I grew up in Brentwood, Long Island, which is pretty damn crime heavy pal. I have experienced many of the same things you have. However, I wisened up and learned to understand the way things work.

You know how to stay out of trouble? Easy. Mind your business.

Dude don't do it. Straw purchasing IS against the law if you file out the background check form at a FFL dealer and lie about the identity of the final possessor of the gun YOU are breaking the law. When you buy a gun at a store as a gift you have to indicate who you are gifting it to. If you buy a gun for a criminal and know that they will use it illegaly you are also breaking the law and held responsible. It's only legal if everyone involved are law abiding citizens.

But none of that stops criminals from commiting crimes or finding plenty of guns to buy on the blackmarket.

No law can prevent criminals from committing crimes.

The AK-47 is so easy to make anyone could make one with a simple machine shop and the ability to follow directions. Soon guns will come out of 3D printers as easily as my tax forms printed from my HP Inkjet. You can't stop criminals and ALL of these proposed laws would have no effect on anyone other than the 99% of gun owners who DON'T break the law.

I never have, admittedly, but considering how many guns are sold the possibility isn't so statistically unlikely, certainly no more so than the idea that the kind of half-assed gun control being debated is actually going to save any lives.

I think what most sticks in my craw about this is seeing a bunch of elite shitheads who have personal security details sitting around and talking about what the plebes should be allowed to do, and predictably, every awful aberration is a new excuse to allow us stupid clods less and less leeway. Bad enough when it's a police state-loving twat like that loathsome Peter King who has proposed that every member of Congress be surrounded by a mobile field that negates all constitutional rights within its 100' radius, but it's especially vomit-provoking when it comes from the Democrats, who always claim to be the party of the little guy but don't seem to understand that the little guy can't afford to hire armed manservants to watch over him 24/7.

We change the people, not their restrictions.

Well, I don't know where you're from, but I pay 1100. Perhaps that was a bit overzealous on my part, but I figured if you worked in aerospace it would have to be somewhere cheaper than boston.

Yeah, I minded my own business too, that is why I have a couple jobs and moved out of that area. However, that didn't stop me from being assaulted numerous times previously.

I've known people in gangs, and the mob. They've all been caught and done time at one time or another because of the laws we have. I don't see what the problem is. Sure they commit the crime, but there is no way to prevent crime, there is only a way to deter criminal behavior, and that is to make people think that they will be caught.

Yeah, I agree, that is problematic, and hypocritical.

There is definitely room for improvement on all fronts. Electing the right people is a start, but lobbying is up there too. Lobbying is the basis for nearly all the faults of law enforcement.

Long Island is expensive. So much that my best friend growing up moved to Boston last year because it was cheaper.

I pay $1,600/month for a 2-bedroom. I need to pay that because I have a daughter who is about to turn 4. 

You have any idea what daycare costs? Can't survive unless BOTH of us work.

I'll give you an idea. I have it easy, for ~$200/week. ~10k/year in daycare. But you know what, let us worry about whether or not the guy down the block can have a gun.

You said that background checks don't help keep people safe since bombs are illegal, and a bombing just happened a couple days ago.

My point was that gun control wasn't going to stop criminals from using guns.