Firearm sales hit record levels this holiday season

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13. Replies to your questions...

Do you think this is a healthy thing for democracy?

The sale of firearms has skyrocketed in the last decade. While it defies commonsense, the violent crime rate has fallen dramatically. While it is impossible to say that more guns = less crime, it is true that more guns does not equal more crime.

I think that it does little harm to a democracy to allow honest citizens to own firearms. Some will argue that well armed citizens may preserve our representative democracy if it is threatened in the future. It is a fact that the first shots of the American Revolution were fired when the British tried to implement gun control. Ref: Battles of Lexington and Concord http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Lexington_and_Concord

Therefore, in my opinion, it's far better to live in a democracy that trusts a significant percentage of its citizens to own firearms than one that doesn't.

Do you think people are right to be afraid?

In the current Great Recession our society has been placed under great stress. People are suffering and it is possible that the crime rate may eventually start to rise or that violent riots may break out. Many cities are facing budget restrictions which may reduce their police force. There are dark clouds on the horizon. Hopefully the storm will bypass us, but it might be wise to be prepared. I live in Florida but I don't "fear" hurricanes. However when one approaches, I make preparations.

Firearms are an excellent self defense tools and can be used to protect yourself or your family in an emergency. It may be better to have firearms and not need them than to need firearms and not have them. However the decision to buy a firearm if you have none deserves considerable consideration as firearms are not for everybody. You also have to realize that merely buying a firearm is not all that is required to ensure your safety. In order to be effective with your firearms you have to practice with them and in order to be safe you have to know and follow the basic firearm safety rules.

What are they afraid of that is spurring this panic?

Why do you feel that people who believe that those who decide to buy firearms are panicked? I would suggest that they are just viewing life rationally and realizing that dialing 911 may not bring quick results in the near future. Some people like to be prepared and self reliant and others like to stick their head in the sand and trust that nothing bad will ever happen to them. It's an individual choice. People differ.

Do you think everyone should be trained to possess and operate a firearm?

Yes. When there are over 300,000,000 firearms in our society and almost half of American homes have a firearm inside, it makes no sense that we do not have a mandatory firearm safety course in our high schools. This course should teach students far more than to just "tell an adult if you see a firearm." I also can not understand why all high school students are not required to take a first aid course.

Do you think these due diligence for ensuring that legal firearms purchases are not being diverted for criminal purpose?

You lost me on that question. All I can answer is that I have no problem with the current NICS system of background checks required when purchasing firearms from a dealer and would like to see it extended to all sales of firearms including private sales. I favor strict enforcement of existing laws for the straw purchasing of firearms and the smuggling and illegal sale of firearms in our inner cities.