What is the point in trying to pass legislation that is not enforcable?

Example: Gun Control. Criminals are called criminals because they do not obey laws. So what's the point in wasting time trying to pass legislation to enact 'tougher' Gun Control laws? Even Criminals know that Law Enforcment is stretched too thin to enforce what's on the books now...|||It is politics. By passing certain legislation Politicians make certain special interest groups happy who in turn support them the next time around. It doesn't matter if the laws are good or not, just that they make some group happy who will fill the campaign coffers|||If we made sure criminals couldn't buy guns at gun shows, classified ads, and pawn shops, it would be very enforcable.





Close the loopholes....then pass new, harder laws.|||Dude...I like totally hear that.|||In my opinion you can pass all the laws you want, but if criminals want to get a gun, they will.|||Why does Switzerland have the highest number of assault rifles per household, yet also have the lowest amount of gun crime per capita?|||While on one hand you make an excellent point, on the other you miss it completely. Unfortunately the creation of laws, in and of themselves, don't discourage people from breaking those laws. It's the punishment that occurs after the law is broken that disuades people from future acts. This punishment can be social, economical, physical, psychological, or any other number of ways. We create new laws because we no longer have the stomach to impose harsh punishments on those who commit crimes. We choose to treat every criminal as a victim, even after they've been tried, convicted, and in some cases completely confessed to their crimes.





Currently, law enforcement agencies arrest hundreds of people daily who end up being released or plead to such insignificant crimes that they serve no time in jail/prison. How long to you continue to rearrest the same person for the same crime before you decide to look the other way?





As to your statement on why criminals are called criminals: Would you suggest we have no laws at all? Unfortunately this would not work as the society cannot function without some form of social order. Even in anarchaic civilizations (most never lasting very long) there were rules that the common people were expected to abide by lest they be disciplined or cast out of that society.





Simply put, we need laws, but not as much as we need appropriate punishments. The new "tougher" laws we have are certainly enforceable, but why enforce a law that carries no consequence?|||It's so they can say they actually did something to earn the big bucks for doing nothing but going to dinner parties and power (eating lunches)|||It's obvious criminals will get a gun if they want a gun. It's the laws that make it tougher for them to succeed. We will do everything within our power to make it tougher on them. Passing this kind of legislation is not a waste of time. If you had any idea the other stupid ideas people try and pass into law you wouldn't be complaining about gun control.|||They raided two gun stores today in CA, that had been avoiding registration laws. Over 900 guns from those two stores had been found at the scene of crimes.





Yeah, the bad guys are going to get them. Only the good guys will follow the rules.





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http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070324/nysa0鈥?/a>|||I've heard the same kind of argument for why abortion should not be illegal.





Yn_tennison makes some excellent points. I'll add that legislatures make laws because they are creating a definition of justice. So, for example, a legislature will attempt to ban assault rifles because the legislature believes that it is unjust to allow those weapons in anyone's hands. Likewise a legislature which attempts to ban abortion does so because it believes that allowing abortions to take place is unjust.





Making an assessment of whether or not there will be any successful prosecutions for violating laws is also part of what a legislature will do when they are in the process of making it. But if there IS a hope at ANY successful prosecutions, the legislature will go ahead and define justice the way that it wants to.