Better gun safety via better definitions
In America can we achieve a balance between a gun owner's Constitutional rights to seek the ownership of firearms and other weaponry, With our need to realistic need to restrict access to High caliber weapons of war? Weapons that to be used In mass shootings, school shootings and more commonly political shootings. How can we bridge that gap between public safety and Constitutional rights? While it will be difficult, I do believe it is possible to achieve this.
How to achieve these sorts of restrictions without completely infringing on the constitutional right we can take one of two approaches, We can start requiring that everybody who purchase a firearm is required to take a mental health check. This approach I find extremely distasteful, Even though Republicans main defensive of firearms is we need more mental health in the country therefore; implying they would be perfectly okay requiring you to have a mental health check before getting a weapon. The second option is we institute functional firearm definitions expanding the classes, types, and functions of the firearms in-law so we can build a better structure to not only support the due process rights of gun owners. Their ability to get guns, but as well increasing safety in our communities.
When I looked back through the history of gun regulations, the law that stuck out and worked was the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA). As it seems to be striking the greatest balance between safety and access. As well our current set of laws do not allow for the modification that is now possible with weaponry because of the large amount of industrial level manufacturing equipment that is easily accessible to the average person, from 3D printers to small C&C machines. Banning guns will not stop people from building guns, The assassination of the ex-prime Minister of Japan with a homemade shotgun on July 8, 2022, is an example of this as the country of Japan has very restrictive gun laws, Bans simply do not work in the 21st century.
With the functional firearms definitions we can better regulate how guns are classified, for example a handgun that shot an entire clip in a few seconds would be considered a submachine gun because of its size and ability to shoot at rapid rates. Along with being able to functionally define our firearms we can institute programs to require training classes, safe storage, and work with conceal and carry. While balancing the due process requirements the Constitution insists on, Because as we're finding out in America, due process is not only important for gun owners but everyone. My prime example of requirements I’d like to see would be; handguns hunting rifles and shotguns, would be classified associated with fewer requirements like basic safety and safe storage. Semi-automatic weapons could be restricted to safe storage basic safety and advanced training and advanced safety classes, to better understand what happens when these are used against people. Fully automatic weapons should be restricted to only police officers, ex-military, and current military. Our military requires the training and understanding a firearms, so should our civil population.
When it comes to our gun culture in America there is part of me that often thinks that other countries who wish to invade America, often taken to consideration that we are arm to the teeth. In part I believe this provides some level of safety for America. It at the very least has to be a consideration for foreign powers considering an assault on American soil. Which makes gun ownership a matter of national security. unfortunate as bad as it sounds to some people, it is a constitutional right for a reason.
Aswell If the government where to pick up the tab for gun safes, gun locks and other things required to store firearms safely we can increase the adoptions of safe storage. Sometimes the financial burden is just to high for lower income individuals.
While I believe we should slow the process down in our ability to access weaponry, I do not believe full out bans will be effective in America. If we slow the process down, we can examine individuals as they come through the process to see if they are mentally unstable or just a dude who likes going out to shoot for recreation. We must still allow as many people as possible to participate, at the same time slowing the process slowing it down. It will also stop impulse shootings. Whereas an individual can just go to the gun store buy a gun, walk out, and shoot a personal acquaintance, an ex-lover, an ex-business partner. Reducing what is known as the crimes of passion via a firearm. As most violent crime occurs between individuals with acquaintances slowing access requiring training, understanding and safe storage or our best path through the functional firearms definitions to balancing gun safety and the Constitutional right to own a firearm.
