And there are no "exceptions" or exclusions written into the law for law enforcement.

Also not happy that they are making permits "renewable", meaning more ways NY can collect even more money.

Oh and the best part is that every gun owner/permit-holder's personal information is now publicly accessible to any asshole who requests it.

That means everyone's information is there for the taking. Mad at a cop, teacher, someone who made you sad? Now you can find out where they live.

Facebook isn't even THIS bad. jfc.

Seriously. I thought my opinion was going to "stabilize" at "low enough". Now it's sinking even lower. I need to get out of here.

I just want to smack every idiot I see on the news who misuses the term "semi-automatic weapon"

ALMOST EVERY GUN IS SEMI-AUTOMATIC. They have been around since the late 1800s. Semi-automatic =/= machine gun.

Don't talk about something if you don't even understand what you're talking about, media. 8|

Exactly. Semi-auto just means you don't have to stop and reload a single musket ball every damn time. LOL. Still have to pull the trigger to make anything happen though. People watched too much Scarface/Rambo

and don't know shit about firearms. I'm not anywhere near as knowledgeable as my father who's a gunsmith, but jfc, don't drop vocab terms if you're not going to even try to use the correctly. You just sound

like an idiot. And nearly every news station is doing just this.

Not only that, but a ton of them are conflating "assault rifle" with "assault weapon"

Which are, again, two completely different things. Not only that, it's not like there is actually a single consistent definition of an assault weapon either.

(Also, the existing definition is pretty damn ridiculous since it's all about cosmetic/optional features instead of actual function or caliber.)

Put a folding stock and a pistol grip on a perfectly legal rifle and suddenly BAM, it's an assault weapon.

Yea, "military style" rifle. What the fuck does that even mean. I hope the class action suit goes far. Have you read the language of the bill itself? It's so "legalese". In just one part, the word "or" was used

literally every other sentence

They may as well just say everything can be made to be an assault weapon, human appendages included. Better fix this shit by taking appendages away. As stupid and absurd as it sounds, that how heavy-handed and

stupid as it is.

My disdain for this state especially is just... growing exponentially.

Background checks are good. A ban on high-capacity clips is good. But really, when you look at the statistics of gun violence? The VAST majority of it is NOT committed with "assault weapons."

They're focusing on the wrong things. The real problem isn't mass shootings (because statistically, those are INCREDIBLY rare), it's places like Chicago where gun violence is a daily problem, where people

are in danger on a regular basis.

THAT'S what needs the attention.

Pretty much, but it's hard to face those kinds of facts when the you (as in "you, the government") have sent a shitton of guns to Mexico to "track" and I'm sure there are other places we haven't heard about too

The government has had a track record of "arming" groups they thought would be beneficial or whatnot, and in many cases, said weapons are used against Americans. So... yea. Hard to face facts when you do stupid

shit like this time and time again and wonder why it STILL isn't working.

And also they need to actually enforce the existing laws too. They only prosecute a ridiculously small number of the people who try to buy guns and fail the background check.

Yea. That's always been my argument. if they just took care of enforcing what is already in existence and on the books we'd not have as many problems. NY has some of the toughest laws on the books wtf.

If they're not enforcing the laws that are already on the books, why should I believe that the new laws will be any different?

Oh, same with DC.

They also do need to pursue more mental health provisions.

Guns were banned here for years. Didn't do a thing.

They need to remove the stigma from getting help.

Yea, kinda like NYC's bans on shit. YEA REALLY EFFECTIVE LOL

People would just go into Maryland and Virgina to buy guns.

And if you get busted but not badly enough to land in jail, the cops just take you to the MD border anyway

And... most of those guys end up in Baltimore LOLOL

And it's like... do you really think the people who are going to commit crimes give a damn about the laws?

Yes, they will be all sad when they learn that they can't legally obtain a weapon. At which point they go home, wallow in self pity, and self medicate with a tub of Ben & Jerry's topped with cheese doodles.

OBVIOUSLY

That's what bad dudes in DC do. Right?!

I actually like the system DC has going now. You have to have a background check, register the gun with the government and do a ballistics test for records, undergo firearms safety training, and get a license.

Guns were illegal here for years, now they're legal but the crime rate HASN'T gone up.

They don't do ballistics testing for records up here but you get a bg check, do a gun safety course, register the gun on your license should you be approved, and then

So clearly, what DC is doing works.

But let's ignore that. Let's go insane and make things ridiculously stringent without even reading what we're signing.

They're just doing what they think the public wants. Guns are typically gunmetal grey or black, those are evil and icky colors, gotta get them out of society or very controlled.

If anything, the new laws will make that one crazy person that much more determined to get a gun illegally.

As far as mental health records too, there is not nearly enough efficient communication between local, state, and federal agencies.

Like you said, people leave the area to make their purchases and bring them back. Not that fucking hard.

Honestly, I think the mental health aspect is really the bigger problem.

It is. But it's an ACLU kind of issue too

And I say this AS someone who has been diagnosed with OCD for more than 15 years.

it's an issue people don't want to touch though.

Yep.

They don't want to admit that some people have chemical imbalances, some people are seriously fucked up from various environmental and/or biological happenings that change who they are and what they would do.

I think news media caters right into that.

A lot of people seem to think that if you shove things like that under the rug and ignore them, it will make it go away.

But it won't. It just makes it worse for the person with the issues.

Yeas and when does that shit ever work. I tried sweeping student loans under the rug, nope still there~!

