What if cameras were regulated like firearms?

nathansharkey

Well-known member
May 11, 2006
376
0
Red Deer, Alberta Canada
From http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=264469


*Made a lot of headway with an anti friend with this*
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Maybe this belongs in general, feel free to move it if so, I felt it was more political.
My friend is a photography buff. She's very good at it. Taken classes on it and isn't pro but easily qualified to go pro. Anyway after getting no where for a long time I made this example to her. But it could work with anyone. Who doesn't own a camera?
Gun Owners = Murderers like Photographers = Child Porn Producers(CPP). I asked her how she would like to live in this world.
You must have a state issued licence to own or purchase any camera or film. It will be issued by your local police chief and they can reject your application for any reason they choose. They can reject all applications if they so choose.(may issue)
You must pass a background check every time you want to buy a camera.
You must register all your cameras with the state.
Camera stores must have licences issued by the federal government to sell cameras.
All your photos must have copies sent to and registered with the Bureau of Photography. So they can approve them as not being inappropriate. BATFEP perhaps?
All your photos must display the serial number of the camera on the photo for the purposes of tracing them back to your camera.
You may not bring cameras into schools as children are there and it's assumed you would be taking inappropriate pictures of them.
You may not bring cameras into courthouses as it's assumed you would be taking pictures of witnesses there for the purpose of identifying them for intimidation or retaliation.
Telephoto lenses over a certain power are banned as they are only good for long distance secret inappropriate pictures of children.
"Evil Black Cameras"(solid black cameras) are banned as they are only used in concealment of your activity in taking inappropriate pictures of children.
Cameras that take more that one picture per press of the shutter button are banned as they have no purpose except to take multiple inappropriate photos in rapid succession.
Rolls of film of more than 10 exposures are banned as they could only be for taking many inappropriate pictures in short time without having to reload the camera.
Camera phones or inexpensive cameras under a certain size would be referred to as "up-skirt specials" and be banned as they have no good use. Even if they are all that the poorest of people can afford.
Your cameras must be stored inside a locking container or equipped with a disabling device, approved by the state, to prevent unauthorized individuals from operating it.
A lost or stolen camera must be reported to the police within 24 hours or you will be fined or imprisoned even if you are thousands of miles away on vacation and are completely unaware of the theft.
Camera dealers are not allowed to sell or transfer ownership of any camera not approved by the state.(CA & MA) As a result there are brands you will never be able to buy and the ones you can will take up to a year for a new model to be approved. The attorney general can reject any camera he/she sees fit. Even it it passed the testing mandated by law. You may not buy any of the unapproved cameras in another state and bring it home.
Some municipalities will completely outlaw the possession or ownership of cameras and you may not know you have crossed into one until you are arrested for taking a picture of a bird in a tree.(NYC/DC/CHI/...)
Camera ownership will immediately make the police suspect that you are a CPP whenever you tell them you own a camera.
Anytime you sell or give a camera to someone else you must go to a camera dealer and pay to have a background check run on that person to close the "Photography Show Loophole".
Camera ownership will also come with these social benefits.
Whenever you meet someone and they learn you are a photographer you will have to live with their assumption that you own a camera to produce child porn. Many will accuse you of owning it for that purpose to your face. Some will call you some kind of idiot or backwater hillbilly.
Every time child porn is discovered the media will blame the camera and refer to it as only good for producing child porn.
Politicians will frequently refer to cameras you own as only good for producing child porn and will actively try to ban them and confiscate them. They will tell you that you don't need this camera or that camera and try to ban it even if you want it and would never commit a crime with it. What you want will be meaningless to them. They would try to levy taxes on film with the intention of making it so expensive that you can no longer afford to buy it.
People would ignorantly think that if cameras or film were banned all forms of child porn would cease to exist and no longer be produced. Even when there are examples of countries that have done so and it's clear it doesn't work.
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I basically came up with equivalent anti camera laws and attitudes to the anti gun laws and attitudes we put up with everyday. And explained the attitude many have that guns are only good for murder and how that type of attitude could turn to an attitude of cameras only being good for making child porn.
Her response.... I wouldn't put up with that s**t. My response, you wouldn't have a choice. I really think I got through to her.
Next step, invitation to the range.
Feel free to add comparisons or tweak mine. Try to keep it really close to the equivalent anti gun law. __________________ GunPolitics.com <
http://www.gunpolitics.com> Erebus.com <http://www.erebus.com>
Going after guns to stop crime is like trying to stop the itch of poison ivy by scratching. It feels good for a short time but doesn't accomplish anything.
"To my mind it is wholly irresponsible to go into the world incapable of preventing violence, injury, crime, and death. How feeble is the
mindset to accept defenselessness. How unnatural. How cheap. How cowardly. How pathetic." - Ted Nugent