Xpost: Austrailian gun control...

[Straw Man]

107. You haven't answered ...

... the pertinent questions.

Not anyone can walk in and buy a gun

What would be the point of any legislation if that were the case. Do you think Italy, or anywhere else wants to become like America regarding guns?

Does one have to be a citizen to buy a gun? Does one have to be pre-screened? Does one have to take a training course? If the answer to any of these is "yes," then your assertion that you could "buy a gun tomorrow" is false. And in case you hadn't noticed when you lived here, not anyone can just walk in and buy a gun in the US; you must be of legal age and pass a NICS check.

All you need is a medical certificate deeming you sane enough to own a gun, be over 18, and a "nulla osta", which is common in Italy for many things. It basically translates as a permission to proceed with whatever project you have in mind. This permission is given by the appropriate administrative authority. In the case of firearms, that would be the local Questura (police). And unless you are assessed as being a threat, the issuance is automatic.

Do you currently have this certificate? If not, then you won't be able to get your gun tomorrow.

What would characterize an applicant as a threat? A history of radical political activism, perhaps?

The rules have nothing to do with classicism, which is pretty funny, when gun ownership in the US is totally class based. Ask any African American who has tried walking around with a gun. Ask any undocumented Latino how easy it is to get a carry permit. Basically, the US criminalizes those who live in the inner city poorer neighborhoods, and arms the white gentry who feel they need protection from the so-called "thugs" who inhabit the inner city.

Classicism? No, I never imagined that the Italians would require you to quote Horace in order to get a carry permit.

US gun ownership is class-based in only those pernicious municipalities that practice the discriminatory policy known as "may issue." When LE is given total discretion, prejudice will come into play. I believe that rules should determine issue status, not the whims of cops and other functionaries. I deplore "may issue." How about you?

By the way, the whole "issue issue" concerns concealed handguns only. Long guns can be purchased with only a NICS check everywhere in th US, with a few regressive exceptions: NYC, DC, and Illinois, IIRC. As for African-Americans being hassled for walking around with guns, the culprit there is racial profiling by police, not discrimination in licensing policies. Undocumented Latinos? Is there any nation in the world that would give a weapons permit to a non-citizen who is in the country illegally? You're grasping at straws there, Starboard.

You still haven't addressed the issue of setting a monetary threshold for carry permits. Please explain why you think that is not classism.