"Assault weapons" are NOT automatic. They are ONLY semi-auto (i.e. pull the trigger, bang, pull the trigger bang). Automatic firearms have been heavily regulated since 1934, and new ones are illegal for civilians (since 1986). There are about 200k legal automatic weapons in the US, and they are in the hands of collectors (since they usually cost $5,000-$35,000+, and require a long application process to own).
Ammo serialization is stupid. It sounds good, but the reason informed people want to pass it is to dramatically increase the price of ammunition to force people out of shooting sports. People who compete usually reload their own ammo, which would be illegal under this law. Buying factory ammo is REALLY expensive if you intend to shoot thousands of rounds per year (tens or hundreds of thousands for the really serious competitors). This technology is EXPENSIVE, and that's the idea behind most of the support for it. Expensive ammo doesn't hurt criminals very much, as they only need a couple rounds to shoot someone...but it hurts those who shoot for a hobby.
Serialized ammo is not very useful for law enforcement. Sure, it can tell you the ammo was bought in ohio....but then what? Most guns used by criminals are not legally possessed anyway (unregistered, stolen, or illegally purchased firearms make up about 80% of the firearms used in crime.) So, that's probably another dead end.
FatherTed wrote:
I don't understand how people automatically assume that this would lead to further infringements on their rights. I'm most likely wrong.
Because that is the strategy of gun-control advocates. They want to chip away at gun rights, so there is not a huge backlash. By the time people have had enough, there won't be any worthwhile gun rights to protect. The Brady Campaign (formerly known as Handgun control inc) actually stated and published this strategy.
Last edited by RAIMIUS (2009-01-31 19:23:14)