[quote author=Gromit link=topic=590.msg2847#msg2847 date=1215433544]
That's scary. Although I don't like firearms, I accept the right to defend yourself, carry arms etc etc etc. But shouldn't there be 1 law for the entire country such as an age restriction on buying a firearm and only licensed dealers to sell firearms and maybe even taking a psychometric test before being able to buy a firearm?? No selling guns over the internet.[/quote]
First of all, please remember that a firearm is a tool - as is a knife, an ax, an automobile, and a motorcycle. Any tool can be misused. Guns are not evil; evil people use guns for wrong purposes.
Secondly, remember that in the US, the right to own a firearm is a Constitutionally recognized right just as are free speech, freedom of the press, freedom to worship, etc.
That said, most states have laws the restrict the sale of ammunition (as well as knives) to someone 18 years old or older. That is a relatively recent thing. At ten years old, I used to buy ammunition for my .22 rifle and shotgun shells for my 12 gage shotgun.
States make their own laws for the most part. Our Constitution gives specific powers to the federal government and all else is left to the States. That prevents the "one size fits all" government bureaucratic mentality across a very large and diverse country. Even traffic laws, though they conform to the national traffic code, vary state by state.
There is an age restriction on buying and owning a firearm in most states. One has to be 18 to purchase and possess a handgun. I'm not sure whet the age is on a long gun. A minor of any age may shoot a firearm, handgun or long gun, under the direct supervision of someone 18 years of age or older in the State of Florida.
Guns may be sold over the internet - BUT they must be transferred through a licensed firearm dealer. I have bought several guns over the internet. I send the seller a copy of my local firearms dealer's FFL (Federal Firearms License), the seller takes this copy to his local dealer along with the gun, his dealer completes a form and ships the firearm to my dealer. I then go pick up the firearm from my dealer - after the background check. In Florida, there is no waiting period for a long gun and because I hold a concealed carry license, I have no waiting period for a handgun either. My dealer picks up the phone, calls the the state capitol, and they run an instant computer check on me. This check shows everything - including traffic violations. My dealer then fills out a mandatory form, I sign it and away I go with my firearm.
I can buy over the internet from an individual and go pick up the gun myself. I can buy a gun from an individual and pick the gun up. To say that all firearms transactions should be through a firearms dealer is like saying that all vehicle and motorcycle sales must be made through dealers. My motorcycles, vehicles, and guns are mine. I have the right to sell them myself.
Gun control has absolutely nothing to do with crime or safety; it has everything to do with control - government control. By design, gun control takes away a person's ability to defend one's self and makes that person dependent on government. By design, gun control restricts the citizens from having the mens to over throw a tyrannical government. Gun control turns citizens into subjects. Gun control does not reduce crime and is not intended to do so.
Who me I would never do something like that
