Your opening statement indicates that you are okay with banning some guns though I'm not sure which ones you're talking about.
The second amendment says that the right to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED but in Seattle they are putting a special tax on bullets and are discussing a tax for gun buys. Sounds like infringement to me. Imagine if had to pay a tax everything you said something bad about Obama....or George Bush?
Originally Posted by JD Barleycorn
Some guns are currently banned from the average citizen -- an M-16 for example. Since I don't buy the argument that a person will ever need a gun for a future American Revolution, I don't believe a citizen has a need for an M-16 for self-defense.
I will leave it to the court system to determine the legality of gun control infringements. States have the right to enact gun control legislation as they see fit. If the voting people in that state have an issue with that legislation, they can either vote the supporters out of office or fight the legislation through the court system. Or they can move to a state which supports their position.
Your statement:
"Not so bullshit. I've read of this in many respectable publications. If a veteran is judged to not to be able to handle his or her financial affairs then the same distrust extends to other things, like owning weapons. Also some veterans have been disarmed after seeking treatment for depression".
Conservatives keep telling Liberals that the goal should not be to ban guns but rather to keep guns out of the hands of people who are deemed incompetent to own them. I agree but it is a tricky subject. There is no line in the sand as to when a person should be deemed incompetent to owning a gun. A depressed person is, IMHO, more likely to use a gun in a negative way than a non-depressed person. Maybe err on the side of caution?
Please post a link to statements made by a California Senator in which they state that they want a national ban on guns. Diane Feinstein is certainly one of the more vocal politicians on wanting increased gun control legislation but none of her statements would lead one to believe that she supports a nationwide ban on guns.
BTW, I appreciate it that you can address the issues in a gentlemanly manner unlike so many others on this forum.