What would it take to ban guns in the United States?

First topic message reminder :

Since at least 28 people were needlessly slaughtered in two shootings, more than 2,000 miles apart, in the U.S. yesterday, there's been a lot of talk about banning guns in America. So I decided to show exactly how hard that would be.

It all comes back to the constitution, the top law of the United States. No law passed anywhere within the United States is allowed to contradict the constitution, so in order to ban guns, the United States would have to change its constitution.

In the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the phrase " ... the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed" has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to mean that the U.S. government has no right to ban private gun ownership. So that amendment would have to be revoked, at least in part, and replaced by a new amendment.

This new amendment would first have to be passed by a two-thirds majority of the House of Representatives, and by a two-thirds majority of the Senate. (This has only happened 33 times in the United States' 229-year history, despite the fact that hundreds of proposed amendments are submitted in Congress every year.)

Then comes the next massive hurdle -- the amendment, once approved by two-thirds of both houses of Congress, would be submitted to the governors of the 50 states for ratification. The governors would then propose the amendments to their own state law-making bodies, or legislatures, for approval.

The amendment would only come into effect if it was approved by three-fourths of the states, meaning 38
of the 50 states. (This has only happened 27 times in U.S. history, and only eight times in the past century.)

This fact is why people who want to see less gun violence in America never try to ban guns. This is why nobody can blame any president for not banning guns (the president plays no role in the process of amending the constitution), or even Congress.

Banning guns in the United States is an unrealistic goal.

What could be done, and what gun-control advocates like myself support, would be a gun law passed by Congress that would ban assault weapons, require a criminal background check for all gun purchases, would require all gun owners to be licensed, and would ban high-capacity ammunition clips.

And another RED. Every time you're mean to me.

eddie wrote:Women under 16 do.
If her neighbour is an abortion doctor, yes, she should be able to buy one.

People under 16 are children. They aren't buying lot's of things as they can't legally enter into a contract.

Why do you want to regulate who performs abortions?

Ben Reilly wrote:And another RED. Every time you're mean to me.

I care not. I look fab in red!

Ben Reilly wrote:

Maddog wrote:

Do women need parental permission for an abortion?

Do you think a woman should be able to buy an abortion from her neighbor?

Pointing out two minor differences doesn't demolish the basic argument. Besides, plenty of girls under 18 need parental permission to get an abortion, anyway. The thing about getting an abortion from a neighbor doesn't really make sense.

Let me put it back to you this way -- do you think a disturbed young man should be able to buy a weapon capable of killing dozens of people from his neighbor?

I think anyone who is legally allowed to own a firearm should be able to buy one from his neighbor.

If he has lost his right to own weapons, then he shouldn't be able to.

eddie wrote:

Ben Reilly wrote:And another RED. Every time you're mean to me.

I care not. I look fab in red!

Yeah y'are!

eddie wrote:

Ben Reilly wrote:

No, she would not. Not even fire a fucking warning shot! Don't ask me how I know.

No I would not. Firstly because I’m not into guns so wouldn’t own one and secondly I think I may get rather turned on by it.  

What if it were 5 Welshmen? Is there a point where you rescue Ben's ass (literally)?

Maddog wrote:

eddie wrote:

Ben Reilly wrote:

No, she would not. Not even fire a fucking warning shot! Don't ask me how I know.

No I would not. Firstly because I’m not into guns so wouldn’t own one and secondly I think I may get rather turned on by it.  

What if it were 5 Welshmen? Is there a point where you rescue Ben's ass (literally)?  

Yes, but not with a gun because I’d never own one. I don’t believe in owning a gun so I’m finding it very hard to answer you, because if I were the type to own a gun then I’d be the type to shoot one.