Gun Control

So the Supreme Court made a decision regarding the 2nd Amendment this week, and I thought I'd make a quick comment about it. The 2nd Amendment is a unintentionally vague, and it's not quite clear if the right to "bear arms" is a collective right for militias or a personal right for individuals. In other words, can groups, clubs, and organizations own guns, or does each person have the Constitutional right to own a gun. The details of the Supreme Court case involve the gun ban in DC designed to cut down on the horrible crime, however, the decision basically states that gun ownership is an individual right. Meaning basically that no city or state can ban gun ownership.

As for me, I believe that American freedom necessitates the right of the individual to be stupid, so I think that many things (as much as I may or may not like them) should be legal but controlled (tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, prostitution, etc.) and this includes guns. So in that sense I agree with the Supreme Court decision. But I think that since guns can be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands, they should be much, much more difficult to obtain. Gun ownership should require examination and licensure, like driving. I'm also thinking of the hobbyist community (and I'm not talking strictly hunters here). People should be able to purchase and own vintage and antique guns, build and create their own guns, and etch or engrave or cosmetically alter guns, and generally be able to generate an income based on these activities.

Now you may be thinking, "Brad, you're a pretty liberal guy...why are you pro-gun?" Well, more than being liberal, I would consider myself libertarian in the sense that personal freedom and choice are very important as long as it doesn't fuck with anybody else (directly). Also, unfortunately, I think a lot of anti-gun people are unreasonably afraid of guns. I've had several conversations over the years with people who can't even consider themselves firing a gun at a target. Yet I was raised responsibly with rifles and shotguns in the house. I've owned a rifle, took a gun training course, took a gun safety course, practiced shooting at a firing range, shot clay pigeons. I've even made my own shotgun shells using the setup my dad used to have in the garage. I've never hunted or shot a gun at a living thing, though (although I have been shot in the stomach with a BB gun, but that's a story for another day). So the bottom line is that I'm comfortable around guns and know how to use them properly. And I get the impression that some of the anti-gun people are not so comfortable and make their opinions based on that feeling.

Now the downside of my stance is that it allows Americans to be extremely stupid and dangerous. Especially in DC, which has been known as the murder capital of the US, and because of the sniper incident a few years back. This is why I support strict controls on gun ownership, but I can't consciously support a flat-out gun ban. I know this is a sticky issue for some people, especially those that have experienced gun violence in their life somehow. It's hard to argue this point with somebody who has lost a loved one.