Quote Originally Posted by bae View Post
The Canadians just abandoned their longgun registry, as it was costing them a lot of money, not solving any crimes, and not preventing any crimes, to a first approximation. New Zealand went through the same experience in the 1980s.

Adding the element of blaming the victim of a crime for having their gun stolen and not doing proper paperwork is just mean-spirited. And considering that at the moment we have trouble bothering to charge actual criminals for actual violations of firearms laws, it seems just another "well-intentioned" law that will clutter up the books, entrap innocent parties, and cost us all a lot of money.

How about we simply tack on 20 years mandatory sentencing ehnancement for crimes of violence committed with a firearm?
How is expecting someone who has their gun stolen to report it to the authorities mean spirited? Is it mean spirited to expect people to report a car accident? Is it mean spirited for insurance companies to expect you to report your stolen gold watch and furs if you want to make a claim? You know, if your house is robbed, I'm guessing you are reporting it anyways, aren't you. That argument is totally bogus. And if there were national registrations on all sales, you bet your butt someone who had his gun stolen would report it, unless he was the one who sold it to a criminal, which is the point. If all guns used in crimes could be traced back to the last owner, I'm guessing fewer people with lily white records would be buying legally then selling to criminals.
Long guns? Now you're jumping back to rifles and shotguns? i thought you wanted to talk about handguns.
Sure, it would cost more to set up and run this registry, but probably not as much as 20 extra years in prison for the criminal who used a firearm. Besides, I'm thinking of stopping the glut of guns in criminal hands in the first place.
Maybe Canada has stopped their hunting gun registry, but as you said, cross-cultural comparisons are not simple black and white. Besides, Canada doesn't enjoy the level of gun violence we do.