i want to start with the supposition that we all agree that guns are dangerous tools, however tools that are legal to own in the united states, with some restrictions on where and how they can be used, primarily to promote public safety (no shooting in town, etc)
we as a society license many potentially hazardous items for purchase/use, cars, explosives, etc.
now, why or why not does it make sense to have a licensure process to own and or fire firearms? n.b. by this i mean a blanket licensure. not a registry of every firearm you own, merely you're ok to be around them as you've shown a minimum proficency in their safe use and storage and haven't committed armed robbery or shown a propensity towards significant mental instability.
likewise. why or why not does it make sense to have/not have a registry of serial numbers, just as motor vehicle vin numbers and lic plates, or micro tags in explosives are logged?
personally, i'm of the opinion that if you're able to show reasonable mental stability, and demonstrate appropriate safe use, you should be able to own anythign you want from a pea shooter to a tank, keeping in mind that a cannon has different safety considerations from a .22. |
