to sneak around without my permission. I live in a very rural area and trespassers out here will be in a world of hurt! I am a law abiding, tax payer and this is supposed to be a free country. Having the government entering someone's property without permission is something they do in the middle east or Russia. That's not how a democracy works. That will lead to a lot of bloodshed as well. Besides, all people have to say is that they either sold their weapon or had it stolen. 

Eminent domain laws spit right in the face of freedom and democracy. They can try to confiscate property from people on a large scale, but massive civil war would break out. That is a guarantee.

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It's tempting to look at how well we control fully automatic weapons in this country and say, why can't we control semi-automatic similarly?
There were at one time some full auto weapons on the street.  But not as many of those, not nearly as many, as there are semi auto now.

The reason we successfully control automatic weapons, is because they were outlawed early on. There wasn't that many weapons out there when they were banned. Those weapons were reserved for military personnel and they were very, very expensive. That is not the case for semi-automatic weapons. As I said before, there are over 17 million estimated semi-automatic rifles in circulation in the U.S.. That cat is out of the bag and there is no way he's going back in. You can do the universal background checks, ban felons and mentally ill people from having weapons and severely tax the ammunition, but that's about it and that's only a band aid. If someone is crazy enough to want to kill people on a mass level, they will find other means to get it done. There will always be evil in the world. 

You can't go overboard with crazy gun control legislation. It will just create a backlash and bloodshed as well as infringing on personal freedoms that this country has fought for for centuries. Personally, I don't worry about this stuff 24/7 like a lot of liberals do. If I get killed by a "crazy person" in a mass shooting, then that is the way I was supposed to go. We all gotta die of something. If it isn't that method it could be cancer, being in a fatal automobile accident, a house fire, being mauled to death by a pack of coyotes or being stabbed to death by a deranged serial killer. I'm certainly not making light of the situation, but there are literally a million ways to die. Why are so many people so scared of dying by a bullet? Just live your lives to the best of your ability and enjoy the freedoms that this country allows us. I'd rather die young and free than live to an old age in a nation that confiscates my property and enters my home without permission in order to look for contraband. If certain people don't feel the same way, maybe this country isn't for them. Maybe they would be happier somewhere else.

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We shouldn't have bans on fully automatic weapons either.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

I don't know why you guys chase rabbits.

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I don't know why you guys chase rabbits.

Because they're fun to shoot?

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

Typical progressive... spending time and energy on the smallest problems. Willing to restrict rights and freedoms because the news scared you. Odds of dying by opioid overdose, 1 in 92. Odds of dying in a car crash, 1 in 107. Odds of dying from suicide 1 in 88. Odds of dying from cancer 1 in 8. Odds of dying from a mass shooting... 1 in 200,000. Grow up. I get it. It's scary. It's senseless. But it's also really, really rare. Just like police shootings. No solution from the left solves either problem. It just puts a different skin on the issue and often ends up doing more harm than good.

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Everything Captivating suggests here will lead to bloodshed. You couldn't intentionally plan a civil war more perfectly than what he's peddling as for the common good.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

Maybe the FBI should have paid more attention to the guy. Follow up and see what's going on with him. They didn't see the red flag and people are dead. Its not the first time they stepped on their own [BLEEP] and blood was shed in the last six months to a year. Responsible gun owners should not have to pay for the mistakes of others. Why should I pay tax on ammunition? I've never shot or killed someone. And those buy back programs don't work.

And if you want to know why mental health is not the focus of any of this? Its the government who shut down state institutions and let mentally ill people out on the streets and took away the help many were getting. The government, both sides, uses gun control like bait. It "wins hearts and minds" or it can lose someone an election bid. They care nothing for the people. Its all about politics and optics.

Have you ever wondered why the war on drugs has been fought for over three decades and they are no closer to winning than they were on Day One? Or how lottery ticket money that is supposed to go toward funding schools somehow never makes it there? There are many things in this country that are 'so very important' to solve, fight for, fight against, etc., and piles of money are thrown at them with a task force to get it done and what happens. Not. A. Damn. Thing. Its all optics.

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And how do you propose to do this when there are over 17 million semi-automatic rifles currently on the street? There's enough out there that even if you stop manufacturers from making them, someone who wants to commit a mass shooting will almost certainly be able to get their hands on one. You can't propose something asinine like Beto O'Rourke did when he said he was going to go door to door and confiscate them. Talk about problems! That would cause extreme casualties to the people confiscating guns and the people who refuse to give them up. Confiscating property from innocent people who did nothing wrong is akin to stealing. I and a lot of people like me, don't allow people to steal from us. I will defend my property to the death. Not that I'm admitting to owning such a weapon, but property in general. Mandatory confiscations would lead to more bloodshed than any mass shootings would ever cause. People aren't just going to voluntarily turn in firearms that they legally bought with their hard earned money. It's just not happening. 

As far as the mental health aspect. It needs to be addressed responsibly. Those with depression aren't going to go out and start killing people. That's not how depression works. Depression is almost always directed at hatred of oneself. The only real danger people with depression are is to themselves. There is always another underlying issue to accompany depression when these people snap. Those accompanying issues are the ailments that need to be addressed. There needs to a tier list of psychological issues with the highest ones meeting the standard of those who would be unable to own weapons. As far as what those would be, that should be left to the medical professionals. I'm certainly no doctor, but if you have a history of violence, have been on record stating you want to commit mass killings or have said you hear voices that make you do things, these are certainly 3 areas where most people would agree, that you shouldn't own weapons of any kind. 

