I'm going to try starting a conversation about what "responsible" gun laws should look like... [View all]

[cherokeeprogressive]

I'm a gun owner. I'm both a legacy gun owner and a legal purchaser. I came to own a number of long guns because they were passed down from Grandfather to Father to me. Three handguns I purchased through perfectly legal means; those being purchases of new handguns which required participation in gun safety courses and background checks in the State of California.

I'm going to lay out what I think are "responsible gun laws", and I welcome responses from those who either feel I've not gone far enough, and those who think I've gone too far.

I favor a type of "gun registry" which identifies existing guns by their type, serial number, and claim of ownership. I would exempt certain pieces of information pertaining to those who claim ownership such as address, phone number, etc. Register your gun using your name and fingerprints, the type and caliber of gun, and its serial number only. No other information should be necessary. Should your gun be used in a crime, it can be traced back to you. Whether it's been stolen or transferred is up to you to prove by reporting said theft or transfer. If it hasn't been reported stolen or transferred, you should be liable in some way for whatever crime it was used to commit.

No convicted felon should ever be allowed to possess a gun. They've proven their unworthiness and their propensity for breaking the law.

Every transfer of a gun of any type should be recorded and a background check should be performed regardless of whether it is a commercial sale, private sale, or private transfer between family members. No transfer of any gun should be allowed between two individuals without a background check. EVER.

Safe storage of guns should be mandatory, whether that storage be containment in a safe of some type, or trigger locks, or biometric locks of one kind or another. This doesn't need to be enforced by any kind of inspection or infringement of anyone's Constitutional protections. It can be enforced by penalties. Leave your gun unlocked and unattended or otherwise stored in an irresponsible manner and have someone killed by accident with it or during the commission of a crime? Get charged as if you held the gun yourself and pulled the trigger in anger.

I favor restrictions on magazine sizes. I have a 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun which holds 2 rounds with one in the chamber. It doesn't have a removable magazine. If I can't hit the duck or pheasant or clay pigeon I'm shooting at with three rounds as fast as I can pull the trigger, the duck, pheasant or clay pigeon should go free. If I can't defend my living room with three rounds as fast as I can pull the trigger from the idiot who's trying to break down the door, woe is me. My 30.06 doesn't have a removable magazine either. It's been a lifetime since it's been out of the gun case but I believe it holds 3+1. I'm fine with that. I have a lever action 30-30 as well but it's been even longer since I've fired it. I'll go as far to say that I'm fine with long guns THAT DON'T HAVE REMOVABLE MAGAZINES, period. Don't like that? Tough. Learn to practice at the range 3-4 rounds at a time. Adjust your competitions to compensate.

Handguns? 10 rounds, single-stacked. No ups, no extras. That means you've got 11 rounds. Learn to be effective with 11 rounds.

Tell me where any of the things I've proposed would make me an "irresponsible gun owner", or where they might infringe on the INDIVIDUAL right (and I believe it IS an individual right) to possess a firearm.

I'm not a member of the NRA. I've never given them a dime either in magazine subscriptions or flat out contributions. I don't believe in lots of things they promote. I'm simply a person who believes the Second Amendment is a guarantee that the US Government will not infringe on my INDIVIDUAL right to own firearms for either hunting purposes or self-defense purposes, and I'm tired of being called a gun-humper because of what I believe.

Ready to talk? I am, and I've provided a platform that everyone can use. Agree or disagree. Add or subtract.

For what it's worth, this will be my last post in GD concerning guns. Each and every post about guns, gun violence, or anything else I'll trash.

I still love DU and respect most of the opinions I read here, but there's been a dearth of realistic opinions and a landslide of name-calling and/or recriminations. It's time for that to stop.