Gun Nut Kills Two Innocent Neighbors On Their Own Property

[BrotherIvan]

187. I had a very good discussion on another thread

About securing weapons and how gun owners should be held accountable for how their guns are used. It was the first time I felt like I was having an actual, productive discussion with a pro-gun person. So often, it's just shouting about "rights" and the digging in and not wanting to have any restrictions. Or arguing over gun design details. That kind of hard line defense makes me even more militant and anti-gun.

Gun owners are going to have to admit that guns are dangerous. They are deadly weapons. They kill people. That is the very first step. No more of this guns don't kill people crap, that's just mind-bending bullshit out of the winger playbook. Any gun can kill someone and that's the just a fact. It is maddening and would be a good start in bridging the great divide between pro-guns and gun-control.

Second, gun owners are going to have to get on board with the "responsible" part, meaning everyone must be held accountable which unfortunately includes agreeing to strict safety laws because there are a bunch of idiots out there. The biggest piece of meat you could throw me right now is security. Guns must be locked in a safe or some kind of enclosure that meets safety standards. For single weapons, some here have advocated for a cable to secure the gun. I'll listen to that. Safety locks on triggers. Storing of ammunition in safe places. Etc., etc. None of this need be cheap. It's not discrimination against the poor by any means. If it's too expensive to secure your weapons, then you can't afford them. Don't tell me a person can afford upwards of $500 for a gun but can't afford to keep it from killing someone.

And the gun owner will be charged whenever their gun is used in a crime or harms another person. No more, "Oops!" my gun went off and shot the guy upstairs. No, oops, my kid found my loaded gun and shot his little brother. No more of that. Guns are treated too lackadaisically in this country. It's that kind of thinking that makes control-freaks like me very angry.

Background checks and training, yes, of course. I don't think teenagers should be allowed to have a weapon unless they are accompanied by an adult and it cannot be a hand gun, can't be semi-automatic, and it must have a low number of rounds. I'm sure there are many logical, sane restrictions that could be agreed upon. Again, it is up to gun owners to be willing to compromise. None of these things should be a hardship to a "responsible" gun owner. That's why so many on here who argue against those restrictions are so suspect, putting up the car deaths or knives kill too bullshit. This country is awash in guns and blood and SOMETHING needs to be done. With each passing day that a child is killed or another mass shooting, the pro-gun argument becomes more and more callous. It would be great, a major relief, to see progress.