My "No-Bullshit" Guide to the Gun Control Debate: Please Add to It!

Hi all,

Here goes a tough topic: gun control/gun rights in America. I'm a libertarian who is largely undecided (perhaps somewhat more on the side of the 2nd Am., recognizing the logistical challenges with mass gun collection in America), but I really want to pool resources. What are the best articles/interviews, for and against gun control, that you've been able to find?

Personal Favorites

Favorites in terms of quality and depth, not neccessarily content):

Charles C.W. Cooke, National Review
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/423183/rant-second-amendment-repeal?target=topic&tid=

Cooke begins by going through Jeffersonian thought, a little bit of Heller interpretation, and some immense sassiness, but delves into the immense logistical and political challenges of 2nd Am repeal.

As anybody with a passing understanding of America’s constitutional system knows, repealing the Second Amendment won’t in and of itself lead to the end of gun ownership in America. Rather, it will merely free up the federal government to regulate the area, should it wish to do so. Next, you’ll need to craft the laws that bring about change — think of them as modern Volstead Acts — and you’ll need to get them past the opposition. And, if the federal government doesn’t immediately go the whole hog, you’ll need to replicate your efforts in the states, too, 45 of which have their own constitutional protections. Maybe New Jersey and California will go quietly. Maybe.

Kevin Williamson, National Review
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/436570/orlando-shooting-gun-policy-aftermath?target=topic&tid=2160

A second issue touching background checks: Often, the FBI is not able to process a gun buyer’s application within the three days required by law. If the FBI cannot give an answer, the sale can go forward under what is known as a “default proceed,” the gun buyer’s version of “innocent until proven guilty.” In tens of thousands of cases each year, the FBI discovers, after the fact, that the sale should not have proceeded.

I like the degree to which Williamson is amenable to both sides, willing to examine the flaws with each. Definitely one of the most valuable pieces I've read that has informed my opinion.

The police, the prosecutors, the jailers, and the parole-and-probation authorities all must answer for the fact that such a large share of our murders are committed by people already well known to law enforcement.

Jon Stokes, Medium

https://medium.com/@jonst0kes/why-i-need-an-ar-15-832e05ae801c#.g1aaoe2ko

Interesting perspective to read about. As a non-gun-owner, I was quite ignorant to many of the nuances presented here. Although not fully convinced either way, I'm glad to be more informed.

This is all part of the reason why I, a civilian, “need” a military-grade combat weapon. I don’t want to shoot and miss; I don’t want the gun to jam because it’s dirty or cold; and I don’t want to hit my target and then have it run off into the woods and die lost and wounded because I didn’t “bring enough gun”. Like my grandpa with his “military-grade” lever action rifle, I want a modern firearm that’s popular (which means parts and training are cheaply and widely available), ergonomic, rugged, accurate, and reliably effective, so that none of the aforementioned bad things happen to me when I’m shooting.

If the AR-15 were a weapon that’s suitable only for indiscriminate, spray-n-pray mass slaughter, then it wouldn’t be so popular with police.
There is no conceivable circumstance in which a police officer — not even a SWAT team member — would need to mow down hordes of people. Yet the AR-15 is the “patrol rifle” of choice for modern police departments from Mayberry to Manhattan. And when you understand why police need the AR-15, then you’ll understand yet another reason why I need one.

Please feel free to contribute your own experiences, articles, interviews, or other references in the comments. This is such a divisive issue in American politics and I personally want to be far more informed on the complexity of it before fully forming an opinion. Excited to see what our community generates!