Nightline on Obama, gun control

[unixronin]

Nightline broadcast a good and pretty balanced segment last night, discussing Barak Obama's gun control position and the massive gun buying rush that's going on across the US now by people concerned that if they don't buy them now, they won't be able to.

Particular points to note:

• The customer who keeps repeating to the reporter, "Never mind Obama's words, look at his actions."¹
• The gunshop owner reporting Obama supporters coming into his store wearing their Obama buttons, who just voted for him but are still afraid he'll ban guns.

[1]  You might have seen me say this once or twice.  Assuming you've been paying attention.

Comments

Re: (kind of) slipery slope

[fruitylips.livejournal.com]

The reason is the same as why we require judges and lawyers (agents of the Court) to go through certifications and no people who represent themselves. Police officers are acting as agents of the State. We, the people, require that the State justify itself when it uses violence against people (with mixed results, of course.).

On a purely practical level, I wouldn't even object to firearms certification if it hadn't been habitually used as a method for de facto banning guns. Places that require these things often never offer the classes or make them so restricted that almost no one can take them.

Think of it as analogous to a literacy test to vote. Obviously having only people can show that they can read the ballot would be a good thing. I don't think there's any way that you could design such a test today without getting completely derailed by the past uses of the practice.