Thread by @jenniferm_q

I thing I always wonder at as people react to mass shooting are people who vaguely call for “more strict gun laws”

What exactly do they mean?

(thread)

I can’t quite figure out if they’re not aware of the gun laws currently and what the process is to buy a gun legally or if they know and are calling for something stricter than that

2/

Because buying a gun legally isn’t like going to the grocery story and picking up ingredients for dinner

Unless you have a CCP you have to fill out paperwork for a background check

And wait

And wait

And wait

3/

It’s not like you hand over the paperwork and the shop is like “ok cool we’ll just keep this on file”

Nope

Your info gets entered into the computer and a query is sent to a federal database and you have to wait to hear back

4/

How long does this all take you ask?

Who knows

Maybe minutes

Maybe hours

Maybe days

Remember it’s the federal government we’re dealing with here

The shop can’t let you leave with your purchase until the query comes back or 48 hours passes without a response

5/

So the federal database is supposed* to be a, well, database that all states report any felony convictions you might have into

If the query comes back clean you’re good to go

If it doesn’t then no gun for you

*this system has broken down in the past

/6

I told you all that to ask this

What more would they like?

(I’ve seen suggestions that one’s mental health history should be included which doesn’t sit well with me for many reasons)

I’m at a loss as to how to take “we need stricter gun laws” as a good faith argument

7/

And since everyone with even a glancing knowledge of history knows that prohibition does not stop behavior and creates black markets I can’t take the “ban the assault weapons” argument in good faith either

I really don’t know how much deep though goes into these arguments

End