Guns. A proposed start.

[NashvilleLefty]

I’m just brainstorming here, trying to think of some compromise ideas. Trying to start an open discussion. Please feel free to pick any of my thoughts and ideas apart - from both sides of the issue.

What if we passed a new AWB, with the change that instead of defining AW by “plus any 2 from the following list” we say “ANY of the following” - EXCEPT

We have an exemption for shooting ranges. These shooting ranges will be registered and have to follow strict rules established by a Federal Commission, so that the rules will be consistent across State lines. Since not all areas are large enough to support it’s own shooting range, we could also have a “high-population” restriction. These laws would only apply to areas above a certain population, and areas within a certain driving distance of those areas. That way, if you live in a rural area where a shooting range is not convenient to you the rules don’t apply to you.

If you lived in one of these high-pop areas, you could still own an AW and high-capacity mag as defined by the law, but you would have to store it at one of the registered shooting ranges and it could not leave the premises. That way, if you wanted to fire one of these weapons, you could fire it to your heart’s content using as high-capacity a mag as you wanted as long as it was in a controlled environment. Personally, I wouldn't care if they allowed full auto fire. These ranges could also offer safety classes to teach you how to fire your weapon responsibly. We could even have the NRA help design these safety classes, and they could be involved in the safety and registration process. So the NRA could go back to being the responsible agency that they used to be.

Of course, these shooting ranges would have to have extreme security, but that would be their responsibility as defined by the law.

I can see a couple of sticking points here, such as what we define as a “high population area” and also what would be a “reasonable driving distance” within one of these defined areas. Those could easily be areas of debate, and we would have to compromise to reach these definitions.

But, leaving these points up to debate, would you be open to a law such as this?

Personally, I’m not so much concerned about the definition of an Assault Weapon as I am about capacity. The opportunities present themselves when the shooter is reloading or changing weapons.

We can deal with Concealed Carry in another thread, but I’ll be honest - CCW people scare me more than the people they are hoping to “protect” the rest of us from. And, yes, I know and have known several.

[NYC_SKP]

1. Not bad!

I like it!

[oneshooter]

2. I have 2 ranges on my property

10-50yds and 100-400yds.

These are my privately owned ranges. How would this law effect me?

[former-republican]

9. It won't affect you because it's never going to happen

That's nice having a 400 yard range on your property.


I have a 50 yard one on mine , really just for handguns and an occasional AR .
My friend owns a dairy farm and we built a 1000 yard range on his property.
We have steel targets of all shapes and sizes hung. Only bad thing is the contour of the land
when the corn is still up , it completely blocks your line of sight.

There was no other place on his properly to build one safely for that kind of distance.
I shoot F class open mostly.

[rrneck]

3. About those registered shooting ranges.

The last one I was in had a picture of Robert E. Lee on the wall, and maybe a confederate flag if I recall correctly. Do you really want to put people like that in charge of an armory?

[MichiganVote]

4. Assault weapons in the hands of civilians need to go. We can't tolerate this anymore.

The NRA has never been and has no intention of being a responsible "agency". They are the marketing agency of the gun manufacturers. When they come clean, we'll talk. No exceptions.

Translation: You kill out kids with assault weapons, we fuck you over. Game over.

[X_Digger]

5. It's not a compromise to say, "I'll only take half what I want."

No, if you truly want a compromise, what are you offering gun owners that they don't already have?

[MichiganVote]

6. Exactly.

[-..__...]

7. In one word or less...

"No".

Two words or less... "Fuck no".

Three words or less... "No fucking way".

Four words or less... "Like fuck, I will".

Five words or less... "Are you fucking shitting me"?

Six words or less... "Get the fuck out of here"!

Seven words or less... "This has to be a fucking joke".

Eight words or less... "You fucking expect me to do what again"?

Nine words or less... "Know what you can do with your fucking idea"?

Ten words or less... "Why the fuck do I even bother reading this shit"?

[NutmegYankee]

8. In many places ranges are sportsman clubs.

And they are usually short on cash. I'm not sure they could afford the security and you also have the issue with membership limitations.

[Ibisa]

10. Feedback from Competitive Shooter and CCW holder

I appreciate that you are giving it some serious thought, trying to find some logical means to still have shooting. For any of those that want to criticize my feedback, feel welcome. I know I have a low post count, but this is a hot topic these days it seems and also an important one to me. For that matter, I never have really understood why gun rights weren't a Democrat-supported inititiative. It seems like you are empowering and entrusting the people instead of the elite. But, I digress. Back to the topic.

From a gunowner and competitive shooter perspective, I have only a limited number of guns that I can afford. I travel from place to place in competitions. Not only do I have the initial cost of the guns, but modifications to help with accuracy so that I can hit the targets faster with more precision. For handgun competition, I only have one backup and it isn't exactly setup the same way. For rifle competitions, I only have one period and if it goes down I can't play the game. So for me, it is important to keep possession for competitions alone.

Beyond competitions, I still believe that the 2nd amendment and guns afford us protection and defense. While I try to avoid situations where I put myself in danger, I know I at least have a chance if I have a firearm. Since I live in Illinois, the last state to get any CCW, I cannot legally carry here yet (but court decision says there must be a carry provision within less than 180 days). I have a Florida CCW, which allows me to carry in most of the nation, but not my own state.

Even though I am a healthy (okay maybe a little bit chunky) 190 lb man (although now 42 years old), this week gives me an example where I wish we had carry here as well. Our parking deck at work is near a train station. People's cars have been broken into, a couple instances of assault, and one armed encounter at an adjacent property by a person that was breaking existing laws by carrying and threatening with a gun openly. He was in the building and it was quite the police scene which happened maybe 2 years ago now. Well, this week most of our staff were using their vacation and I was only one of about 10 people on our floor of the building. It was a ghost town. Additionally, I didn't see a single person when coming in from the lot or leaving. I drive a large vehicle and the only place my vehicle reasonably can park in the garage is at the far side. If this gives me pause, I can only imagine being less physically capable. What I want is to make sure that I am not a helpless victim.

I am well trained on safety, which is kept in full check by RSO's (Range Safety Officers) to make sure that I am in full compliance with all safety rules. Any mistake, even with no harm done, and we get disqualified from a match and sent home.

If I were your brother, husband, son - I truly believe that you would be more comfortable with me at your side if evil were to ever find us. I am not reckless. I am not immature. I haven't had a drink since Sept 6, 1997. I am a patriot. I want peace, but I think mental preparation and defense are valuable ingredients.