Some new toys...

[Firetooth]

Saying guns are bad, fine.  I'll agree, mass murderers would have a lot harder time without guns.  Now what?  You've got 300 million guns to round up, a population that overall likes their guns, and add to that the fact that the government completely failed in the war on drugs.

Now what makes you think a war on guns is workable?

I've acknowledged this problem every time it's brought up.

Simply put, it is a massive problem, but I don't believe that it can't be overcome with time and commitment. The usual incentives would have to be applied with gun hand-ins, such as the money rewards and such. Guaranteed prosecution would have to result from holding guns without a specific license to. Doubtless many, many guns would remain in circulation, however at the least it would make it more difficult for your potential mass-murderer to obtain his weapon. For many, I imagine it would mean turning to less effective methods for their killings than handguns and assault weapons, maybe even melee weapons, which would thus heavily limit their ability to kill. Do you think somebody like Adam Lanza would be resourceful enough to acquire guns on the black market?

I don't deny it would be hard, but it's surely better than the alternative of "this problem is difficult to solve, let's just leave it be." When so many die in each year in avoidable tragedies, that is simply unacceptable. There'll always be guns in circulation, I can accept that, however at least the average civilian can lose the capacity to commit a crime of passion.

To draw a comparison to the government war on drugs is also silly, simply because drugs can be grown and produced by anybody dedicated without too much difficulty, whereas as constructing and assembling a gun is beyond the capabilities of most people.

[windhound]

I think acquiring guns on the black market can safely be compared to acquiring drugs on the black market.  Neither are all that hard, your average highschool student can find pot if they want it -- despite it being illegal.

Now, granted, not everyone can make a gun, but please note its not all that difficult.

Wandered across this a while back,
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/build-yourself/179192-diy-shovel-ak-photo-tsunami-warning.html
Guy makes an AK from a shovel and a components kit.

Make the components kit illegal and it may not have come out as well, but eh....  go on youtube and lookup handmade guns.  Saw one guy with a pipe shotgun, literally two pieces of pipe one inside the other.  It was a one-shot deal, but he actually reloaded it rather quickly.
There's a fair number of people with machine shops for which making a functional firearm isn't all that hard.

There's also the 3D Printed guns people are playing with now.
They're not great, they're definitely not safe or reliable, but they are 3D printed guns.

Then there's the fact that while the occasional shooting does happen (and it does suck, its tragic for the victims and their families) death by gun violence is a drop in the bucket.
" In 2010 there were 358 murders involving rifles. Murders involving the use of handguns in the US that same year totaled 6,009, with another 1,939 murders with the firearm type unreported."
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States

"According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) early projections, the number of traffic fatalities fell three percent between 2009 and 2010, from 33,808 to 32,788."
http://www.nhtsa.gov/PR/NHTSA-05-11

"Number of deaths for leading causes of death:

Heart disease: 597,689
Cancer: 574,743
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 138,080
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859
Alzheimer's disease: 83,494
Diabetes: 69,071
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 50,476
Influenza and Pneumonia: 50,097
Intentional self-harm (suicide): 38,364"
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm

You'd be better off making sure everyone in the US has a flu shot or tightening the drivers license requirements (serio, the little old lady driving behind me yesterday was terrifying).

Anyways.  47% of Americans own a gun (self-reported)
http://www.gallup.com/poll/150353/self-reported-gun-ownership-highest-1993.aspx

To have meaningful gun control in place the population must want it.  They don't.  Colorado had a recall election because of a gun control law.  It succeeded. 
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=222390731
They voted out their legislators because of a single law they were in favor of.  That's how much people in Colorado don't want gun control.

And by "population must want it" I mean overwhelmingly want it.  If 51% are in favor of gun control and a law passes it wont work.  It just wont. 

Lastly.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/09/d-c-gun-laws-some-of-the-strictest-in-the-u-s/
DC has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation.
Didn't help those people on Monday though.

[Ungatt Trunn II]

Firetooth, AR stands for Armalite Jesus you are so wrong on so many things its hurts. Begone heathen.

[Briar]

This topic is too serious and fact filled for SPA.....plz move elsewhere.

[Ian2424]

But I like pew pew sticks :C