This is a response to a diary that was just posted attacking those who advocate for better gun laws. You can read it by clicking on this link. I wanted to respond to it directly, but my comment went on and on so I figured I would just post a diary. I hadn't planned on posting one today anyway. I care very much about the issue of Gun Safety and I don't like being accused of having personal motives and reasoning's for advocating safer laws. I am not anti-gun. I am anti gun crime. Big difference.
It's no surprise that I totally disagree with the diary in question. While I understand the sentiment expressed, the generalizations about those of us who are calling for more strict gun laws is completely absurd. The problem is that no one wants to hear us until there's a massive shooting so when we talk about it, it looks like that's the only time. No that's the only time when our voices are given permission to be heard.
The comparison to those of us advocating gun laws to being homophobic is way over the line as well. I'll let others explain to the diarist just how wrong that comparison is. But on the guns. I have not advocated trying to strip the 2A from the Constitution and I don't believe the majority of others have. I personally have only advocated laws that make sure crazy people are not allowed to have guns. I do not believe it is in violation of the 2A to make sure weapons are not in the possession of a PSYCHO !
I specifically advocate taking guns away from crazy people because they are the ones who are behind a majority , not all, but a majority of the shootings. Just like people who are continually getting DUI's should have their drivers license revoked, so too should gun owners who continue to demonstrate the warning signs that reveal they should not have weapons in their possession. Now you may ask, what kind of gun owners are you talking about ?
Here's One.
Now, this will be ignored or defended like it has been for months because no one wants to talk about taking guns from this amusing sweet looking man who seems harmless and just wants to protect his family and doesn't really mean what he's saying. But every time there's a mass shooting by a nut, everyone says , that the shooter was just a nice sweet looking family man who occasionally said something crazy and no one really took him seriously because he was such a sweet and darling little guy.
The truth is , many of the people who should not be allowed to carry guns , are still packing heat. I hear argument after argument that suggests no amount gun laws would have prevented the mass shootings and killings by people who go nuts that we are seeing on the News. I agree. I agree because there are no laws currently on the books that address what I am advocating. Psychological evaluations for gun owners who continually demonstrate behavior that causes concern among citizens , are necessary and needed. Instead of sitting back and laughing at them, we should be taking them seriously.
Every time there is a shooting that's on the News, we find out that there were serious warnings and red flags noted by people who knew the shooter. The problem is that they speak up AFTER the fact when they should have expressed these concerns to law enforcement when the individual first started acting out. Well how do we know when and who to take seriously , you may ask ? The hard and sad truth is , we don't and I understand that what I am about to propose seems like it's too intrusive and that even to fellow progressives , a little more big government than they are willing to allow.
But, I believe that anyone seeking to own any type of fire arm in this country should be able to legally demonstrate that they are of sound mind to do so. I know. That freaks responsible gun owners out , but you know what? Like I stated before regarding cars. I am a great driver. You would want me behind the wheel on a snowy winter night if you had a new born with you. But you know what ? I still accept the fact that there are people who think they can drink and drive so I have no problem stopping at drug sobriety check points and being subjected to blood alcohol testing or having to demonstrate that I am safe in order to get my license renewed.
And if I were a gun owner, I would be the same way. To want to make sure that I am still of the same sound mind I was when I purchased that weapon , regardless of why I purchased it (hunting, sport, security), I would have no problem complying with having to re-new my gun license and taking a psych-eval as part of that process. Now, my views may be seen as taking the extreme opposite than that of the opinions expressed by the diarists that I am responding to, but I still believe that something should be done rather than taking what I believe has turned into the compliant position of kill and let kill as opposed to live and let live.
And I don't wait for tragedy to strike before I talk about it. So, to be clear, what I am advocating is treating gun ownership similar to the way we treat car ownership. That includes , yearly or bi-annual gun registration and license renewal AFTER completion of a psych-evaluation and updated safety courses if needed. That's all I am saying. I think many of our problems would be solved if we had more strict gun laws and no one who is responsible should be afraid of such laws. And before the jokes start flying , no I did not support the Patriot Act or Bush wiretapping and no I'm not advocating the same way because we already had the FISA laws in effect so there's no comparison.