gut;1880437 wrote:That will probably be just as effective as the war on drugs. 200k guns are stolen a year - there's a pretty healthy black market for illegal guns. I'm sure Dylan Roof would have had no trouble buying a gun illegally.
Careful. I was vilified pretty harshly for saying effectively the same thing.
BoatShoes;1880444 wrote:One way is through examination after suspicious,activity. Maybe guys like the Vegas shooter stockpiling guns purchased through his would-be license would raise a read flag that would start an exam,process or administrative action.
I understand the thought behind this, but when you change the rules of the game, you'll just change how people play it.
Now, perhaps a more covert way of watching for suspicious activity would be logistically effective, but when it comes to something like tracking purchases through an ID, it'll just raise the demand on the quiet gun purchase market.
BoatShoes;1880444 wrote:There are still illegally sold securities and fraud but it is a pretty good system that has gone a long way to eliminate the massive fraud that took place in the early 1900's.
I think the distinction between an intangible (securities) and a tangible (a gun/dime bag/etc.) is significant. The former is, by its nature, more easily tracked. Now, the surrounding context of its buying and selling isn't, but the unit itself is.
BoatShoes;1880444 wrote:I agree there would be a black market but it would at least be subject to penalty...e.g. National Firearms Act of 1934 did a pretty good job of eliminating crimes with automatic weapons.
The black market on narcotics and other controlled substances is also subject to penalty, though. And it's hard to necessarily prove that the National Firearms Act is the primary contributor to the lack of
crime with automatic weapons. The ownership of those weapons is illegal, but we have no means for noting whether or not they're prevalent.
Worth considering, the BJS shows (
Table 14) that as of 2004, only about 11.3% of inmates who possessed a firearm at the time of their offense purchased it through a retailer, pawn shop, gun show, or flea market. On the other hand, 77.4% got it from a personal contact, bought it illegally, or stole it. The remaining 11.2% were undetermined, it seems.
Worthy of note, this also seems to throw a stick into the spokes of those who want to make this entirely about mental health as well, since the measures against selling to someone with mental health issues would not stop those not buying from the store.