From my time living in the US, the country does not have a pragmatic gun control system. It is my understanding that anyone can buy weapons with no checks whatsoever (US is a key source for Mexican cartel weapons).
I did not find US polemics around “army citizenry” to be convincing. The impression I got is that it’s more of a provincial theatrics thing. But arguably that’s a whole different discussion.
You generally have to pass a background check. You can buy guns in some states without one from a private seller but this is rarely how they’re acquired for school shootings, most of the population lives in states where this is not legal. Typically they either just didn’t have anything concerning in their background and were able to pass the background check (other than a ton of shit everyone around them ignored) or they had access to someone else’s gun which should have been secured better. There have been a few cases of parents buying their children guns which they then used in shootings though.
Most of the populous states are rolling various forms of safe storage requirements (you have to store guns in a safe your children don’t have access to), red flag laws (this person keeps tweeting about wanting to kill people don’t give them guns), waiting periods (so if you’re planning something dumb you have a few days to calm down), and raising age limits to 21 (so people in still in school can’t obtain them).
There’s conflicting info on if these work, it’ll take time for them to have an effect as compliance is complicated. The safe storage one in particular would probably stop a lot of shootings if it had widespread compliance.
The mag bans/ASW bans don’t seem to do much as the vast majority of shootings are a few rounds using common handguns.
This is what I am refering to (generally). Having a de facto optional background check requirement is not a serious approach to responsible civilian gun ownership.
To my understanding, beyond the private seller loop hole (which again de facto negates the background check requirements), I believe there are also other loop holes. Mexican cartels in particular have been documented to use multiple other loop holes that enable bigger throughout versus private sales.
As you mentioned yourself, the safe storage requirement is unenforceable so I don’t see how it’s relevant.
There are many other externalities to irresponsible civilian gun ownership beyond school shootings (I lived not far from Detroit and visited Flint and similar areas outside of the Midwest).
Note that I am not arguing for or against civilian gun ownership. Nor am I suggesting that Hollywood style scenes with Arnold Shwartznegger grabbing the gun in the store in Terminator is the issue here.
I am arguing that based on my experience of living in the US and research on Mexican drug cartels, it is reasonable to state that a large part of the US population are openly malicious when it comes to responsible civil gun ownership.
Furthermore, much of the polemics around “armed citizenry” are sophomoric and are primarily motivated by theatrics and self-indulgence via claims about “supporting freedom” and trying to portray oneself as being an “independent individual”.
One final point, what I am writing might come off as Anti-American; but I disagree with this characterization, from my perspective I am merely discussing a factual point. There are good and bad things in every country/culture.
I believe the are exceptions for gun shows or some sort of gun market sales (with the excuse being that in this market setting the transaction needs to immediately go through to “facilitate commerce”).
Quick search on one of my sources on Mexican cartels:
A Houston Chronicle investigation in August 2020 tracked 27 weapons used in a Coahuila cartel shootout to southern Texas, where authorities discovered that one straw purchaser had bought 156 weapons over a six-month period from the same gun shop.
Perhaps I am misremember on the gun sales shows, but the articles do state that experts believes both laws and customs in US enable massive trafficking of guns.
As I heard, the situation drastically differs from state to state. The main problem is determining the “pragmatic” part. What criteria should be used? Do not sell to those previously convicted of violent crimes? I suppose it is already done. What else could be done without effectively denying all people from owning weaponry?
I don’t support civilian gun ownership, so I don’t think I am the best person to discuss what’s pragmatic or not.
I will give you a real world example from where I live. You think Ukraine having an armed citizenry would have stopped the Russian invasion? Such a claim is preposterous. You need APCs, tanks, artillery, fighter/bombers, anti-air, industrial drones, ballistic missiles, helicopters and a highly sophisticated and expansive arms industry. Armed militia isn’t going to cut it.
Even the arguement that gun ownership would have benefit for preparedess is weak. You would need mandatory military service and an intense reservist program not some random who likes the feeling of firing a gun. Not mention sophisticated weapons, military vehicles and so on.
But enough about Ukraine. In the US context, arguments about pragmatic approaches are IMO (from my time living there) irrelevant. My reasoning can be explained by the following question:
Can anyone in America (criminals, the mentally ill, regressives) procure a large amount of weaponry with relative ease (with no background checks) as long as they have a modicum amount of organisational skills and moderate resources?
I am from Ukraine. And I am sure that the situation would have evolved completely differently in 2014 if people had weapons. Not so much in '22, yes. But '14 led to '22.
Answering your question about the US: yes, I believe that any non-imbecile criminal can acquire any non-special weapon in the USA. Maybe not an AT-launcher, but a pistol or a rifle without any problems.
Не думаю, що це допомогло б і в 2014 році. Якщо наші гіпотетичні ополченці відтіснили російських бойовиків на Донбасі, основна російська армія втрутилася б у ситуацію (як у Криму).
Навіть у 2014 році нам потрібна була сильна армія. ТРО було б недостатньо.
As I said earlier, modern APCs, tanks, ballistic missiles (imagine if we would could have striked Russia proper and bombed their Black sea fleet with modern missiles in 2014). Hell, if we had such capabilities (especially striking russia) the russians might not have invaded at all.
So isn’t the discussion on pragmatic approaches (in context of the US) moot? I did not get the impression there was any interest in implementing true mandatory background checks (no loop holes and severe, life changing penalties for rule breakers).
You are acting as if you need to reinvent the wheel, completely ignoring the fact that the question of pragmatic gun control is already a thing in most countries in the world. You do know there are countries besides the US, right?
