Issues: Firearms
There are few issues today bringing greater division to the country more than the issue of firearms possession and control. My family and I were hunters. We boys were allowed to both shoot and even own firearms before we were 10 years old. At age 14, I bought a pistol for target shooting. The ownership of firearms and the accompanying responsibility is well known to me. The issues at hand today are the production and distribution of relatively inexpensive firearms, the sale of high caliber weapons usually associated with military usages, and the ready availability of firearms for use in criminal instances.
Pragmatic Solutions
How do we change this situation for the betterment of our country? Here, for starters, are my suggestions:
- Individuals should be allowed to purchase, own, and maintain firearms for personal use.
- The federal ban on assault weapons should be strengthened. Persons having a reasonable need for such weapons may apply for and be granted a specific license for that ownership. Those failing to demonstrate a real need for such weapons would not be allowed to own firearms in that class. Such limitations may help to keep these firearms out of the hands of those wishing to harm the United States or its citizens.
- Some degree of national control of firearms is necessary. A national database allows background checks in advance of firearm purchase. If the database is limited to criminal information, the privacy rights of individuals will not be compromised. Dealers and individuals not complying with the rules for sales should be subject to criminal prosecution.
- Owners of firearms must be required to maintain the weapons in a safe and secure manner to insure that children have no access. Any person failing to maintain these basic safety standards would be subject to loss of firearm ownership rights.
- Manufacturers of firearms should be held to product safety standards mandated by the federal government.
The Bigger Issue: Cooperation, Not Violence
No amount of government control of firearms will solve the overall issue. Societal changes that foster interaction including cooperation without violence are needed. Programs to encourage and develop problem-solving skills in early childhood and through adulthood need to be instituted and maintained. There are many such programs in place in the country today. Those programs may be expanded while others are developed.
How You Can Help
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