Just another gun thread, don't bother reading.

[popeyespappy]

Sorry but no. Excessive alcohol use kills more people annually than automobiles and guns combined. Obesity kills more Americans than all three (alcohol, automobiles and guns) together and trails tobacco use only slightly as the second leading preventable killer.

Perhaps I should have elaborated more clearly. As this thread is dealing with gun controls, i was comparing what could be reasonably legislated. How would one go about legislating obesity.

I stand corrected on the alcohol however, I apparently had outdated or errant information, but that has a regulatory history of it's own. Prohibition was a complete failure. I would expect a similar response with guns.

Obesity is being legislated now in the form of health care penalties for obese people and food labeling. Other things that could be done include better education on how to cook and eat a more healthy diet, and restrictions on the amount of sugar and fats in prepared foods.

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The states can amend the US constitution without congress.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register...cle-v.html

I didn't know about that path. It still leaves the most difficult part: ratification by 3/4 of the states. It only takes 13 states to defeat it. States like:

Alaska
Arizona
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Wyoming

Can anyone familiar with those states imagine them supporting the gutting of the 2nd Amendment? And just in case Hell freezes over and a few of them do, there is still:

Alabama
Arkansas
Idaho
Montana
New Mexico
North Carolina
South Carolina
West Virginia

Sorry but the 2nd Amendment is safe for a long time.

As for a Supreme Court reinterpretation of it, they only weighed in on it a few years ago. Again, it's safe for a long time.

Like I said up-thread, it will take a radical culture change. It might be a realistic possibility in 30 years but I would guess more like 50.

Fortunately the second amendment doesn't need to be changed in order to make many of the changes gun control groups would like to see. Out right bans on specific types of weapons, ammunition and magazine size have constantly been ruled as legal by the courts. So have waiting periods, licensing, registration, background checks, and restrictions on where guns are allowed. In fact about the only thing the courts have ruled on that goes against gun control groups wishes is that you can't pass laws that effectively prevent all civilians from obtaining and keeping any gun.