From my time living in the US, the country does not have a pragmatic gun control system. It is my understanding that anyone can buy weapons with no checks whatsoever (US is a key source for Mexican cartel weapons).
I did not find US polemics around “army citizenry” to be convincing. The impression I got is that it’s more of a provincial theatrics thing. But arguably that’s a whole different discussion.
You generally have to pass a background check. You can buy guns in some states without one from a private seller but this is rarely how they’re acquired for school shootings, most of the population lives in states where this is not legal. Typically they either just didn’t have anything concerning in their background and were able to pass the background check (other than a ton of shit everyone around them ignored) or they had access to someone else’s gun which should have been secured better. There have been a few cases of parents buying their children guns which they then used in shootings though.
Most of the populous states are rolling various forms of safe storage requirements (you have to store guns in a safe your children don’t have access to), red flag laws (this person keeps tweeting about wanting to kill people don’t give them guns), waiting periods (so if you’re planning something dumb you have a few days to calm down), and raising age limits to 21 (so people in still in school can’t obtain them).
There’s conflicting info on if these work, it’ll take time for them to have an effect as compliance is complicated. The safe storage one in particular would probably stop a lot of shootings if it had widespread compliance.
The mag bans/ASW bans don’t seem to do much as the vast majority of shootings are a few rounds using common handguns.
This is what I am refering to (generally). Having a de facto optional background check requirement is not a serious approach to responsible civilian gun ownership.
To my understanding, beyond the private seller loop hole (which again de facto negates the background check requirements), I believe there are also other loop holes. Mexican cartels in particular have been documented to use multiple other loop holes that enable bigger throughout versus private sales.
As you mentioned yourself, the safe storage requirement is unenforceable so I don’t see how it’s relevant.
There are many other externalities to irresponsible civilian gun ownership beyond school shootings (I lived not far from Detroit and visited Flint and similar areas outside of the Midwest).
Note that I am not arguing for or against civilian gun ownership. Nor am I suggesting that Hollywood style scenes with Arnold Shwartznegger grabbing the gun in the store in Terminator is the issue here.
I am arguing that based on my experience of living in the US and research on Mexican drug cartels, it is reasonable to state that a large part of the US population are openly malicious when it comes to responsible civil gun ownership.
Furthermore, much of the polemics around “armed citizenry” are sophomoric and are primarily motivated by theatrics and self-indulgence via claims about “supporting freedom” and trying to portray oneself as being an “independent individual”.
One final point, what I am writing might come off as Anti-American; but I disagree with this characterization, from my perspective I am merely discussing a factual point. There are good and bad things in every country/culture.
What are the other loopholes?
I believe the are exceptions for gun shows or some sort of gun market sales (with the excuse being that in this market setting the transaction needs to immediately go through to “facilitate commerce”).
Quick search on one of my sources on Mexican cartels:
https://insightcrime.org/news/us-mexico-border-hemorrhaging-weapons/
https://insightcrime.org/news/lack-us-gun-control-record-bloodshed-mexico/
Perhaps I am misremember on the gun sales shows, but the articles do state that experts believes both laws and customs in US enable massive trafficking of guns.
As I heard, the situation drastically differs from state to state. The main problem is determining the “pragmatic” part. What criteria should be used? Do not sell to those previously convicted of violent crimes? I suppose it is already done. What else could be done without effectively denying all people from owning weaponry?
I don’t support civilian gun ownership, so I don’t think I am the best person to discuss what’s pragmatic or not.
I will give you a real world example from where I live. You think Ukraine having an armed citizenry would have stopped the Russian invasion? Such a claim is preposterous. You need APCs, tanks, artillery, fighter/bombers, anti-air, industrial drones, ballistic missiles, helicopters and a highly sophisticated and expansive arms industry. Armed militia isn’t going to cut it.
Even the arguement that gun ownership would have benefit for preparedess is weak. You would need mandatory military service and an intense reservist program not some random who likes the feeling of firing a gun. Not mention sophisticated weapons, military vehicles and so on.
But enough about Ukraine. In the US context, arguments about pragmatic approaches are IMO (from my time living there) irrelevant. My reasoning can be explained by the following question:
Can anyone in America (criminals, the mentally ill, regressives) procure a large amount of weaponry with relative ease (with no background checks) as long as they have a modicum amount of organisational skills and moderate resources?
Yes or No?
I am from Ukraine. And I am sure that the situation would have evolved completely differently in 2014 if people had weapons. Not so much in '22, yes. But '14 led to '22.
Answering your question about the US: yes, I believe that any non-imbecile criminal can acquire any non-special weapon in the USA. Maybe not an AT-launcher, but a pistol or a rifle without any problems.
Сподіваюся, у тебе все добре. :)
Не думаю, що це допомогло б і в 2014 році. Якщо наші гіпотетичні ополченці відтіснили російських бойовиків на Донбасі, основна російська армія втрутилася б у ситуацію (як у Криму).
Навіть у 2014 році нам потрібна була сильна армія. ТРО було б недостатньо.
As I said earlier, modern APCs, tanks, ballistic missiles (imagine if we would could have striked Russia proper and bombed their Black sea fleet with modern missiles in 2014). Hell, if we had such capabilities (especially striking russia) the russians might not have invaded at all.
So isn’t the discussion on pragmatic approaches (in context of the US) moot? I did not get the impression there was any interest in implementing true mandatory background checks (no loop holes and severe, life changing penalties for rule breakers).
You are acting as if you need to reinvent the wheel, completely ignoring the fact that the question of pragmatic gun control is already a thing in most countries in the world. You do know there are countries besides the US, right?