Then why hasn’t that happened in the UK and Australia where gun crime
rates have exploded since implementing their gun bans?

“No one can obtain a driver’s license without going through a state licensing
process. I would like to see the same for firearms. If you want a gun you should
be able to demonstrate the required proficiency.”

Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it? But then you spoiled it all by rambling on
at great length, while applauding yourself, with unrealistic details of how to
hugely increase complicated official procedures and make gun owners servile
to bureaucracy beyond anything that exists anywhere else in the world. The
effect would be a de facto gun ban, contrary to everything the 2nd Amendment
was originally put on the books for. Any gun owner permit would make sense
in one area only, viz: safe gun handling. The most important single factor in
gun safety is to keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction whether loaded or
unloaded. A two hour class, going over the various safety considerations,
and moral and legal issues, in cleaning, handling, aiming and shooting a gun,
would suffice. Anything beyond that concerning the specifics of operating
a particular type of gun, training wise, must be the responsibility of the gun
owner. With a permit issued after going thru a safety course, the gun user can
then be held legally accountable, and, instead of blowing off carelessness as an
“accident”, can be charged with criminal negligence.

BTW most firearms going to the cartels in Mexico are full auto weapons
from ex-mil stockpiles in China and the former eastern bloc. More relevant
than trafficking is the question: “How do we stop criminals and crazies in the
USA from perpetrating their crimes?” A gun is simply a tool, which can,
like any tool, be used for positively constructive purposes, or negatively
destructive ones. The choice is with the user, not the tool! Unstable people
who present a danger to public safety need to be barred access to any kind
of destructive tool, not just a gun. The weapon could be a motor vehicle,
or an IED, or a gasoline bomb, or something else, so instead of trying to ban
every potential weapon the emphasis must be on securing the person who
would use the tool for negative purposes. We should all realize that there
can never be a 100% guarantee of safety, even with the most draconian
enforcement of repressive laws (that’s why we need the self-defense option,)
but it is clear that improved information sharing and coordination between
law enforcement agencies at both Federal and grass roots levels is the best
way to deal with the problem of crazies obtaining weapons for nefarious
purposes. Massacres by crazies in the last two or three decades were all
preceded by so many red flags and reports predicting the public danger that
each of the perps should have been crowded by the authorities early enough
to have prevented the crime, yet the authorities in the jurisdictions of these
massacres always claim they couldn’t legally act in time with the individuals
in question to prevent the crimes. That needs to change more than anything.

1. Kudos to the site operator for allowing this kind of dialogue.

2. I get the sense the site operator is pretty steadfast in his position. Just like the “gun fanatics”. That’s OK. This is America.getting their training

3. I agree that if guns were completely outlawed we would see less gun related crimes.

I feel that regulating firearms is a sensible practice, but believe the scope of gun policy needs to be very limited and focused. I do not think that the qualifying ​​​​​​​​​​​​criteria for purchase, carry or concealment needs to be any more stringent beyond current ​​​​​​​​federal guidelines.

I would eliminate any “may issue” criteria and would make all states “shall issue”​.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

What will help however are two key efforts – requiring constant​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ proficiency and monitoring the sale & transfer of firearms.

No one can obtain a driver’s license without going through a state licensing process. I would like to see the same for firearms. If you want a gun you should be able to demonstrate the required proficiency.

The licensing guideline for states should include a tiered system based on extent of training & qualification, e.g. basic training for limited caliber and capacity, higher training for higher caliber and capacity. If you want to obtain a 20 gauge bird gun, you don’t need the same training that you need to be concealed carrying a loaded 9MM handgun on your person on a daily basis. I’d allow going to the top tier without time restriction​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​. If you feel you need a .357 SIG and want to tear through the training in 3 weeks and can qualify, that’s acceptable.

This is not just about being a good marksman, but know how to deploy the weapon and retain the weapon. Many cops have their weapons taken from them during a struggle. How is an untrained civilian going to fare better, especially those who are older, are injured/impaired, etc…? Criminals don’t “try less” in these situations.

I would require continuing education and re-certification on a regular basis, every 3 years until say age 55 then annually thereafter (as we all decline with age) . All of this would be really expensive, so I’d tap into the firearms industry to help finance it. Glock, Sig, Ruger, H&K, etc. can run the courses which have a federally-defined training spec yet allow the vendors to get some great marketing. For example they could give a discount for those who buy their firearms at the end of the class, etc. Money otherwise spent by the industry lobbying congress could be diverted for training. And the gun community can continue to help as well i.e. clubs/non-profits can connect novices with well-vetted experts so they have a source of information & advice.

I would also require anyone who goes to a gun range or gun training class to undergo the federal background check. This would prevent gang-bangers and like criminals from renting guns or walking in with illegal guns and training to become better criminals (which does in fact occur).

Within 5 years I would build a capability to collect, analyze and act upon a continuous feed of information across​​ the licencing facilities, gun dealers, crime & mental health databases, and police agencies. When exceptions occur, i.e. a licensed owner becomes no longer eligible given guidelines due to mental health issues, convicted of a felony, etc. the police would actively engage the party, ensure the weapons are seized, the license is forfitted, etc. Also I would use this system to quickly monitor “straw purchases” of firearms that are going from one individual to another for crime, and actually would shift the burden onto the owner to account for weapons when they are no longer in their hands. This gets rid of the guns going into Mexico. This would be expensive to build & maintain so again I’d ask the industry to chip in, and I would also levy a small license fee from the gun owner to offset the costs. People who use a gun in a crime could also have their money & property seized to fund​​​ the system as well, e.g. minimum $10,000 fine.

All of the above said – which is a lot for some to come to terms with – I think that the right to own a firearm as currently prescribed by the second amendment should be preserved until enough time passes to execute the above changes & monitor for stability/​​​​​​​​​​improvement​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​. If at the end of the time a set of key measurements, e.g. % of gun-related crimes, etc. show that this is failing miserably​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​, then we can have a national referendum to amend the constitution and change the federal laws regarding firearms ownership.

This plan is great because it’s a middle of the road plan. It disarms the ​extreme right & left positions, yet creates an accountability to deliver improvements that will without question work. Can it be executed is the big question.

Lastly, the biggest ill of society that causes gun-related violence is the breakdown of so​cial values, the lack of a family unit which produces troubled lives in ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​children & adults​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​, and the lack of individual accountability by society​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ for one’s actions. America leads the pack in this societal regression among first-world nations, and it’s propagated by the media and it’s glamorization of bull$hit. It hits the minorities, under priviliged and under-educated​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ the hardest. Right where we see the most gun related crime​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​.​