[bryantm3]

like it or not, we have a second amendment, and it should be protected as much as the first amendment. however, there should be reasonable limitations on the right to own a gun, such as if a person is declared mentally unstable by a court of law, or if a person has committed a felony. this should extend to all gun sales, including gun shows. however, much of the things outlined in the bill are unreasonable. you argue that "it's just $25", but what is the point? tax revenue is the only point here, because $25 will not stop a criminal from buying a gun, and this is the biggest problem with extended gun legislation: if you make more and more laws regarding guns, it only affects those who aren't likely to commit a crime with those guns. if a criminal wants a gun, he'll get it in other ways.

there are several other things that bother me in the bill. first, the fact that they want your records from your psychologist. that's really none of their business, and it's a clear violation of privacy, which i strongly believe that the constitution implies a right to privacy. in addition, if someone was treated with depression at one time, they could be denied the right to own a gun, which is a violation of their constitutional right to own a gun. think about it: about a third of the population are on medication for ADHD, depression, and many other mild mental illnesses. are you going to deny them their right to own a gun based on that?

secondly, the fact that the federal government wants a list of all who own a gun. doesn't this bother you? remember when george w. bush was illegally wiretapping american homes and monitored the activities of innocent americans? it's the same deal, but now the left is doing it instead of the right. most (if not all) states have a list of those who have firearms licenses, and that should be good enough; if there is a criminal investigation involving a felony, they can pass that information on to the feds, but otherwise, it's not their business since firearms are mostly regulated by the states. it's also a waste of taxpayer dollars to monitor law-abiding citizens who are following the rules. big brother anyone?

lastly, the test to own a gun. remember the tests they gave to blacks in the south to vote? same deal. you shouldn't have to pass a test to exercise a constitutional right. the same goes for the two day waiting period. it's pointless.


so basically, to sum it up, i believe
-everyone should be allowed to own a gun, unless they are a felon or were declared mentally incompetent by a court— not under treatment for an illness.
-there should be a mandatory background check for every gun purchase in the US that checks for those two things.

anything else is overkill, violation of the second amendment, you name it. the more you restrict guns, the more you empower criminals who get guns by other means.