I am a responsible automobile owner.

[Not Me]

In order to drive a car, I had to take both a written and road test to prove that I knew how to properly operate a motor vehicle. I pay an annual fee for this license and am subject to retest over time.

When I bought my car, I had to have the title registered. This allows for immediate identification by law enforcement in all 50 states. I pay a fee for this.

In addition I have to register my car in the state where I live, and pay an annual tax for that purpose.

I am required to buy liability insurance on the private market. I never intend to have an accident, but because I am responsible, I understand that accidents can happen. The price of this insurance is based on my experience, driving record, and the type of vehicle I choose to operate.

Most states (though not mine) require that I bring my car into a state authorized inspection station for an annual inspection. This is at my expense as is the cost of bringing the vehicle into compliance with safety provisions.

Further, the consumable--in this case, gasoline-- is taxed so that the government can meet some of the expenses involved with the operation of the vehicle (roads, bridges etc.)

I would strongly advocate that similar responsible rules apply to gun ownership.

[LP2K12]

1. I am a responsible gun owner...

I would agree to rules such as these and more.

[CJCRANE]

2. K&R. nt

[backscatter712]

3. BLARGH!!! Driver's Licensing is a conspiracy to bring UN tyranny to America!

They want me to carry a drivers license with me at all times? And a car registration? And insurance? Ausweis bitte? That's just the preliminaries before the black helicopters begin landing the troops!

You know, the Nazis had a piece of flair they made the Jews wear!

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

8. You've been hacking into the uber-secret communications grid...

Those messages are for the Disciples of Tantor ONLY. Now stop revealing classified information before I report you to the nearest Snord!

[backscatter712]

11. Fnord! n/t

[upaloopa]

4. Your vehicle license fees go to fund county mental heath

programs.

[hack89]

5. They pretty much do already

just like your car, you need a license to carry one in public. You do not need one if your gun stays on your private property.

[Nevernose]

9. But if you sell your car

You have to report the sale and transfer the title. Not so with guns on many states, despite the overwhelming popularity, because of the NRA lobby.

[hack89]

10. It is a state issue that varies from state to state.

there is no federal issue here unless you sell to someone in another state, in which case it has to be done through a licensed firearms dealer. And the buyer must pass a federal background check.

[uponit7771]

14. ...and it should not seeing guns have the purpose of killing people

[hack89]

16. Then change the Constitution

the law is the law regardless of what you wish it to be.

[Recursion]

12. Titling and tagging guns is an interesting idea, and one I think we should look at

Some form of excise tax stamp on each gun, and it's contraband without it.

Traditionally Americans have been very resistant to registration, but that may be something we could pass.

[Gregorian]

6. Yet the same number of people die from cars as from guns each year.

I have been going over this since the shooting, and trying to make sense of it; whether to post it.

Maybe it's more of a comment on who we are now, as a society, rather than anything else. I mean, we have a set of problems in modern society. It's not really the place to discuss it right here. And I'm not sure there's a good solution. And I doubt many people are tolerant of this kind of discussion. It's a bit threatening to our comfortable and convenient lifestyle. But it is a contributing factor to the situation we are currently discussing.

[uponit7771]

15. Link and quote? TIA

[frazzled]

20. There's an important difference

The primary function of cars is transportation, traveling from one place to another, not to kill someone (or yourself). The primary function of a gun is to inflict injury or death on another living thing, human or animal (or, rarely just for target practice; but hell, if you want to have fun you could also play darts or shoot water pistols). The primary function of a semi-automatic weapon is to inflict injury or death upon many people at a time.

That automobiles sometimes result in injury or death is a byproduct, not a primary function, of their use. Just as injury and death are sometimes a byproduct of other things, such as hairdryers, mines, furnaces, medicines. Get the difference?

[thucythucy]

23. And how many more would die if drivers could drive

without licenses, without inspections, without registration, without insurance?

