It's Time to Take Adult Steps Towards Solving the Gun Problem in America

in #politics7 years ago (edited)

march.jpg
Photo by Frank Tellez (That's me)

Last Saturday I attended the March for Our Lives demonstration in my hometown. After the march we listened to local school children and politicians talk about guns and how we should do something about them, but when it was time for solutions it seemed to me that everyone was parroting the same things they've heard others say.

"We want a 2 week waiting period, no guns for mental people, no bump stocks!" Wtf? No bump stocks? What's that going to accomplish, I thought to myself. These things aren't going to have any real effect. These are just baby steps meant to pacify angry mobs without making a dent in anything. If we want real solutions we need to take adult steps, not baby steps. The time for baby steps was over a long time ago and the NRA didn't even let us take them.

I have created a list of adult steps we need to take for your consideration.

  1. Remove that stupid gun stuff from the 2nd Amendment. It shouldn't be in there, and it's not needed. There's nothing in the Constitution that says I have the right to a tv but I own two. Nothing about game consoles but I have three.

  2. Raise the minimum gun age to 29. Yes, 29. The reason people own guns is for personal protection. Grade schoolers don't need guns, middle schoolers either. Teenagers shouldn't have guns because they're just going to become pretend gangsters and get in trouble with them. 20-year-olds don't need guns because that's when people are at the height of their physical abilities. 20-year-olds are fast and strong. You'll never run faster and be as athletic as you are in your 20's. Teenagers are also healthy. Teenagers can go to the Olympics and win them. When a person is 29 they start getting old and fat and they slow down. They also grow up mentally and leave all that crazy 20-year-old stuff behind, so now they are responsible enough to own a gun, and maybe they need one for personal protection. Fat old people can't fight or run very well.

  3. No guns for violent criminals, drunk drivers, or domestic violence. This is just simple logic. If you use a gun in a felony you shouldn't get another one. If you can't be trusted with a car you shouldn't be trusted with a gun. If you beat your wife or girlfriend you have already proven that you are willing to injure another person. Also, domestic violence is the same as assault. It's just a different name for the same thing. Here's how it works, when you get caught drunk driving you lose your license for 3 months and your gun for 3 months. 6 month? 6 months. 1 year? 1 year. Whatever laws apply in your state. After 1 year, or whatever, you can get your driver's license and gun privileges back. With domestic violence, you can get your gun privileges back after you have been divorced for 2 years. No divorce no gun.

  4. One firearm per person. Your choice, pistol or rifle. You only need one for personal protection or hunting.

5 Ban all assault and military-style firearms.

  1. Mandatory 2 week waiting period and firearm safety classes that are NOT given by gun shops. Firearm safety classes MUST be given by a third party. This is to prevent gun shops from giving everyone a passing grade to get more sales.

  2. No private sales of guns. None. Not on eBay, not at swap meets, not anywhere. To sell your firearm you turn it in to the police for a voucher. The voucher has your ID number on it and the serial number of the firearm you turned in. The gun shop looks up the serial number and can give you a price for the voucher. It works similar to looking up the VIN number on a car. The gun's serial number provides the gun shop with info on the make and model, year created, etc... The police take your firearm and destroy it after checking to see if it was used in a crime.

  3. Mental people and blind people can't have guns for obvious reasons.

  4. Gun collectors are defined. For a gun to be considered collectible it must be over 50 years old and it must be permanently modified so it can not fire. That's the definition, no exceptions. A collection of new guns is an arsenal, not a collection and is outlawed. See rule 4. Only 1 firearm per person unless it is collectible and can never fire. Ever. It is illegal to own ammunition that can be used in any of the collectible firearms you own even if they can't fire. This is to prevent loopholes.

  5. All new firearms must have a GPS chip installed in the handle that prevents the firearm from shooting when it is on school grounds. We have the technology to make it so. This can be expanded to include churches, stadiums, malls, airports, and anywhere large groups of people congregate.

As you can see, these things won't solve the gun problem, and they won't take away anyone's rights, but they will decrease the number of deaths per year and they are an adult step towards a solution, not meaningless baby steps. The time for baby steps ended a long time ago. It's time to take adult steps.