Should the CPSC regulate guns

[Scott]

Seen in another thread that went off the tracks.

SHould the Consumer Product Safety Commission regulate guns. In another thread someone said that guns without external safeties were unsafe and that government should regulate them.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[joffe]

Seeing as I believe in free trade and market forces vs. Soviet regulation I think the 'Consumer Product Safety Commission' should be abolished as an unconstitutional waste of taxpayer money. Consumers are responsible for examining the quality of the product before buying it, they only have themselves to blame. The protectionist nanny bureaucracy has no use other than increasing the price of products and restricting the availability of goods.

If you generally believe government hand-holding is a good thing then I'd say no, guns are completely different, owning a firearm is a basic right and allowing the federal government to regulate them even more than they do is to allow more encroachments on the RKBA.

In any case, regulating the dangerous cop-killer assault porcelain pistols would be the domain of the BATFE, so this question really should be 'should the BATFE regulate the trade and manufacture of weapons more than they already do'.

[SammyIamToday]

Last option. If they can't protect us from simple issues, why in the heck would we give them another job when they can't currently do the one they have?

[bmcgilvray]

Joffe and Sammy, you've about covered it.

[AMH]

I think that product regulation should be privatized. The Underwriters Laboratories evaluates more than 19,000 types of products and they are a totally private organization. They are considered by many to be more efficient than any government institution and are highly respected. They evaluate nearly all electronic products in the U.S. and the U.S. is considered to have some of the safest electronic products in the world.

[Bob The Great]

I think that product regulation should be privatized. The Underwriters Laboratories evaluates more than 19,000 types of products and they are a totally private organization. They are considered by many to be more efficient than any government institution and are highly respected. They evaluate nearly all electronic products in the U.S. and the U.S. is considered to have some of the safest electronic products in the world.

+1. I think there does need to be some sort of independant consumer product evaluation organization, but there's no reason it should be government controled or even funded. Let the market set these things up, and let buyers take or ignore their advice as they choose. Personally, I know I'm not qualified to do a serious evaluation of certain things I buy (food and drugs come to mind) without advice or endorsement, but there's no reason the advice can't be privately available.

[pogo2]

What we really need is to regulate the number of bureaucrats and their span of authority.

[joffe]

I think that product regulation should be privatized. The Underwriters Laboratories evaluates more than 19,000 types of products and they are a totally private organization. They are considered by many to be more efficient than any government institution and are highly respected. They evaluate nearly all electronic products in the U.S. and the U.S. is considered to have some of the safest electronic products in the world.

Exactly. What you need to keep in mind is that this is privatization, not 'outsourcing'. If you outsource government functions you won't improve much. The difference is that the Underwriters Laboratories can either praise, approve or condemn - but they cannot regulate or ban. The end decision belongs to the consumer. That is very important, no use of arbitrary government force is creating market distortion.

[Supertac45]

They are the item to regulate out of business.

[packinnova]

I answered no. Partly because I believe it would lead to a ban, but also because I believe the CPSC should not exist, at least not in it's current form(controlled by the government). This falls right in line with the new bill they're trying to push through to give the FDA *MANDATORY* product recall power.

[digitalexplr]

Huh, can you say Second Amendment?

And in Missouri we have Article 23 of the Missouri Constitution.

[digitalexplr]

What we really need is to regulate the number of bureaucrats and their span of authority.

Actually that is what the Constitution is suppose to do. Unfortunately to many bureaucrats and Judges seem to ignore the Constitution, U.S. and state versions.

[retsupt99]

"We don't need no stinkin' CPSC regulations..."

[P95Carry]

What we really need is to regulate the number of bureaucrats and their span of authority.

I'm with Pogo ........ and add to the ''span'' - also ''and power". 'Authority' varies and in some cases power seems absolute.

[walvord]

Absolutely not. The government should be reduced not expanded.