NationStates Jolt Archive

Hello there.

I am working on this draft for a proposal. I wasn't the original author, but I expressed a great interest in it, so I ended up with it.
In my belief, it shows great promise, but I want to run it by the community first to eliminate any parts that are illegal and/or ambiguous.

Let me know about the kinks, thanks!


To reduce the risk of sporting firearms or civilian modified military weapons from being stolen/misused to endanger human life this act would -

A- require all owners of sporting weapons to acquire a Firearms and Ammunition License (FAL) stating that:
1) They have suitable storage locations for ammunition and weapon(s)
2) That they suffer from none of the following: multiple personality disorder, psychotic disorders, aggression problems or any history of weapons misuse

B- set up the Firearms and Ranging Authority (FRA), which will require:
All shooting ranges or shooting estates pass a security, qualifications and first aid test (SQUAFAT) every six months to maintain security protocols and qualifications for range officers and reduce risk to human life in the event of an emergency.

C- all owners of a FAL must have all purchased ammunition accounted for, with respect to the following categories:

1) Usable, yet unfired
2) Discharged
3) Unusable

All ammunition in categories 2 and 3 is to be collected in a secure vessel and during the SQUAFAT to be handed to the FRA for counting to be destroyed or recycled.

If ammunition is found to be missing from ranges during their SQUAFAT, the range will be investigated by the FRA and if found to be failing in their duties to secure ammunition:

Be fined an amount per round to be decided by the individual nation’s governing body unaccounted for if a first offense (be it recommended that these fines not exceed 500 of the local currency);

and

In the event of a second offense, the range shall be closed and all weapons and ammunition shall be confiscated.

D- civilians will not be able to own and/or fire weapons with a caliber higher than 5.56mm (standard assault rifle round).

E- prohibit civilians from using or owning any operational fully automatic/burst-capable rifles, (civilians may retain semi-automatic pistols).

F- prohibit civilians from owning any unlicensed weapon(s) for the purpose of self defense. Any person found in violation must surrender the weapon(s) to the FRA for destruction or recycling.

G- i) To lower waste of brass, all ammunition that is to be destroyed (as all rounds are made with brass cases) will be sorted by machine. This will remove any live or unfit for recycling (UFR) rounds, and then put into a bulletproof smelter, to be melted down to be reused to make new cases.
ii) In the event that confiscated ammunition is above the caliber mentioned in section D, that surplus, if of sufficient quality, will be available to military organizations at a discounted price.

EXEMPTIONS- The following will be exempt from the above act:

Military forces and police organizations such as S.W.A.T., but not military organizations such as cadet forces.

Collectors of firearms that are no longer in use/have been disabled or that do not use modern gunpowder charges (i.e. muskets).

Collectors must not own any category 1 (see above, C-) ammunition, which in the event of misuse/theft, could be fired from prohibited weapons. They may keep drill rounds (rounds without an explosive charge, and therefore not harmful if fired), and rounds of a caliber that cannot be fired from such weapons.

Museum pieces

Co-authored by Gigeria

What's the character limit again? Word sez you're at 3300 or so.

And you should probably post the category you're intending.

Character count is 3500, so this would be ok; for category, I'd assume Gun Control: Tighten.

Oh, and we oppose.

Yes, it is gun control; tighten. I also forgot to ask for a possible new title since it deals with sport weapons like .22s and 30-30s less than assault weapons utilized by military organizations.

You'll have to remove the real-life references: pounds and NATO don't exist in NS.

Done!

Now, I would really love to have suggestions for a new title.

Thanks for the suggestions thus far.

Very interesting, but we would have to oppose it. This is something that can be dealt with by each individual nation. However, we do applaud your efforts.

Tana Petrov
UN Representative
Queendom of Karmicaria

You'll have to remove the real-life references: pounds and NATO don't exist in NS.
Nor does SWAT.

And you need a really good justification as to why this is not just "a great idea I thought up" but also "something the UN should have even the vaguest interest in".

I would like to know how a more or less "universal" police organization such as SWAT does not exist in NS.

Having that seemingly logical extension of police sounds like something that is universally accepted by everyone playing this game.


Nor does SWAT.

And you need a really good justification as to why this is not just "a great idea I thought up" but also "something the UN should have even the vaguest interest in".


