I wrote this list of things we could do regarding gun control a few months ago. I’d say exactly which mass shooting it was in response to, but there’ve been so many I DON’T REMEMBER.
First:
- Abolish the second amendment. It was created over 200 years ago when you could fire a single-shot musket once every 5 minutes or so, and had basically even odds of hitting someone with your shot. It was not designed to deal with the kinds of weaponry and standing armies we have today. The second amendment is not sacrosanct, it can be modified or repealed through a new constitutional amendment.
To improve the general safety and accountability of gun ownership commensurate with the danger these weapons pose:
- Create a national registry of firearms and link them to their owners. We do this (at the state level) with cars and even some prescription drugs, so doing it with a lethal weapon doesn’t seem like a terrible stretch.
- Require a license for all firearms, which must be renewed annually through a re-application process requiring no less than three hours of firearms training relevant to the type of weapon being licensed, as well as a psychiatric evaluation to assess the mental fitness of the potential owner.
- Every additional firearm purchased by an individual must require similar registration, training, and screening.
To reduce the dangers of criminals with guns:
- No firearm may be sold without first having its barrel rifling pattern recorded along with its serial number, so that in the event of a crime, its owner can be located.
- Gun owners who lose their guns or have them stolen from them will be obligated to file a police report, and gun sales must be reported to a state authority.
- If a weapon is not reported as sold, lost, or stolen and the firearm is used in a crime, the original owner will be considered to have aided and abetted in the commission of that crime.
- In the event of a stolen weapon being used in the commission of a crime, negligent ownership on the part of the rightful license holder will be grounds for criminal charges, regardless of whether the weapon was reported stolen.
- Create a fund, backed by the addition of a tax on gun and ammunition sales, that can be used to institute a permanent federal gun buy-back program (ideally one which rewards more than 100% of the gun’s current value). If a registered gun is stolen and then traded in to the buy-back program, the owner can file a report, the gun can be returned to them, and the person who traded it in would also be on record to pursue for the theft.
To aid in the process of “making whole” those families who are victims of gun violence:
- Require every gun owner to carry insurance for their firearms.
- Eliminate liability lawsuit immunity for gun manufacturers.
- Establish a fund, also backed by the firearm/ammo sales tax, that can be tapped by victims and their families to provide for medical care and/or funeral costs.
