Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site osu-eddie.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!osu-eddie!karl
From: karl@osu-eddie.UUCP (Karl Kleinpaste)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: handgun control
Message-ID: <23@osu-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 2-Jan-85 11:13:43 EST
Article-I.D.: osu-eddi.23
Posted: Wed Jan  2 11:13:43 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 3-Jan-85 03:58:03 EST
References: <245@gargoyle.UUCP> <259@gargoyle.UChicago.UUCP>
Organization: Society for the Advancement of Raw Weirdness
Lines: 48

----------
>As to whether or not the government is ``entitled'' to ``force'' people
>to dispose of their guns, let's note that the Morton Grove handgun ban
>has been upheld by the US Supreme Court.  I guess the government IS
>entitled.
----------
This is incorrect. What the  US  SC  did was  to  decline  to hear the case,
partly  at  the request of the NRA, in order that it might be heard  by  the
Illinois SC first.  This  is  drastically  different  from  having the US SC
"uphold" the decision; they actually decided to ignore it officially for the
time being.

----------
>Polls show that handgun control is desired by 60 - 70% of the American
>people.  What Renner should have said is that handgun control will pass
>when the NRA ceases to be a major influence on legislators.
----------
Two points:

(1) This is much like the polls  which show that well over 85% of the people
favor a verifiable nuclear freeze. But such polls (I've been polled on  that
question twice now)  usually  forget  to ask  the  related question, "Do you
think  such verification can be achieved in the reasonably near  future?"  I
don't think so, and hence  I  don't  really  favor  a  freeze at this point.
Similar  thoughts apply to handgun control; just because it's  favorable  to
get firearms away from criminals  doesn't mean that I support the mechanisms
currently available to deal with limiting firearms in the general case.

(2) The NRA is a major influence  on  legislators  because it represents (in
several  ways)  an  incredibly large number of people.  It  is,  firstly,  a
sporting organization, but the NRA-ILA (Institute for Legislative Action) is
supported  by (I think) 1/3 of the $15 yearly membership fee. Since the  NRA
has 3 million members, that means  that it can claim an extremely large base
from  which  to  work,   both   for   volunteers   in  doing  election-  and
lawmaking-related activities, as  well as  dollars for advertising campaigns
to  support candidates. When the gun control advocates can claim  that  many
people in an organized group who  really care one way or the other about it,
then  I'll consider them a viable force with which to deal. Until then,  the
support of those who care enough  to  do  more than sit back and complain is
weighted on the side of the NRA by at least 2 orders of magnitude.

Think of it as "Government by the People" in action.
-- 
From the badly beaten keyboards of him who speaks     +-best address
in textured Technicolor *TyPe* f-O-n-T-s...           |
						      |
Karl Kleinpaste @ Bell Labs, Columbus   614/860-5107  +---> cbrma!kk
                @ Ohio State University 614/422-0915  osu-eddie!karl