The local history of such laws is illustrative. Several things have happened since then. Virginia is nowhere to be found amongst the leading suppliers of guns seized in New York or Boston, and both of those cities have experienced epic drops in gun killings. The year following the passage of Virginia's law, Maryland, which still allowed unlimited gun sales, became the number one supplier of guns siezed in the District. In the 12 months since Maryland's gun restrictions have passed, the number of Maryland guns seized in Washington dropped from 20 to zero.
People ought to be able to hunt and protect themselves.
But why anyone needs to buy 40 guns at a time is beyond me, and beyond most responsible gun owners. Unfortunately, as the U.S. Senate debated the current juvenile crime bill, Republican Senators Orin Hatch and Jeff Sessions who authored the bill, successfully beat back every gun control ammendment. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, who will be delivering the keynote address to the National Rifle Association next week, is unlikely to do anything to change that vote. They do hurt gun salesmen and manufacturers who profit off of mass weapons sales. Unfortunately, those are the very people now pulling the strings of the United States Senate.