The point is not to demonize them, but rather to get them help

I can't imagine people wanting to feel out of control, scared, angry, etc.

Exactly. Trying to deny that you have a mental issue doesn't make it no longer exist.

And for a lot of things, the right combination of therapy and/or meds can mean the person can live a virtually normal life.

Exactly.

There's no reason for them to be suffering.

And sometimes, it's about learning how to create your own, positive coping mechanisms. Finding a productive, not destructive, way to deal with stress and daily life.

They just need access to help.

That too.

Oddly enough, most governments flip head over heels to help a pregnant single mom who made a lot of bad choices but won't help someone who needs counseling etc.

It's pretty stupid.

Someone who perhaps hasn't ever know what it's like to be in control enough to "make their own" decisions. you know?

There's no reason why mental health services shouldn't be as accessible as regular health services.

Yea, like why do they need 50 referrals

They don't and shouldn't

That's part of why people can't get the help they need. They can't check themselves into any of these facilities or access these services without a petition of signatures and shit.

If you sprain your ankle, you can go to urgent care and get treated. It should be the same if you're having a depressive episode.

"Depression" isn't real according to many medical professionals.

They've got a lot of resistence within their own field

Just smile, be happy, go shopping and BLAM you're not depressed anymore, obviously. LOLnoooope doesn't work that way.

Yeah. And I think a lot of the problem with that stems from confusing situational depression with actual clinical depression.

Exactly. They are only just now starting to realize the chemical imbalance and how it plays into legit clinical depression instead of feeling sad because of 1 thing happening.

And that's not to say that situational depression isn't real or legit, just that it's a totally different beast from clinical depression.

Totally. Both happen, but one is something you can't shake without a multi-faceted approach.

It requires a different approach and meds usually aren't helpful for it. What helps most for situational depression is just talk therapy.

So you get people thinking that since talk therapy cured their depression/the depression of someone they know, that's all it takes to fix it.

And that's where you run into the issues.

Yea. Or people who don't understand it because they've never been "depressed" period and are just like "Let's get some froyo! THAT'LL CURE YA!"

I know a few people up here who I am interested in becoming friends with because they just don't understand the dynamics of being human. Nothing bad has ever happened to them, all their family is alive and

well. And basically anything you are feeling down about is "fake" you're doing it for attention obviously.

It's so annoying, but these people do exist.

Yeah, I'll be the first person to admit that I can't really UNDERSTAND depression because I have never dealt with anything beyond being bummed out over something that happened for a couple of weeks.

So like, I understand the concept and all of that, but I don't have the first clue as to what it actually feels like.

Nor do I, thankfully. but to flat out deny that someone can be that bad? That's just foolish.

Yeah.

Related to violence and guns, I don't really know how it would feel to be that pissed off at someone to kill them, but I understand that it happens.

The Sandy Hook shooter executed his mother. That's a lot of rage.

And I can't even stand it when I disappoint my mother!

Yeah, I could never imagine doing anything like that. The only situation in which I could ever invision myself killing someone would be to protect myself or someone else.

Indeed... the Castle Doctrine is luckily untouched by the new laws.

I'd be even more upset if they were now like "You don't have the right to protect yourself or your family in your home. That's illegal!"

If someone were to hurt my little sister... yeah, I would probably go ballistic.

NGL, I'd go all momma bear if someone were attacking my parents or dogs. I don't worry about my bro or his family since he'd have his situation covered.

Haha, oh yeah. I go ridiculously mama bear over little kids, which is funny because I don't even LIKE kids that much.

Nor do I, but damnitall if I'd let someone hurt a child.

Kids, animals, and elderly. Don't fuck with them or I may have to fuck your shit up. Basically.

Yep, same here.

I actually HAVE gone into rage mode on a bunch of kids who were tormenting a dog before.

Good, they needed it

And better that they got a warning at their age - then have it become a permanent charge on their record for animal abuse.

Yeah, my old neighbor would sometimes tie their lab up to the front porch so he could be outside. There was a group of kids who would poke at him with sticks and taunt him on the way home from school so one

day I just went out there and yelled at them.

That's the worst when the animal can't even run away.

Yeah, the poor dog would get so upset because he couldn't either run away OR attack.

He was just stuck.

your neighbor at work when the kids were walking home or something?

cause if so, I'd have been all "A.) Get the fuck off my lawn and B.) Leave my dog alone!"

I don't know where he went, probably at work. The backyard didn't have a good fence back then so he'd leash the dog on the porch sometimes when the weather was nice.

That way the dog could go up on the porch if it started to rain or anything.

Yea. Theoretically makes sense rather than leaving it inside where it might have an accident if it can't get out in time to do its thing.

Yeah. The leash was long enough that the dog could run around over part of the yard, too.

Feh, little shits.

If we want to talk about licenses and permits, I think some people need to prove they can successfully and lovingly raise and take care of a pet before having children.

Yeah, with some of the stories I've heard from my mom and her job in a school... I agree.

Parents are so contradictory. They don't give a shit about their kids, send them to school and expect us to "fix them". But the minute they get a call saying "Your child bit another student's face. Come get

them."

They get all defensive in a "NOT MY CHILD YOU PEOPLE ARE LIARS, YOU'RE ALL RACIST! WE'RE SUING YOUR DISTRICT!"

That sounds about right.

I kind of wish we had a more European way of educating kids

What with the abitur

I think that would solve a ton of the discipline issues in schools... separating the "college bound" ones from the ones who just want to be done with school and go to work.