Quote:
Originally Posted by d-ray657
The First Amendment protects freedom of religion, free speech, free assembly and a free press.
Read charitably to gun rights advocates, the Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms.
Government is allowed to place reasonable time, place and manner restrictions on the rights protected by the First Amendment.
Shouldn't time place and manner restrictions be available with respect to purported Second Amendment rights. A reasonable restriction would be that when obtaining a permit to hold a demonstration, a condition of the permit is that the participants will not carry automatic weapons to the event.
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Explain why you believe that this would be a "reasonable restriction", since there are already an array or reasonable restrictions in most states on the ownership of such weapons, and 12 states where owning such weapons is illegal. In the states where ownership is allowed. Also, to obtain an automatic weapon, you have to apply to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms to get a permit to get it. You will have to pass a background investigation by the BATF to get the permit. You have to pay a $200 tax for the permit. You have to have the permission of the local law enforcement Chief (or County Sheriff) to keep the gun in their jurisdiction.
Also, if there's a concern that someone might create some mayhem with a firearm at an event, I'm not seeing much difference between using an auto versus a semi auto. Both will create plenty of death and destruction if the user is determined enough.
Finally, the whack job in Cnharlottesville and the jihadist truck and car drivers in Europe have shown the way to create plenty of mayhem in a crowded area without a gun. Way easier to buy a car, and likely less expensive to buy a car than an automatic weapon, and probably easier to get it into a crowded area or event. If you're a reasonably good driver with decent aim, you can probably kill or injure more with a car or truck than an automatic weapon.
So many options these days for the determined nut job, not sure if such a restriction would offer much deterrence.