After watching CNN's special on Guns today with a special focus on suicides by gun (more veterans of our wars committed suicide last year then were killed in Afghanistan), I am more convinced than ever that the United States of America has to come to terms with separating weapons from veterans in mental crisis.
And after the recent shooting in Colorado after an eighteen year old purchased a shotgun legally less than a week before critically wounding another student then taking his own life, I am for a lengthy waiting period before buying a weapon and also having the purchaser take a comprehensive safety course on such a weapon and being interviewed by a mental health professional to determine the reason for and necessity for buying such a weapon and if a student and living at home the mental health professional would also interview the parents, guardians, and teachers of a younger age buyer if they are aware of this would-be weapon owner's desire.
The cost of such a comprehensive background check would be paid for by the gun manufacturers of America and the NRA. Included in the purchase of the weapon if all the checks are done would be malpractice insurance covering the use of the weapon in connection with any criminal act by the purchaser.
No weapon should ever be sold over the internet nor should ammo be sold in this way.
All guns and ammo should be sold through gun dealers. No gun show loopholes
All those who purchase said weapons would have to notify the police and the FBI that they have bought a weapon and show proof that there is a proper gun safe at home.
Because of the extra police work involved, there should be levied a "sin" tax on the weapon as well paid for by purchaser.
Since gun owners have proudly showed on youtube clips how easy it is to change magazine clips of 30 or less rounds, effectively a semi-automatic operates as an automatic and therefore should be outright banned for sale in the United States.
To eliminate gun violence on the streets of Detroit, New Orleans, and other plagued inner cities where it is "fast and furious" and straw purchased guns are sold illegally, it is necessary to institute a gun registration so that every gun can be traced back to its original purchaser.
My understanding of the Second Amendment in that the right to keep and bear arms was in context of a "well-regulated militia" in place of a standing army at the time of its passage which there was none. Now we do have such standing armies and the National Guard and local police.
Frankly, the ability of any Tom, Dick,Harry, SusieQ, to buy any weapon or ammo without adequate scrutiny has made life cheap and unless a person has eyes in the back of his or her head, makes no one safer.