Buy back guns, boost the economy

The Washington Post ^ | December 18, 2012 | Matt Miller

[MinorityRepublican]

Everyone knows we need to reduce gun violence in America. Everyone knows we still need to boost the economy, too. Usually these goals are debated in completely different policy silos. But what if there was a way to boost the economy and shrink gun violence? Wouldn’t that be the holy grail at this hour? Might that not answer the president’s call for new ideas?

Allow me to propose a massive, debt-financed gun buyback program.

Here’s the case for it. Critics of fresh gun-safety measures argue that laws pushed at moments like this won’t make a dent in gun violence. Banning assault weapons, limiting magazine capacity or closing background-check loopholes, we’re told, do nothing about the estimated 250 million guns already in private hands.

The gun lobby is surely wrong to suggest that the measures above won’t save some lives. If Aurora shooter James Holmes hadn’t had an assault rifle and high-capacity clips, for example, far fewer people than 70 would have been killed or injured that awful night.

But the gun lobby is right about the existing stock of weapons. The 12,000 Americans murdered with guns every year are killed with guns already out there.

The right response isn’t to shrug and say we’re powerless. If we’re serious, we need to think bigger. A gun buyback program could be the way.

[Turbopilot]

LOL. $500 a gun is “overpaying”? Maybe for Hi-Points, but any AK or AR-pattern “assault weapon” of the type that makes the author wet his panties is worth more than that, and in many cases quite a bit more. To say nothing of the fact that if they’re not available for sale anymore, most owners wouldn’t sell them at any price.

My two-part plan: first, eliminate “gun-free” victim disarmament zones. Offer to pay for specialized training for any teachers or school employees who want to carry to maximize their safety and effectiveness in an emergency. This could be done in a matter of weeks at a cost of virtually nothing. Second, reform mental health laws so that those few individuals who are obviously seriously disturbed and prone to violence (like every single mass shooter I can think of) can be locked up before they commit mass murder. This will take longer and cost more but will virtually eliminate this type of heinous crime.

[familyop]

"Allow me to propose a massive, debt-financed gun buyback program."

The anti-Second-Amendment freaks are surely insane. Apparently, the author wants a government default conclusion, austerity measures and much smaller government to follow. Then, no more funding or government time for anti-Second-Amendment putsches.

[metalurgist]

The government should buy back the printing presses from propagandists and scandal sheet mongers, thus saving valuable natural resources. Trees.

[Jet Jaguar]

Yep. These idiots don’t see it.

[Sherman Logan]

Second, reform mental health laws so that those few individuals who are obviously seriously disturbed and prone to violence (like every single mass shooter I can think of) can be locked up before they commit mass murder. This will take longer and cost more but will virtually eliminate this type of heinous crime.

Seriously disturbed as in not believing the approved government and societal ideology? Do you think the government will always use such authority wisely?

How many odd or depressed people do you think we would need to lock up to "virtually eliminate" such killings. Hundreds of thousands? Millions? More?

In hindsight such people are always easily identifiable, because we tune out the 99.9999% false positives. Are we really going to lock up all those false positives who haven't committed a crime or hurt anyone? On what constitutional basis?

We're opposed to Obamacare, but we're going to turn over this much greater power to the least scientific branch of medicine?

[Vermont Lt]

Boost the economy?

I could pretty much throw a rock and hit Smith and Wesson, and almost hit Savage.....

Not gonna help my economy.