Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site sdccsu3.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!houxm!houxz!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!sdcrdcf!sdcsvax!sdccsu3!taylor From: taylor@sdccsu3.UUCP (Dave Taylor) Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Naivety concerning gun control....read me.... Message-ID: <2172@sdccsu3.UUCP> Date: Fri, 10-Aug-84 10:38:05 EDT Article-I.D.: sdccsu3.2172 Posted: Fri Aug 10 10:38:05 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 12-Aug-84 01:19:19 EDT Organization: California State University La Jolla Lines: 50 (Open response to Andrew Shaws' comment that most guns that are in the posession of criminals are stolen from homeowners...) Andrew, The reason that I question your comment is that if it is true, then what you say is also true - that if the average Joe on the street could not have a gun, then a number of the criminal element would also be deprived. However, as must be obvious, I don't feel that this is the case. Even if it is, let's consider what would occur if all weapons were outlawed. People who work in 'security' areas would still need them (ie people like Police, Secret Service, Security Guards) and so if a criminal REALLY wanted a weapon, he could either join a security group and obtain one (a pain) or start a company and then hire a bunch of 'security' and have the weapon posession approved by the state. (This second one is more of a Mafia tactic...*gulp*) (I hope they don't read this network!) There is a third way, which is the way that I think they get weapons now; contact the local 'chief' bad-guy. There are undoubtedly caches of weapons hidden all over this 'wonderous nation' that are controlled by the enemy (as it were). It's all money. If some chap from the Mafia, or some local organized criminal group, offers to say, Smith and Wesson $200 per handgun and box of bullets, and the standard rate is $75 per unit (I am guessing), how many people would decline? Some middle executive at S&W makes out a fake purchase order for some 'legitimate' group, sells the weapons to the 'bad guys' and pockets $100 per unit. Good deal! (For them) Even discounting that, I think that, unfortunately, gun control at this stage of the game (ie with the LARGE dissemination of weapons that we have) is impossible. I mean, let's face it, every random crook on the street (not to mention normal decent law-abiding citizens) HAS a gun AT THIS VERY MINUTE. If laws were enacted, they would HIDE them, not give them up! So what would happen is that only the criminals would have the weapons. Alas! It's a pretty grim picture, really. Oh well, at least we have UNIX! Dave Taylor ps: I don't own any sort of weapons, other than my looks (ha ha) ---------------------- "And they call this the age of information!"