which seems to be the issue being used to attempt to block universal background checks.
Let me note
1. I am not and have no desire to be a gun owner
2. I have no problem with responsible ownership of firearms
That said, time is long overdue to get control of our gun problem.
What I believe is necessary is simple.
1. No one should be able to obtain a firearm, whether by purchase or gift, without a background check.
2. All firearms should be registered in a national database.
3. All owners shall be responsible for the location of ALL of their firearms at all times, and liable for how they are used, unless/until reported to the authorities as missing.
4. Possession or transfer of an unregistered firearm, and/or failure to obtain clearance from a background check should be a felony.
There can be no exceptions to the requirement for a background check, or the system breaks down.
There needs to be an audit trail of the ownership of firearms in order for the system to be effective.
We are responsible for how our automobiles are used. If my car is ticketed for illegal parking or is caught by a red light or speeding camera, as the registered owner I am responsible for the fines. IF my car causes property damage, I am responsible for that damage unless I can show that the person operating the car at that time was not authorize to do so.
A responsible gun owner will secure her firearms, and be able to account for them.
Please note - this is not the same as publishing a list of concealed carry permit holders - I will not explore that issue in this post.
It does not matter that some criminals will ignore the law. When arrested for other offenses, we will have the ability to punish them more severely. Laws against rape, burglary, possession of drugs, possession of burglary tools, murder, etc. do not prevent all such crimes but we have such laws because we make clear there are limits on behavior and actions to protect society.
If we are unwilling to have such reasonable controls on firearms, then we as a society are admitting that ownership of firearms is a higher value than the lives destroyed because we are not willing to have reasonable controls.
This should not be negotiable. Even Anthony Scalia has said that the 2nd Amendment neither guarantees access to any kind of firearm nor does it prohibit registration.
How many more mass shootings are we willing to risk?