Gun laws in the place you live.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Originally Posted by freebird

CANADA: Handguns illegal in all provinces, except for Police, Collectors & Target shooting.

Shotguns & Rifles are permitted with registration

Pellet guns illegal too.

Same here in Germany, except that pellet guns are not illegal. I believe they have to registered though.

[freebird]

Originally Posted by DerAdlerIstGelandet

Same here in Germany, except that pellet guns are not illegal. I believe they have to registered though.

I was not quite correct about the pellet guns, but the law seems a lttle confused now. If the pellet gun has a projectile velocity of more than 500 ft/sec it would be classified as a firearm and needs to be registered, so it would then be legal if it was a rifle type but illegal as a pistol.

The problem is that many "lower velocity" air/pellet guns can now fire 'high velocity" projectiles which would change their classification. Parliment is working on the problem, in it's usual timely manner...

[freebird]

Originally Posted by DerAdlerIstGelandet

Same here in Germany, except that pellet guns are not illegal. I believe they have to registered though.

Adler what's your opinion on the 2nd Amendment debate? Do you feel that Germany is safer with a total ban on handguns, compared to the USA?

[JugBR]

Church shooting suspect angry over job search, police say - CNN.com

another shooter

[pbfoot]

Rogue gunshops are a large problem in the US a study by the ATF
• 120 gun stores were the source of at least 54,694 guns traced to crimes committed
between 1996 and 2000.
• These stores, representing slightly more than one-tenth of one percent of the nation’s gun stores,
were the source of 15% of crime gun traces over this period.
• Each of these 120 stores had a minimum of 200 crime gun traces, while 6 stores had more
than one thousand and two stores had more than two thousand crime gun traces.
• These 120 stores were spread out among twenty-two states with Indiana (14 stores),
Illinois (13 stores), Georgia (13 stores), Virginia (13 stores), and Maryland (11 stores)
being home to the most high crime gun stores

[freebird]

Originally Posted by pbfoot

Rogue gunshops are a large problem in the US a study by the ATF

I had a feeling that you might see this one Pb, you can explain it better than I!


Why are there many large US cities where it is dangerous to go in some areas after dark, for fear of getting shot? Why is this not such a problem in Canada?

{Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal}


Is it the easy availability of guns or is there some other sociological reason?

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by freebird

I had a feeling that you might see this one Pb, you can explain it better than I!


Why are there many large US cities where it is dangerous to go in some areas after dark, for fear of getting shot? Why is this not such a problem in Canada?

{Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal}


Is it the easy availability of guns or is there some other sociological reason?

Gangs and dope dealers constitute much of the violence and complete disregard for Law. Additionally, none of them could legally purchase a firearm so availability is through robbery, buying from a fence, removing from a gang member's cold dead hands.

[freebird]

Originally Posted by drgondog

Gangs and dope dealers constitute much of the violence and complete disregard for Law. Additionally, none of them could legally purchase a firearm so availability is through robbery, buying from a fence, removing from a gang member's cold dead hands.

Is it not a problem that a few states still allow 'cash & carry" at shops & gun shows without a criminal record check? If the felon has already walked away with his purchased gun and they find out later he was a felon, what's the point of that law?

Since handguns are illegal in Canada, it's very much harder for criminals to break into a house and find one.

As for "home defence" there is nothing preventing a Canadian from having a shotgun in the house, I would think that a 12-guage would actully be much better against a perp breaking in.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Originally Posted by freebird

Adler what's your opinion on the 2nd Amendment debate? Do you feel that Germany is safer with a total ban on handguns, compared to the USA?

As an American I believe in the right to own firearms. I own several firearms (granted they are not here in Germany at the moment). I do however believe that each nation should decide what is best for their own nation and what works for them.

Germans don't seem to mind it being more difficult to own weapons. Different way of life, but not necessarily wrong.

I do feel that the crime here in Germany is a lot less than in the United States, even in the large cities I would feel much safer walking around at night. That being said every city has its good areas and its bad areas.

I also do not think that it is safer because of it being harder to own handguns. I dont think my opinion would change if every German here owned a firearm.

That being said, firearm related crime here in Germany is on the rise, and guns are still banned.

What does that say? The responsible gun owners who own their weapons legally are not causing the crime, it is the criminals obtaining their guns illegaly. Same problem you have in the United States. It is not the people who own legal firearms, it is the criminals who get them no matter what illegally.

[pbfoot]

Originally Posted by drgondog

Gangs and dope dealers constitute much of the violence and complete disregard for Law. Additionally, none of them could legally purchase a firearm so availability is through robbery, buying from a fence, removing from a gang member's cold dead hands.

like this gun dealer a board member of the NRA and again I'll say "Almost 60% of the nation’s guns traced to crime came from only about 1% of the country’s gun dealers."