Really good justification? How about providing training to all who own guns so that when using their weapons, no stray shots harm bystanders?

I would like to know how a more or less "universal" police organization such as SWAT does not exist in NS.
Just cut the reference already.

Having that seemingly logical extension of police sounds like something that is universally accepted by everyone playing this game.
Well, it's not. So go away.

Really good justification? How about providing training to all who own guns so that when using their weapons, no stray shots harm bystanders?
Yes...why is that something for the UN and not, say, the local gun-club, to concern itself with?

SWAT is borderline. As it stands for Special Weapons And Tactics, it could be considered universal as opposed to a real-world violation, but it's still dicey, and would probably be best left off.

It could easily be replaced with something like "Special Police Forces" or something along those lines.

It could easily be replaced with something like "Special Police Forces" or something along those lines.
Alright, yeah: I accept it would be petty to pull a proposal based on that, but given this is in draft form, the change may as well be made.

SWAT is borderline. As it stands for Special Weapons And Tactics, it could be considered universal as opposed to a real-world violation, but it's still dicey, and would probably be best left off.

It could easily be replaced with something like "Special Police Forces" or something along those lines.

OOC: Yeah but people might complain that SPF is also a real world acronym. I've seen people bitch over far more rediculus matters.

So why not avoid the problem altogether, and say something like "armed police units" or similar; that would avoid such appallingly misspelled hand-wringing in the first place.

OOC: The point was just that trying to avoid real world acronyms is almost pointless. He could at least satisfy most people by defining "SWAT" as meaning "Security Watch Awareness Team" or something.

While we're at it, can we get the UN to require licenses for golf clubs and loufa sponges? I mean, why stop here?

Respectfully,
Sheik Nadnerb bin Cluich
Cluichstani Ambassador to the UN

As written, generally opposed. I strongly disagree with a lot of the border zones between military and sport as written in this resolution. I'd rather base antique weapons based on the powder type and not the shot type.

On the other hand, I do like the idea, even though I might be opposed to it on general principle.

Good effort, and it's certainly original. It might have potential, I'm not sure if it's worthy of the UN's time.

There are a number of appalling ideas in this.

1) That somehow, a semi-automatic rifle can't easily be converted into an automatic rifle. The difference is not that much and using it as a point of contention for gun control is almost ridiculous.

2) How would you administer the psychological profiling of people who use guns. Are you going to have a database of the people who spent time in mental asylums.

3) Registering individual rifle or ammunition rounds is not very practical. This would be a nightmarish round of paperwork. Registering guns is.

Some other points.
1) Requiring people who buy guns to take basic safety courses in gun use, and require safe facilities to store or lock up guns makes sense. If a person owns a gun, having a safe place to store it and lock it up reduces problems from accidental use and theft of the items.

2) You should include a section on biometric locks (PMT-FT) and trigger locks for guns.

3) Also a better description of licensing for places where people can use guns legally would help. Ranges, hunting, etc.

Generally agree that it isn't a UN concern, but I think a major problem is going to be condensing firearms legislation into the character limit; as there are several loopholes that need to be plugged, and to do so would take it way beyond the required word limit. For example:

1) Definition of deactivation. Would a bit of rust that renders the weapon inoperable be acceptable, or would each deactivated weapon require further examination and certain modifications to render it inoperable (such as removing the firing pin, blocking the barrel on a rifle, disabling the gaseous exchange system on machine pistols and light machine guns, etc)?

2) Dedicated blank firers. If one were to manufacture a machine pistol in such a way a deadly projectile could not be expelled (such as top or side gas venting), would a rifle be require? Also, the proposal doesn't cover the sale or otherwise of blank ammunition

3) Non-dedicated blank firers. The proposal doesn't make any mention of the possibility of owning a weapon with the sole intent of firing blank rounds. Would a license be required for the purchase of blank rounds (please don't say bullets)

4) Temporal anomolies within the United Nations. A musket may be the height of technology in some nations ;)

5) 5.56mm as the standard assault rifle round all round the UN? Unlikely, I think.

6) Discharged ammunition is actually rather useful in some circumstances. (OoC: During a display, we spread spent .303 cartridges around our deactivated Bren)


OoC: Yeah, I'm a 20th Century Re-enactor/living historian, which may explain a lot of my problems with this!