SC Senate passes gun ban for domestic violence offenders

[Sancho]

16. No problem...

1) Which other rights should require regular licensing and renewal at the whim of state and local legislators?

There are lots of licenses and certificates in every state. All this one would do would help prevent dangerous people from easy access to guns and ammo. The most common license today is a carry permit. Carry permits are legal and are at the whim of state and local legislators.

2) Which legal and medical standard are you going to use as the benchmark for your health care professionals to bless off on folks? Which conditions are disqualifying?

No medical standard necessary. If you go for a driver's license, you don't have an ophthalmologist testing your eyesight! You just read the signs and move on. If you can't read then you are referred to get corrected and come back. Same thing for a license to possess a gun. You have a superficial examination, answer a few questions, get a reference, get parents to sign, etc. If you can't meet a superficial standard - then you have to get clearance from a professional. Just like a driver's license, your state would set up the rules and parameters.

3) Do I need a different class for both my Springfield 9mm pistol vs my Glock?

Not an issue. My license does not restrict or name any particular weapon. It's a people license, not a gun license. You could possess a 50 cal machine gun with proper licensing. Your state may require a reasonably different standard from some classes of weapons just like a commercial truck license is different than a motorcycle license, but the basics would be the same.

4) Why am I responsible for the crimes of other people? What about neighbors? People in the same building?

Why should the public be subject to the dangers of unstable, dangerous people with guns? Many of those people are as often emotionally ill as much as criminal. Some are untrained. Some are juveniles. Your only responsibility is to not break the law. If you are a safe person, you would have no problem. OTOH, you and your family would be safer if dangerous people did not have easy access to guns.

5) Insurance doesn't cover criminal acts as it stands. What constitutes proof of appropriate storage? A receipt for a $6 cable lock or am I required to invite the police into my home to inspect regularly?

Just like all insurance, the state may require a policy with limits, but private companies would set their rules and rates based on actuarial statistics, experience, and application information. Some companies might have lower rates if you have proof of gun security for example. My homeowners here in Florida inspected my home for sinkholes and high-wind roofing. As such, I pay less. You pick the policy that suits you.

6) Not sure what purpose this serves...

Really? You don't know the logic of a waiting period?

7) Illegal on its face...

Not really. In many states guns can be collected and people held. I'm sure you saw the recent case of a gun collector in NJ who faces jail time for having an unlicensed handgun in his glovebox. If you try to openly take a gun into an airport, see if you are not detained or your weapon taken. Obviously states can enforce restrictions and laws.

8) Why would I have to give up my right to self defense once I leave the boundaries of my home? If your goal is to prevent shootings then what makes you think that a dedicated shooter would follow such a restriction? How does this improve anything as opposed to making gun ownership more onerous for the vast vast vast majority of law abiding gun owners?

If you have a need for self-defense, your license might say so. I believe that's the case now. Otherwise, you would be taught and required to secure your weapon and prevent some of the recent shootings where bra holsters, children in shopping carts, and many other examples of accidental and preventable shootings occurred.

This type of license would help screen unstable people, untrained people, etc. from easy access to guns. It would eliminate background checks at the point of sale, etc. You would have a valid license, you show it, and you could make a purchase. If you were under court order for domestic abuse, couldn't get insurance because you had a history of accidental shootings, or had just been released after a suicide attempt, etc.; then you could not have a license. Even criminals (over time) would find it much harder to easy access to guns and ammunition. Stable and law-abiding folks would be fine.

9) Why? What business is it of yours?

Read the introduction paragraph. Here in Florida, the unstable people are everywhere. I'm not safe with them on the loose (neither are you). That's why it's just as much my business as any other citizen that illegal and widespread use of guns can be traced. It's no problem unless a shooting is investigated or a crime is investigated. No more onerous than taxes, auto ownership, getting on a plane, or enrolling in school. It's just basic, self-report information for the records. It's not a national database.

10) Do you have any concerns that this will prevent people from reaching out for needed help?

Not at all. Actually, it would likely get help for people who needed it before they killed themselves or others. At the least, it would make it more difficult to be a danger.