Nothing that is done will totally end mass killings though. If someone wants to kill a lot of people and they can't get a hold of a semi-automatic weapon, all they have to do is go online and learn how to build a bomb. These things are way too easy to find on the internet. They shouldn't be, but they are. Bad people will just go from one means of committing murder to another. It's a vicious cycle that will never end. There will always be evil in the world and there is no way to stop it, no matter what kind of regulations and rules are put into place.

You can play the long game here.  OK, there are 17 million semi-auto rifles.  Lets stop more from going into circulation. So stop the sale of all semi-automatic weapons from now on.  Add a federal tax to bullets.  Is it just coincidence that the States with a highest tax on cigarettes also have the lowest rate of smoking?

Implement county wide laws requiring guns to be locked and do spot checks and fine those who don't comply.  

Get imaginative rather than saying it can't be done.  This country wasn't built on can't be done.

As for confiscation, eminent domain allows land to be acquired by the Government for just compensation.  So it's not as if the Government acquiring assets legally purchased have never been done before.

So now you want to stop the sale of handguns too?

What do you expect an increased ammo tax to accomplish?

Spot checks into private residences without probable cause............I wonder what the Supreme Court will say about that plan.

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When you get into the endzone, act like you've been there before.

You can play the long game here.  OK, there are 17 million semi-auto rifles.  Lets stop more from going into circulation. So stop the sale of all semi-automatic weapons from now on.  Add a federal tax to bullets.  Is it just coincidence that the States with a highest tax on cigarettes also have the lowest rate of smoking?

Implement county wide laws requiring guns to be locked and do spot checks and fine those who don't comply.  

Get imaginative rather than saying it can't be done.  This country wasn't built on can't be done.

As for confiscation, eminent domain allows land to be acquired by the Government for just compensation.  So it's not as if the Government acquiring assets legally purchased have never been done before.

So now you want to stop the sale of handguns too?

What do you expect an increased ammo tax to accomplish?

Spot checks into private residences without probable cause............I wonder what the Supreme Court will say about that plan.

Im sure at least 9 of the 13 Justices will be ok with it.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

So now you want to stop the sale of handguns too?

What do you expect an increased ammo tax to accomplish?

Spot checks into private residences without probable cause............I wonder what the Supreme Court will say about that plan.

Im sure at least 9 of the 13 Justices will be ok with it.

LOL   As many as it takes.

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When you get into the endzone, act like you've been there before.

Fast food kills more people than firearms. Should there be a federal tax applied to them as well? Captivating sounds like more of a tyrant than Fauchi.

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Fast food kills more people than firearms. Should there be a federal tax applied to them as well? Captivating sounds like more of a tyrant than Fauchi.

Its not about taking your guns, it's about making them inoperable for rich people and too expensive for poor ones.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

Fast food kills more people than firearms. Should there be a federal tax applied to them as well? Captivating sounds like more of a tyrant than Fauchi.

How many innocent people going about their daily lives have died from fast food?

thousands upon thousands upon thousands. Heart disease and diabetes aren't as quick as a shot to the head, but they put them in the same place.

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Stop being reactionary. Murder is not created by guns. It's created by bad culture and mental health problems. 80% of gun homicides in the US are gang related. This doesn't mean gang vs. gang violence, but includes all violence committed by gangs. If you take away gang violence, the amount of murders by guns in the US drops significantly. If you subtract the 80% of gang related violence in the US, our per capita murder rate drops from 5.35 per 100k to somewhere between 1.05-1.1%. That's good enough to put us in the top 10 countries in the world. The countries that progressives love to champion as having low murder rates tend to have very low crime, homogenous populations with strong moral traditions, or extremely strict penalties for crime.

If you avoid the inner cities, your odds of being murdered in the US is virtually non-existent. How do you stop crime in the inner cities, dude? Oh that's right.... strict policing. But we want to ban guns for citizens, and defund the police. How many innocent people will die from your stupid policies (hint: it's a lot more).

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Stop being reactionary. Murder is not created by guns. It's created by bad culture and mental health problems. 80% of gun homicides in the US are gang related. This doesn't mean gang vs. gang violence, but includes all violence committed by gangs. If you take away gang violence, the amount of murders by guns in the US drops significantly. If you subtract the 80% of gang related violence in the US, our per capita murder rate drops from 5.35 per 100k to somewhere between 1.05-1.1%. That's good enough to put us in the top 10 countries in the world. The countries that progressives love to champion as having low murder rates tend to have very low crime, homogenous populations with strong moral traditions, or extremely strict penalties for crime.

If you avoid the inner cities, your odds of being murdered in the US is virtually non-existent. How do you stop crime in the inner cities, dude? Oh that's right.... strict policing. But we want to ban guns for citizens, and defund the police. How many innocent people will die from your stupid policies (hint: it's a lot more).

Distilled down to its purest form, here it is.

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How many innocent people going about their daily lives have died from fast food?

thousands upon thousands upon thousands. Heart disease and diabetes aren't as quick as a shot to the head, but they put them in the same place.

Wrong.  They weren't innocent victims. They have knowingly consumed fast food so have some responsible for their deaths. 

The real answer is nearly zero - allowing for some unfortunate accident where an innocent person slips on someone shakes and dies.

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Stop ducking the facts. Innocent people will die as democrats remove guns and defund the police. Let me remind you that murder rates have already skyrocketed in cities that had BLM protests. You don't care about those people, do you?

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Fast food kills more people than firearms. Should there be a federal tax applied to them as well? Captivating sounds like more of a tyrant than Fauchi.

How many innocent people going about their daily lives have died from fast food?

Well then let's talk about the number of innocent people killed by intoxicated drivers.  What do you suggest the government should take away, the booze or the cars?

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When you get into the endzone, act like you've been there before.