Valley Gun of Baltimore, Maryland, is one of the leading suppliers of crime guns in the nation
Between 1996 and 2000, 483 crime guns were traced to Valley Gun, ranking it as one
of the top 40 crime gun retailers in the nation. Valley Gun’s firearms have been traced to at
least 11 homicides, 41 assaults, 49 drug crimes, and 101 cases of illegal concealed carrying of
firearms. Valley Gun, owned by NRA Board Member Sandy Abrams,47 has also been cited for
massive violations of federal gun laws. The federal government has documented 900 violations
of federal law at Valley Gun, including failing to account for hundreds of weapons that
disappeared from the gun shop without any record of sale. On May 5, 2004, ATF issued a
Notice of Revocation of Valley Gun’s federal firearms license based on these hundreds of
violations of federal law. Due to weak federal gun laws, however, Valley Gun was allowed to
continue operating nearly two years after being notified that its license would be revoked, until
February 24, 2006, when a court ordered the store to cease firearms sales and surrender its
license.
Despite this court order, Abrams has stated that he intends to continue selling
firearms, and in June 2006, the Bush Administration filed legal papers stating that Abrams could
continue selling guns from Valley Gun’s former inventory as his “personal collection

[renrich]

Actually, i believe that it is a federal law that in all states there must be a background check before a gun can be purchased. Also, a person who resides in one state cannot go to another state and buy a gun. Much gun crime now is associated with the drug trade and unfortunately(or not) the perps are almost always shooting people of like race. Most gun homicide is either Black on Black or Brown on Brown. When you see gun homicide numbers they almost always include suicides and don't explain that. Also unfortunately the vast majority of gun suicides are white males. Go figure. Unfortunately for our country, one seldom sees the demographic facts discussed. The elephant in the corner. PC you see.

[freebird]

Originally Posted by DerAdlerIstGelandet

As an American I believe in the right to own firearms. I own several firearms (granted they are not here in Germany at the moment). I do however believe that each nation should decide what is best for their own nation and what works for them.

What does that say? The responsible gun owners who own their weapons legally are not causing the crime, it is the criminals obtaining their guns illegaly. Same problem you have in the United States. It is not the people who own legal firearms, it is the criminals who get them no matter what illegally.

I think the problem is that all "illegal" guns start out as "legal"

It is true that as you say criminals can always obtain gus, often because a girlfriend or associate can legally buy it and give it to the criminal! I'm sure some "black market" guns would still be around, but with these guns costing $500+ as opposed to perhaps $50 in the US, far fewer criminals will have them.

Adler why do you think violent crime in Germany less than in the USA, if it's not a gun availability issue?

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Originally Posted by freebird

It is true that as you say criminals can always obtain gus, often because a girlfriend or associate can legally buy it and give it to the criminal! I'm sure some "black market" guns would still be around, but with these guns costing $500+ as opposed to perhaps $50 in the US, far fewer criminals will have them.

I believe most illegal guns here in Germany are obtained on the blackmarket. With the rise in immigration here from eastern europe there has ben a rise in the mafias and organized crime which has led to a rise in violent crime.

Originally Posted by freebird

Adler why do you think violent crime in Germany less than in the USA, if it's not a gun availability issue?

I honestly do not have an answer for that. It is just how I feel. Don't take me wrong, I don't think that all the US is like that. You have good places and you have bad places. I was just talking in general.

[freebird]

Originally Posted by renrich

Actually, i believe that it is a federal law that in all states there must be a background check before a gun can be purchased. Also, a person who resides in one state cannot go to another state and buy a gun.

A gun can be bought "cash & carry" at a gun show {or anywhere for that matter} from a private citizen with no background check required. The seller is not required to verify the residence of the buyer by documentation, and in fact is not required to keep any records at all.

Is the gun law at a Arizona gun show cash and carry? Is there a waiting period or background check? - Yahoo! Answers

Where can we get 'Cash-n-Carry' Rifles? Gun Shows? - Louisiana - Stories From The States - OpenCarry.org - Discussion Forum

[pbfoot]

I agree with Ren that race is a big factor in gun crimes. Toronto a city of 4 million with 50% are visible minorities most of the gun crime is perputrated by blacks against blacks however most of the weapons are traced back to the US .
The following link is an interesting insight into one gun dealer and how the NRA backs him even though they say that not enforcing gun laws" is a evil and moral crime "despite more then 900 charges against the gun dealer and his efforts to circumvent the law
http://www.bradycenter.org/xshare/pd...ath-valley.pdf
On a side note although I don't own any firearms I have friends that own legal and illegal firearms