Reply #24: I want the bar set concretely.

[Atypical Liberal]

The "hidden criminal" idea is no meme it's a fact of life in the gun world. You guys want to keep the bar set low, at "felony conviction" for disqualification. That means those of you who regularly commit crimes and have not yet been caught are "hidden criminals." Certainly you can see the difference between the career criminal who's thus far evaded detection and the honest squared away gun owner? That's what I'm talking about. I'm not saying we need to implement a "Minority Report" system. I'm just saying you've got to admit, honesty demands it, that it's not all black and white, criminal and law-abiding. There's a gray area.

I don't want the bar set low, I want it set concretely.

Right now, you have to be convicted of certain crimes before you can lose your Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Or, you have to be adjudicated mentally incompetent or involuntarily committed to a mental institution.

These are very bright, easy-to-define lines in the sand that operate with due process of law.

If you want to alter the metrics for disqualification I'm open to suggestions, so long as those metrics are specific and in keeping with due process.

Furthermore, the idea that most people who commit crimes with firearms were criminals all along and just never got caught is just not born out by the data.

Most people who commit homicide with a firearm have extensive prior criminal histories, including, on average, 4 felonies. I have little doubt this follows for other crimes committed with firearms.