There, I’ve said it: The 2nd amendment to the US Constitution is broken. Until we fix it, we’re never going to solve the problems of gun violence in this country.
I’m so sick of people dancing around this issue like it’s a 3rd rail that’ll cause instant political death to anyone touching it. I’m sick of people being on defense, like “gee, we can’t battle the NRA, they’re too powerful”. Cry me a river. The NRA doesn’t have infinite funding. They’re just one group, and they’re increasingly out-of-touch with mainstream America. Let them whine. Let them send out fund-raising e-mails. Let them do whatever they want. They’re going to do it anyway. Democrats ought to wear that like a badge of honor, “Hey - the NRA hates me!”.
The NRA is already out there saying “gun rights are under attack!!”. It’s total BS at the moment. The best anyone is advocating for is tougher background checks to identify mentally-ill people better – big frickin whoop. Those proposals are wimpy and will be minimally effective. If you’re going to be accused of attacking gun rights, well… you might as well actually do it.
What would I like to see? Guns treated at least a seriously as we treat cars. So:
- You’d have to pass a safety test and get a license to own a functioning gun.
- I’d like to see this test difficult enough that only 75% of people are able to pass the first time they take it.
- You’d have to register each gun you own with its GIN (Gun identification number). Yes, there would be regular renewable fees, just like with license plates.
- Want to sell a gun to someone? Well, you’re going to have to sign over the registration to someone with a valid license. I don’t care where you sell the gun – on Craigslist or a gun show or a store.
- You’d need to have insurance for each functioning gun you own.
- Get caught violating gun laws? you lose your license either for a time or permanently, and yes… some scary government thug will come to your house and confiscate your stupid arsenal from your pathetic man cave.
- Yes, this would be retroactive. ALL existing guns would be subject to these laws.
- The only guns exempt would be non-functioning guns (antiques), and non-lethal guns.
If you’re a good guy with a gun – maybe you like to hunt, maybe you like to shoot for fun, maybe you have a legitimate fear of your life – fine, follow the law and there’s no issue.
But, if you want to buy 20 guns, it’s going to cost you – in insurance and in registration fees. If you’re a lunatic who can barely keep their life together, good luck getting a license.
We can debate the particulars, but start by asking for what you actually want. That’s the only way to move the needle.
The people who wrote the 2nd amendment 200+ years ago were not gods with infinite wisdom. Sure, they wrote some good stuff, but they also had a bunch of clunkers. We’ve amended the constitution to fix all kinds of stuff. It’s way past time to fix the 2nd amendment. Until and unless that happens, we’re just going to keep on having deadly shootings. Your thoughts are prayers don’t mean squat.