12-10-2015, 04:16 PM
(12-07-2015, 11:25 AM)fredtoast Wrote: Forget about mass shootings. They are only a very small portion of the gun violence problem.
1. Any person who wants to own a gun must have some basic training and pass a test to get a license......I feel that if every person who owned a gun was aware of how many children died from accidental shootings, and how many family members kill each other in the heat of passion, and how many committed suicide with guns then more guns would be locked up. Also knowing more about gun safety should eliminate other accidental shootings.
2. Every gun has to be registered to an owner.......This would eliminate a lot of guns that are being provided by private sellers. There are people who make a living buying guns legally and selling them to people who would not be allowed to buy them. Also would make more people lock up their guns if they are aware of their liability for what happens with that gun.
3. Background check for every gun owner (not when you buy the gun, but when you get your owners license).......Any history of criminal violence could prohibit a person from owning a gun. This would require a lot of detail work because there are a lot of people who have been convicted of a simple assault in their lifetime that should still be allowed to own a gun.....Mental health restrictions are much more complicated. We would need every psychologist and psychiatrist to maintain some sort of registry that would prohibit people from owning weapons. This would be very tricky, but it could be done.
4. Almost all gun violence involves handguns......Regulations regarding past criminal history would be stricter with handgun ownership. You don't need a handgun to protect your home or go hunting. But you do need one if you are trying to carry it in public without people knowing.
5. Make the simple illegal possession of a firearm a serious felony.
None of these would keep any sane, law-abiding citizen from owning a gun, but they would reduce the access to guns that lead to so many problems. Mass shootings are not the biggest problem. Most shootings involve criminals shooting other criminals, people shooting someone they know in the heat of an argument, accidents, or suicides.
As an owner of a fair amount of firearms I have little to no issue with any of these. The first one would definitely require some tweeking. Number three is difficult because of HIPAA and the ACLU has sued specifically to prevent background checks from being able to access mental health history. All the same, I'd be willing to accept all of the above. In return they should abolish the dumb as hell bullet button and lift restrictions on magazine capacity. Neither of them do anything to prevent gun related deaths and only affect law abiding citizens.