Besides which, I would be willing to bet that the average Americans spends many hundreds if not thousands of hours a year more around their cars, then they do around guns.

But I agree, highway and car safety in general could be improved. And it used to be worse, before seat belt laws, for instance.

To extend the analogy, mandatory trigger locks would be something like requiring people to buckle up as they drive. So, would you be in favor of mandatory trigger locks?

[lildreamer316]

24. Ah. But cars are not primarily designed for killing. n/t

n/t

[HeavyMeta]

7. reasonable.

[geardaddy]

13. But, but, but...

It's a privilege to drive...it's a right to own a gun.

[Glassunion]

17. Not bad...

I think it's doable if we can require background checks on ALL firearms and require licensing before purchase and transfer. This would automatically create a paper trail for all firearms. Get rid of that pesky "I sold it to some dude on craig's list" straw purchase excuse.

If you have a license, you must pass a test both written and range qualifications.

[supercats]

18. Agreed, But Needs To Go Even Further

Along with this, the prospective gun owner needs to show a verifiable need to own the gun before he/she can purchase.

[Atypical Liberal]

19. This is a poor analogy.

Firearm ownership is already much like automobile ownership.

You only need a license, registration, and insurance for automobiles that you operate on public roads.

If you only operate the vehicle on private property, no license, registration, nor insurance are required.

Firearms are much the same way in most places. You do not need any paperwork unless you want to carry them in public.

If you only use them on private property, no paperwork is required.

[Not Me]

22. And the number of automobiles that don't leave the driveway in the US is what?

.0001%

If you buy a gun at a gun shop, how do you get it to your home? Does it just magically appear?

And if you have the capability to easily transport it off your property, then it needs to be properly registered.

The free ride is over.

[kestrel91316]

28. Bullets fly through the air, and air is part of the commons.

You lose.

[Atypical Liberal]

30. LOL

Do you believe I can fly an RC helicopter with a camera into your back yard, taking photos of you? After all, it's commons air, right?

[GoneOffShore]

31. And your post FTW!

[AtheistCrusader]

21. In order to drive a car on public roads...

Doesn't seem to answer or address the issue of private ownership and keeping the guns/car at home or on private property.

Edit: beaten to it.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

29. Yes, because most of us buy a car to drive it up and down the driveway. nt

[AtheistCrusader]

33. People do purchase automotive products for use on private property.

Farm equipment on up. Even cars, and trucks.
Similarly, a lot of firearms never really leave private property.

The analogy is accurate, but the conclusion drawn from it isn't.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

34. I would say the percentage of automobiles driven only on private property is extremely remote.

We're talking perhaps only for those with huge tracks of land.

99.9%+ of cars are meant to be driven on public roads at least part of the time.

[AtheistCrusader]

35. But only when used on public roads do they need to be licensed.

What of the firearms that are never carried in public?

(Again, I'm not actually against registration, in fact, I've supported it pretty consistently for years, just that this analogy is slightly bent)

[CanSocDem]

25. And....

...I reserve the right to Street Race, when appropriate (when I think I can get away with it).

.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

26. And I'm Required To Follow All The Traffic Laws

So I went down to my local courthouse and picked up a copy of my City/State's traffic code. Now I only need about 7 or 8 hours to sit down and read that 300-page tome. I'm required to know and obey every one of those regulations that help provide a safe environment for me to operate my motor vehicle.

Now, where might I find a copy of the 300-page document that is my City/State's local gun code?

Yeah.

[kestrel91316]

27. + 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

[rustydog]

32. Sorry, several people do this already

gun classes, practice at a gun range a couple of times every 5 years then the gun is placed in a closet or the owner straps it to an ankle or hip pouch and believe they are qualified to engage someone in a combat shooting scenario....

Gun control isn't holding the AK47 with "both hands" it is banning weapons of murder.

Goddamn it, you can't buy lawn darts here because in the 80's 8 children were killed by them and congress sprung into action...Firearms...not so much...Why?