Im curious what you all think.
I am all for less control. But I am MORE for beter education and stricter penalties for those that dont abide by the laws. (example: you rob a liquor store with a stolen gun and you are a felon. You dont get to go home and wait for your court date, you do not get 15 months probation after maybe 6 months in jail. You go away for a long time. and you work your ass off while locked up to offset the costs you are creating)
I feel there are a LOT of idiots that own guns. A lot of people are very misinformed and act wild when they get a gun (look at the messes we have cleaned up here). There is no qualification shooting for a ccw, an any idiot that hasnt done anything wrong (yet) can buy a gun. While 99.999% of owners are law abiding and will never do anything malicious with their weapon toward another person, there is a good chunk that still commit crimes of lesser value if you will. All the damage done to our NF areas and trails is in good part to illegal/improper gun usage (yes, read the pdf on what is and isnt allowed, it has been posted several times as to what is and is not allowed in NF areas). And most of it is due to lack of education and it is hard to enforce rules to ignorant folks.
So educate. And educate well. How? A permit/license for gun ownership. Ya i know, a list right? You buy a gun at a shop, your info is no less "listed" than if you have a license. (the biggest thing is who does licensing? Sherrif, state, PD, FFL dealers?) But basically you have to past a written exam. Use, storage, care of a firearm. This gets you a permit. You can now have a gun in your hands to shoot. No permit, no shooting. (if your 7 year old can pass, they can shoot). Then you have to pass a qualification. I need to know you know how to safely operate and transport that firearm. You cant hit a barn with it? You cant buy one. You pass, you get a license. You can now purchase that gun.
Just like auto licensing, I have a CDL, Tanker endorsement, motorcycle endorsement etc. Your permit test and practical test are for specific equipment (revolver, semi auto pistol, shotgun, rifles, full auto.) The testing and requirements change for which type of "endorsement" you hold.
Then just like buying a pack of smokes, I need to see your ID. And if you sell to someone without that ID you are accountable. Just like liquor to minors...
No ID means no Purchase, No permit means no guns in your hands.
You dont have to register guns, or serial numbers, and you can get a license and not ever buy a gun ( i have bike endorsement but no bike). It just says you are competant with that type of weapon. Licensing would be no worse than fees for drivers license.
Get caught without you permit or license, just like a car, your ass is going to jail. And now when you break the rules about shooting/gun ownership, I can ticket you, because I KNOW you know better.
Granted there are ways it would need to be ironed out. But that is how I feel. Use education. It limits the idiots and holds people moer accountable, without limiting what you can own (unless you cant pass the test, in which case you dont need to own it anyway)
Thoughts?