(October 5, 2017 at 12:26 pm)pocaracas Wrote:(October 5, 2017 at 11:46 am)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: Owning firearms is a Constitutional right so why shouldn't they be easy to obtain?
From the wiki:
In United States v. Cruikshank (1876), the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that, "The right to bear arms is not granted by the Constitution; neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence" and limited the scope of the Second Amendment's protections to the federal government.[9] In United States v. Miller (1939), the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment did not protect weapon types not having a "reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia."[10][11]
What the constitution says is:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Of course, this means that people are allowed to have "Arms" and the constitution says that the government cannot infringe upon that right.
But the government can regulate on what types of Arms are available to the public.
Clearly, nuclear missiles are out. So, it is good to find an optimum point between "the right to keep and bear Arms" and "I want all guns".
Legislation can be passed that only allows the public to have access to a maximum of 8mm caliber fire arms. This does not infringe on "the right to keep and bear arms".
Would this prevent mass shootings? No, but it would keep most automatic weapons out of the public's hands.
I believe that some even more restrictive legislation could even be found that would prevent any automatic fire arm from being legally sold.
I don't know what the rules are in Europe, but they're restrictive enough that the grand majority of people don't even consider the possibility of purchasing a fire arm. As a result, you never even think that someone else may have such a weapon.
I was in Madison, Wisconsin in 2016 and what shocked me the most was the need to have University buildings post signs saying that guns were not allowed inside. It's like everything seems normal and decent.... but remember that almost everyone has a weapon.
The Nevada Constitution gives people the right to own guns. It does not mention the silly ass militia. It does not impose the requirement for people to have mental certification to buy guns.
"Section 11
Text of Section 11:
Right to Keep and Bear Arms; Civil Power Supreme
1. Every citizen has the right to keep and bear arms for security and defense, for lawful hunting and recreational use and for other lawful purposes."
https://ballotpedia.org/Article_1,_Nevada_Constitution
The shooter was in complete compliance with the Nevada Constitution until he started shooting.