What NEEDS to happen is that if you want to buy a firearm, along with going through RIGOROUS background checks that cannot be skipped simply because you go to a gun show, you have to go through at least a week's worth of training similar to what police officers or military go through (or prove that you have been taught proper handling techniques - like keeping your finger off the trigger, Glenn - and how to properly treat and handle a weapon, since a lot of people grew up in houses with firearms and were taught properly). Before I even go to HANDLE an M-16, I went through a week of classes that familiarized me with the weapon, drilled the weapons safety rules into my brain (seriously, that was in 2000 and I can still recite them from memory), and TAUGHT ME RESPECT FOR THE WEAPON AND HOW TO USE IT. THAT is one of our biggest problems; people regard them as fucking toys
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I don't feel total gun banning would work, nor do I feel it's necessary (and no, I'm not a trigger happy moron simply because I think that). I also think what we have now is woefully inadequate.
We need to do better about that "well-regulated" part that the 2nd Amendment talks about. Better education, like you say, is one thing we should be doing to help. You have to get a license and pass a test to drive a car; owning a firearm certainly shouldn't be any different. Banning assault weapons is another. If someone can explain to me why they need an AK-47 for home defence or for hunting... *shakes head* We're guaranteed the right to bear arms. That doesn't mean any arms, any time, any way you want.
Completely, completely agreed. I may think AK-47s are fun to fire, but I have absolutely no desire - or NEED, anyone who says otherwise is full of it - to own one. Just like I like going to a range to fire a .50 cal, but I don't want to own one.
Honestly, I think the 2nd Amendment is in DIRE need of updating or clarification, cause as it stands now, anyone can interpret it any way they want and that's half of what's causing the huuuuuuge divide here, IMO.
yes! I'd be more than comfortable people owning guns knowing they had training to use them along with ensuring their background was thoroughly checked.
Gunshows seem to be a problem too, I'll never forget an episode of Arrested Development where they point out you can bypass waiting for a gun by purchasing them at gun shows.
That's why I think you should be able to submit the background check stuff, say ... online, or through your local firearms dealer, prior to a gun show. And then get your training certification. If you show up without your approval? No guns for you, too bad so sad.
Plus, for states that have licenses that can be scanned (Utah does, I don't know about others), there's no reason your approval to purchase firearms (as well as certification that you completed training satisfactorily) couldn't be put on there, as well.
Yep, you can. I believe all you need in VA are a photo ID and two things with your VA address on it? I believe my dad used his driver's license and the registration for his car to get his first gun. He goes shooting out on the weekend with his work buddies (all retired military or gov't employees), and gun shows scare him to death.
I've spent several hours on the range, but wouldn't dream of taking my guns out of my house without much more intense training, i.e., what one gets with a concealed-carry permit.
I will never forget one of those news shows like Dateline or 20/20 where the brother of a shooting victim showed just how easy it would be to get a gun from a gun show, in like half an hour he had managed to acquire like 20 guns that he kept bringing out to the undercover reporters and he told them that pretty much no one asked him any questions, not even if he knew how to use any of those guns. It absolutely blows my mind that someone like me who has never fired a gun in her life, let alone held one, could go to a gun show and buy one no questions asked. I can't even drive a damn car off a dealership parking lot without showing them that I have a valid license. WTF
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We need to do better about that "well-regulated" part that the 2nd Amendment talks about. Better education, like you say, is one thing we should be doing to help. You have to get a license and pass a test to drive a car; owning a firearm certainly shouldn't be any different. Banning assault weapons is another. If someone can explain to me why they need an AK-47 for home defence or for hunting... *shakes head* We're guaranteed the right to bear arms. That doesn't mean any arms, any time, any way you want.
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Honestly, I think the 2nd Amendment is in DIRE need of updating or clarification, cause as it stands now, anyone can interpret it any way they want and that's half of what's causing the huuuuuuge divide here, IMO.
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Gunshows seem to be a problem too, I'll never forget an episode of Arrested Development where they point out you can bypass waiting for a gun by purchasing them at gun shows.
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Plus, for states that have licenses that can be scanned (Utah does, I don't know about others), there's no reason your approval to purchase firearms (as well as certification that you completed training satisfactorily) couldn't be put on there, as well.
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I've spent several hours on the range, but wouldn't dream of taking my guns out of my house without much more intense training, i.e., what one gets with a concealed-carry permit.
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I will never forget one of those news shows like Dateline or 20/20 where the brother of a shooting victim showed just how easy it would be to get a gun from a gun show, in like half an hour he had managed to acquire like 20 guns that he kept bringing out to the undercover reporters and he told them that pretty much no one asked him any questions, not even if he knew how to use any of those guns. It absolutely blows my mind that someone like me who has never fired a gun in her life, let alone held one, could go to a gun show and buy one no questions asked. I can't even drive a damn car off a dealership parking lot without showing them that I have a valid license. WTF
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I'm probably not going to trust anybody who tells me "I need a gun RIGHT NOW."
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