[Number 10 GI]

Originally Posted by Midnight Cowgirl

As with many things, laws have been adjusted to keep up with changes. The same should apply to this amendment. When the Second Amendment was written, there was no such thing as an AK anything.
When the 1st Amendment was written there was no such thing as internet, television, telephone, radio, or Facebook and Twitter. Are you willing to change the 1st Amendment to restrict the hate found in the various media today? Be careful, the definition of Hate can be quite broad. Disagreeing with the government could be construed as improper speech.
These weapons were not designed for ownership by the public-at-large. The military? Yes! Law enforcement? Yes! And probably some other venues that aren't coming to mind right now.
The AK 47 style rifles and the AR 15 rifles being sold are not fully automatic, they are semi-automatic versions meaning you have to pull the trigger each time to fire a round. The issue M16/M4 rifles used in the military today are full automatic, meaning that it will keep on firing as long as hold the trigger back. The military does not use semi-automatic weapons in general issue. There may be some used by special operations units in a specialized role, possibly as a sniper weapon.
So what is the beginning? Universal laws, not just state-by-state.
As I have written many times before this, have you read those posts, that the Gun Control Act of 1968 established federal laws on how guns are sold, purchased and transported that all states must comply with. States cannot pass laws that lessen the federal law, they can only add to the law. Many states have added further restrictions but none are going willy nilly ignoring federal law.
Stringent background checks to include things as innocuous-sounding as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Put a tax on weapons to cover the cost of more intricate methods of checking someone out. Interview neighbors of the applicant. Have a longer waiting period to gain ownership. Have the government buy back automatic weapons.
How about a tax on Facebook, Twitter, etc for allowing hate speech and bullying to be posted. Maybe we should have more stringent checks on people before we let them obtain a drivers license to insure they are stable and smart enough to operate a motor vehicle or purchase a kitchen knife. A lot of spouses have been killed or injured with a butcher knife. The only fully automatic weapons owned by civilian are severely regulated by the federal government. I can't remember when the last time I heard of a fully automatic weapon being used in a crime but it was a police officer who committed the crime. As far a waiting periods, many stated mandate a waiting period and Florida is one of them. Most of these mass shooting perpetrators obtained their guns months prior to the shooting so a waiting period does nothing.

I'm not saying that these things should be done or would work. But it could be a possible beginning. A change will take a long time -- a very long time to begin working. But we are at the point in this country where we need to start with some changes somewhere.
If you don't think it would work why waste the time to pass such laws? We need to take an honest look at what is causing the hate and work on solutions for that problem.

Yes, the situation is far more than political. Unfortunately, nothing has changed because it is political. Four mass murders in different parts of the country all within one week's time? We need to stop talking about it and do something. Otherwise, nothing will change.

The reason nothing has changed, even though states and cities pass more and more restrictive gun laws, is that the laws aren't being obeyed by the criminal. The only reason for laws is it provides the government a legal basis for charging, prosecuting and to sentence the violator to prison. Laws don't stop criminal behavior.