And we're back to guns.

Of course, this time it's pretty much justified.  Three rather important events have just happened relating to the subject.

First, the United Nations passed the very vaguely worded "Arms Trade Treaty," which is ostensibly to regulate illicit arms sales to terrorist groups.  That said, the wording of the treaty in question is very, ah, broad, leaving it open to abuse.

Second, a little town in Georgia passed a mostly symbolic law mandating firearms ownership, making it the second town in that state to do so.  It should be interesting to watch what happens.

Third, and most importantly, Connecticut just got a sweeping set of gun laws.  This is what I'll be writing about, given that it's almost certain that the legislature will approve everything.  Post-Newtown shooting, the big rallying cries were for three things: increased mental health care, better school security, and gun control.  Well, unsurprisingly, Connecticut, where the shooting happened, is following in the footsteps of New York (SAFE Act) and Colorado (magazine ban) in going for dramatic gun control measures.

Now, most of what we see in the proposals consists of the standard fare, such as "universal background checks," magazine restrictions, and so on.  However, there are some new features that aren't common in new proposals.

The first of these is mandating a registry for magazines over 10 rounds; aside from the initial versions of Senator Feinstein's ban, this hasn't really shown up in any important legislation.  It has not been explained how on Earth they plan to enforce it, however.  Magazine purchases are regulated exactly the same as buying most household items - that is, they aren't.  They have no way of tracking these down, and odds are quite a few gun owners will pretend they only have 10-rounders.  Interestingly, in the context of the Newtown shootings, it should be noted that the murderer changed magazines repeatedly without emptying them, often leaving them half full at 15 rounds.  If the massacre had been committed with 10-round magazines, it's doubtful that the death toll would be any smaller.

The second of the unusual features is a requirement for state permission to buy ammo.  As far as I know, this has not been seriously proposed until now.  I have the same issue with this that I do with "may issue" concealed carry licenses.  While the merits of state authorization are up for debate, the idea that a government can deny the ability to purchase ammunition to anyone they choose seems to me to be giving the government far too much power.