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My Opinion on Gun Ownership ...
The US Constitution’s 2nd Amendment can cause quite a stir amongst people on either side of the issue. So, how do I try to ensure, regardless how I start, that the audience will take the time to see my statements through? Well, for one, I’m going to try to keep it brief ... but not at the expense of being incomplete or vague.
I’d like to begin with:
| I own and shoot skeet/trap with a Winchester shotgun. | "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." |
| "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." |
I own and shoot skeet/trap with a Winchester shotgun. |
I own a gun and I've completely read the 2nd Amendment
Now, the 2nd Amendment doesn't just say "the right to bear arms" - that's paraphrasing. But, because there is such an uproar whenever anyone talks about taking away someone's guns and they're "right" to have them, I'm able to own a gun, like so many others, without belonging to a "militia."
Furthermore, I enjoy skeet & trap shooting. For those who haven't been, who have & didn't enjoy it, or just have no interest, that's your very personal right and prerogative. For those who think that when I shoot a "clay pigeon" that I'm envisioning shooting a bird, you're wrong. I'm shooting a orange clay disc ... period. It's merely a sport of precision and hand/eye coordination.
Now, for those who think they have an out-and-out right, by the US Constitution, to own a gun, you really need to look at the exact verbiage and read it very objectively. The sheer vagueness of this amendment is what stirs up so much controversy, because people interpret it differently.
My Position
My position boils down to three areas: Education, Regulation, and Accountability.
Education
Everyone should be educated about guns - even if you never plan to own or use one. With education comes respect for guns and an ability to carry on a more level conversation. Anyone who wants to carry a concealed gun should have to take a certification course ... and pass with better than an average grade (e.g.: 85%). Think of it this way: The doctor who operates on me ... I want him/her to have gotten A's in their classes, not C's. I want people who carry concealed weapons to have exemplary understanding of weapons, too.
Regulation
We already have rules and regulations for purchasing guns. Paperwork and waiting periods are just a part of it. There should also be open access to things which are currently blocked from access by those reviewing ownership of guns ... one's mental health history. Due to privacy laws, medical information is not in the database used to perform background checks on those wanting to buy a gun. As reported by the NY Times ...
In 1998, Russell Weston barged into the United States Capitol and fatally shot two police officers. Mr. Weston had been involuntarily committed in Montana as a paranoid schizophrenic, but the authorities in Illinois, where he bought the gun, were unaware of that because privacy laws bar Montana from reporting those records to federal authorities.
This road-block needs to be remedied with even a minor method to clearly update that database to reflect if a person has ever been diagnosed with a mental defect. And, for all of those against this sort of information collection; If you feel those with mental issues should be permitted to own a gun, what say you let this person live in your house with their new toy for the first two months without their meds?!
And let's be clear; I'm not suggesting full and unfettered access to one's medical records to search for this information nor am I suggesting a dump of the person's entire medical history into the national database used for background checks. I'm talking about a "flag" added to the person's record that shows that s/he had been involuntarily committed for mental health reasons. And, of course, every person would have the right to appeal and/or explain this history.
Accountability
In California, like many other states, a gun owner is required to keep a trigger lock on the shotgun when stored. If someone were to get the gun from storage and use it, it would be that owner's fault for not securing the trigger from being pulled. How many people have been lax and, as a result, a child gained possession of the gun and done harm to themselves or someone else? And, why (besides the feeling it adds insult to injury for a grieving parent/owner of the gun) are the gun owners not held to account for having not followed the law? We MUST have accountability.
Doing Something is Better than Doing Nothing
Listen, we're a civilized country that has some sort of rule of law. Either we follow it all or we abandon it all. But, if you're going to own a gun, you're going to sign off on the responsibilities of owning that gun. If you or anyone else does harm with that gun due to your negligence, it is NOT going to be swept under the carpet.
Every gun owner is under a microscope because of the few who are irresponsible. This applies to numerous other issues besides guns, by the way. But, we need to stop trying to make a vague law that applies to all people. We need to be specific and we need to be consistent. And, if we find that our laws are too loose or too stringent, we should attempt to amend those laws properly. But having no rules or having no consequences to existing rules is just plain asinine.
Also note, there is always the extension of this conversation around what else comes with the freedom to own a gun, like armor-piercing bullets, silencers, etc. At some point, there needs to be a conversation about some regulation or control of these items that have extraordinary uses above and beyond the course of enjoying the sport of shooting. I don't know where and how to begin that conversation, but it does need to happen. But first and foremost, we need to manage gun ownership a little better.
There are too many people dying in this country every year from violence using a gun. But, people [humans], not guns, kill people ...mostly with guns but also with cars, baseball bats, tire irons, knives, etc.
Food for Thought
If you need to possess a license to drive a car, why not a little more assurance that gun owners are educated properly, responsible, and accountable?
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