Why can't you own an RPG?

[Al B. Sure!]

Just asking why it isn't part of the right to bear arms?

[DinoDoc]

Why can't you own an RPG?

I own several.

[Al B. Sure!]

I own several.

Rocket Propelled Grenades with active explosives.

[regexcellent]

Begging the question. You can. They're legal in most states.

(referring to the weapon here)

[DinoDoc]

Well this is a gaming site. I assumed this was a discussion about DRM.

[Ben Kenobi]

I own several too! Though probably not as many as Dinodoc.

[regexcellent]

For the uninformed, RPGs with active explosives are regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA). In order to get one you have to register it with the ATF, submit to a background check, and send in $200 and a full set of fingerprints. Just like with silencers, short barreled shotguns, short barreled rifles, and machine guns.

In order to fire one I think you'd need some kind of explosives/demolition permits which is more difficult to acquire.

[Alexander's Horse]

USA, the next Syria?

[Al B. Sure!]

Begging the question. You can. They're legal in most states.

(referring to the weapon here)

I'm having a gun control debate on facebook and my argument followed from Herbert Spencer's "Every man is free to do that which he wills, provided he infringes not the equal freedom of any other man."

I was stating that merely owning a gun does constitute any infringement.

He bounces back with "Why is it not okay to own RPG's and nukes"?

I'm actually not sure how to answer.

I know deactivated explosives are legal and the devices that use explosives (say a launcher) are also legal but you can't own active ordinance.

Is this just an unjust (as per Spencer's axiom) restriction? Am I to say we SHOULD be able to own RPG's if I follow the logical conclusion?

[Al B. Sure!]

For the uninformed, RPGs with active explosives are regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA). In order to get one you have to register it with the ATF, submit to a background check, and send in $200 and a full set of fingerprints. Just like with silencers, short barreled shotguns, short barreled rifles, and machine guns.

In order to fire one I think you'd need some kind of explosives/demolition permits which is more difficult to acquire.

He'll say why can't we put heavy regulations on semi-auto rifles since we do it on RPG's already...

[regexcellent]

Maybe, if you can find a place that actually sells those things. I don't know of any.

The thing is, there just isn't a demand for destructive devices (the NFA item class that RPGs falls under). They're just not very useful, and they're kind of expensive. The only ones for which there is a market generally get exempted from NFA registration by the ATF. Those are things like very large bore rifles, which are mostly used for hunting large game.

(x-post at AH)

[regexcellent]

I know deactivated explosives are legal and the devices that use explosives (say a launcher) are also legal but you can't own active ordinance.

You can own the ordinance. Deactivated stuff is unregulated I believe; the ordnance has the $200 ATF tax stamp I mentioned.

[regexcellent]

He'll say why can't we put heavy regulations on semi-auto rifles since we do it on RPG's already...

The reason why we can't do that is it's retarded and infeasible. The ATF is totally clogged registering short-barreled rifles and suppressors, and there aren't very many of those. Throw on semi-auto rifles and it'll be a complete cluster****. There's like a hundred million of them out there.

Canada used to have a registry for long arms but it got ****canned because it was like 100x overbudget and wasn't solving any crimes. Also, many rifles which should have been registered got, ahem, lost in very tragic boating accidents.

[Al B. Sure!]

That's not my argument. My argument is from liberty. The mere act of owning a firearm does not constitute a threat to the life and freedoms of others.

I'm afraid then that I'd have to either state that RPG's should be easily obtainable (without much of any restriction) or concede a limitation to freedom that would put me on the slippery slope.

Sucks cause this guy's an idiot but he has me stumped.

[regexcellent]

The argument for regulating explosives is a public safety one. Even if you don't have malicious intent, it's very difficult to safely store and care for explosives. Guns don't shoot themselves but explosives can be pretty dangerous all on their own.