Quick Thoughts on the Gun Discussion

Right now, gun control and what should (or shouldn't be done) regarding weapons is on everyone's mind in the wake of the shootings in Newtown.

Those shootings were truly tragic, and anything I write here will be insufficient consolation for the families and friends of those victims.

Moving on to the topic at hand, I'm going to write some principles that gun reform should have.  Gun control isn't something I am passionate about - shooting for sport just doesn't interest me and weapons aren't something that gets me excited as a research topic.  This will not be overly detailed.

Principle 1:  The Second Amendment should be affirmed

Harvard University, hardly a bastion for conservative thought, recently published  a study showing that gun control is counterproductive.  The implication here is that banning assault weapons or high capacity magazines is not meaningful in reducing gun violence at best and at worst, it causes more gun violence.

A law abiding citizen should not have any problems purchasing a firearm or ammunition for it.

Another way to think about this issue:  It is known that although illegal, several drugs are consumed in the U.S.  Simply making them illegal does not solve the problem.

Principle 2:  While affirming the second amendment, tracking of weapons and purchasing habits should be instituted.

No matter how you slice the data, the vast majority of civilian weapons are used in violent crimes. 

How vast?  The probability that a randomly selected gun will be involved in a homicide is roughly 1 in 30,000.  The weapon that is used to take life is an outlier - and likely so is the purchasing habits of the user.

A PBS Report shows that weapons used in crimes are not frequently registered with the owner.  Tracking weapons, rather than banning them, seems to be a more likely means of success.

Principle 3:  Prevention of access for convicted criminals is a good place to start...

In a trend that should shock no one, past criminal behavior is a pretty good predictor of future criminal behavior.  It seems reasonable to put 'time-outs' on the length of time that passes before one can own a gun following a criminal conviction.

Something like 7 years per misdemeanor conviction - with the 'time-out' doubling for each subsequent conviction should be sufficient.  This could be retroactive; and a conviction of ANY misdemeanor could trigger the 'time-out'.


Principle 4: Consistency

If we're going to make this a national discussion and get the government involved in making new laws, we need to hold certain government employees accountable on Operation Fast and Furious.  It is absurd that the government proposes doing anything regarding guns and not address it's own internal issues.

I'm not saying that this is perfect or comprehensive and this is clearly lacking in specifics, but after a little bit of research, a few reasonable principles can be discovered pretty easily.

Extreme arguments in favor of or against gun rights are likely grounded in emotion and are more likely advocated by demagogues.  A reasonable fact based approach should protect rights, while creating a safer nation.