Let's Get Serious

Lots of gun-related crime in the news in the Detroit area just lately. As a legal, responsible gun owner, this trend is concerning. This type of activity only fuels the anti-gun crowd into an "all guns are bad..." mentality. On the other end of the spectrum, those of us who support the Second Ammendment also need to be reasonable - we can't argue that carrying would have prevented these situations. That only makes us look like nut jobs.

Clearly something needs to be done. How about a crack down on illegal and unregistered firearms? The CPL-holding, legal gun owner isn't shooting 17-year-olds in front of the local High School. Commit a crime with an illegal gun? You get ten extra years on that sentence. Make it a felony to possess an unregistered handgun.

Next tighten the purchase/registration process. Many states have waiting periods. If you have a legal purpose and are competent to own a firearm, waiting a few days is no big deal. And no gun ownership for convicted felons. Period. No handguns, no long guns. Not even a muzzleloader.

The bottom line is simple - as tensions from a bumpy economy tighten, too many people are far too casual about the respect and seriousness gun ownership entails. I think the "guns don't kill people..." logic almost furthers this. Reality is a gun wields tremendous power. If you're not willing to demonstrate respect that power, perhaps you should be prevented from ownership.

-Sean-