The Second Amendment was passed in 1791. At that time, firearms were used by both well-regulated militias (usually formed to control slaves) and citizens to defend home and country, and for hunting to provide food and pelts. They worked just fine.
Since our courts, corporations, congress, and the NRA like gun laws exactly as they are, we the people need to make the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives do what it is supposed to do.
The ATF should set and enforce 1791-era lethality standards for cartridges, propellants, and bullets for everyone except the military and law enforcement.
Anyone can own a gun? Then anyone can buy ammo that limits muzzle velocity to 1,000 feet per second, and an accurate range of 50 yards.
Bullets are round and heavy, like a musket ball -- the only bullet James Madison and the rest of the Founders could conceive of when they wrote and passed the Bill of Rights.
And they are made of rubber instead of lead. They can’t split or fragment to tear bone, flesh and organs.
There could be exceptions. Common sense regulations based on firearm registration, liability insurance, training, background checks, mental fitness, etc. could create a more liberal ammo policy. Licenses can be issued according to use, need and qualifications.
But like everything from fireworks, medicine and lawn darts to kitchen appliances, automobiles and hand grenades, ammunition and its availability should have to adhere to federal safety regulations.
In 1972 Congress created the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to set safety standards for most consumer products. In 1976, Congress passed the Consumer Protection Act, specifically excluding firearms from CPSC’s authority. Instead, firearm safety standards are set by a trade organization called the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer’s Institute (SAAMI). Compliance is voluntary.
This must change. Congress, not an NRA-backed trade group, should regulate firearms.
America represents about 4% of the world's population but has 46% of the world's guns, and more guns (120.5 firearms per 100 residents) than people. Gun violence has surpassed automobile accidents as the leading cause of death for children in America. We have far more mass shootings than any other nation on earth, not because we are the third-largest behind China and India, but because of our obsession with guns and the industry that profits from it.
If we can’t or won’t do anything about guns, let’s do something about the products that actually injure, maim and kill people.