I’ll take the leap: I think there should absolutely be **some** gun controls imposed on the population of the United States, on a federal level, and in some cases with appropriate local restrictions.
For example, I think we should collectively ban fully-automatic firearms for anything other than novelty range toys. No carry, no use outside of a designated, approved range, and very restrictive accessibility to them. There’s no legitimate self-defense or hunting rationale for a FA firearm, and only very limited sporting ones. This also includes devices like Glock switches, binary triggers, etc…when we drop the rules-lawyering, these are functionally machine guns by different mechanisms.
I also think we as a nation should require a training class, to be hosted weekly by local law enforcement, for every firearm purchased, to be completed prior to taking possession. $50, ammunition, and a range managed by LEOs with a shall-issue (pending objective performance/safety reviews), possibly to include a licensure scheme a la CHL.
I think private sales of firearms are potentially controversial and would be OK with mandating use of a background-check system as a part of those transactions.
I think it is entirely reasonable for society to require people who want to carry a firearm in public to demonstrate functional proficiency with carrying, drawing, loading and firing that firearm accurately. I don’t think it’s a good thing to have ignorant people brandishing weapons because “muh rights!” And thinking every mild-to-moderate social problem should be solved with presentation of a weapon.
I think we should deny weapon ownership to the mentally ill, certain felons, illegal immigrants and minors (in most cases). I also think that we should functionally have some way to expeditiously remove firearms from someone demonstrating evidence of a mental-health crisis, subject to due process and the return of their property after they are no longer in crisis.
I think that particular places are not appropriate for carrying weapons and that CCW regulations should reflect that reality.
I think that there is a legitimate public-safety discussion for magazines in excess of 15-20 rounds; once again, why exactly does a user need more ammunition on board than dudes who literally fought through WW2? I’d honestly be OK if we treated 10+ round magazines like suppressors and required a tax stamp, NFA registration, etc.
Gun control ain’t a bad thing, y’all.
I also think that we should have a national concealed-carry infrastructure with mandatory reciprocity, that feature bans are silly and stupid, and that every American who wants it should be able to access free, high-quality training and live-fire training on a safe range managed by local law enforcement on an annual basis at a minimum. I also think that we should constitutionally enshrine protections against gun bans and confiscation and affirm a constitutional right to self-defense. I think that a lot of the Democrat gun control is stupidity enshrined and I think that a lot of the workarounds and adaptations of gun culture actually promote irresponsible, unsafe use of firearms instead of well-reasoned, respectful and safe use.
Not a hippy or a troll or anti-gun; I probably have a more-extensive collection than around a third of the board and I carry everywhere I can (legally and safely). I think almost everyone should be armed and I think firearms ownership by private persons is one of the factors that keeps America free and good and mostly honest. I think disarmament is a terrible idea that leads to tyranny. I think the 2A is fundamentally about maintaining the capability to effectively resist tyranny, not hunting or sports. I also think that we as a society need to adapt to the demonstrated and known threats posed by individuals with firearms that allow them to wield more “firepower” than an infantry platoon in a short period of time.
