One person's gun control plan

[11B10]

This was from my local paper. I deleted the person's name. By their sarcasm and incorrect terminology, they're obviously not a gun person.






Five ways owning a gun should be similar to owning a car

I have accepted the fact that the 2nd Amendment is never going to go away, and I may as well try talking to a wall (a blank wall with bullet holes in it) convincing our Legislators to ban assault weapons of any kind. So let’s play the hand we are dealt. If we are going to have weapons, let’s treat them like the vehicles we drive.

You have to pass a test to drive a car. That license is good for all states. The same rule should be applied to owning a weapon.
A car registration is usually updated every year and so should a weapon.
A car must be insured and so should a weapon.
A driver’s license must be renewed every year or every couple of years, and so should a weapon.
You have to have a license marked if you are driving a commercial vehicle or a motorcycle. The type of weapon you own should be noted on your license.
Paying for license, registration and insurance of a weapon on a regular basis would increase revenue and make me and others feel a little safer.

Now, a lot of people may think that these new rules are just trying to keep them from owning a gun, or to put it bluntly, weapon suppression.

Perhaps they can understand what it is like for a lot of voters.

[RJ]

I'm not sure why "shall not be infringed" is so hard to understand.

[jh9]

What feedback? It's written by someone who wants "assault weapons" to "go away". So since they can't have that (which they've clearly stated is the preferred outcome) they want to "discuss" an intentionally burdensome licensing scheme. One, btw, that isn't even intended to reduce the body count but is rather some sort of quid pro quo for voter suppression laws. There is no response to that. And since the paper published it in the first place, they're probably going to pick one rebuttal to print. And it will be the one that gets the biggest response, not the one that makes the most persuasive argument.

They published it because it will draw responses and "drive engagement". Not because they're trying to facilitate some sort of productive dialog. They want people basically shouting at each other so more people will be exposed to their ads.

Wad it up. Throw it in the trash. Written responses to a dead tree newspaper in 2021 is even less productive than slamming your dick in the door.

[HCountyGuy]

The comparison of firearms and vehicles is always amusing. I like it because when someone starts making comparisons I giddily jump on board because in some ways it would make life for us firearms owners easier.

I made a social media post regarding such suggestions before:



My favorite ignorant "solution" being proposed by the uninformed is to regulate firearms like we regulate cars. Testing to ensure one can operate the car with a basic level of competency, registration and insurance requirements. What the people offering this solution don't realize is that to implement this would be to loosen gun regulations.

For instance, in order to purchase a firearm one cannot be convicted of any felony or even a misdemeanor in regards to domestic violence. Last time I went to buy a car, they never checked against that (at least that I know of).

Other restrictions include being an unlawful user of drugs, being a fugitive from justice and having been adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution. No car dealership I know of would halt your buying process for any of those reasons, and to my knowledge don't care. They check your credit if you require a loan, check to see if you have a license and have an insurance requirement. After those comparatively minor requirements are met, you're golden to take home your new wheels.

As for licensing, driving tests are relatively simple and test the applicant on extremely basic operating functions. If you pass and pay the license fee, you're good to go THAT DAY. Oh and the license is good for an array of vehicles from vans to sports cars and even better it’s good for ALL 50 STATES.

For a license to carry a firearm, the restrictions vary based on where you live. In some jurisdictions, you simply need to pass a background check. Others require a lengthy process where the applicant must demonstrate a just cause for needing a license. Oh, and usually "self-defense" is not enough on its own.

The application review process can take anywhere from six months to well over a year. A year just to carry something you legally acquired. And if the issuing authority deems your reasons insufficient, they can deny your permit.

So would you be okay with not being able to drive your vehicle after a year of essentially waiting for permission? Likely by that point you'd be out of whatever job you were working unless you car-pooled or took public transportation.

Next, you have certain capacity restrictions or safety features implemented in firearms supposed to make them safer. So what about restricting cars in a similar fashion, where you can't have a car beyond a certain size/passenger capacity and some safety features that really don't do much?

As I stated in the beginning, I may not have a feasible solution to curtail these incidents but please think your solutions through before suggesting them.

For the record, I'm not in favor of any more gun regulations. Criminals, by definition, ignore the laws in place to carry out their misdeeds. Laws affect only those who respect them and are not inclined to carry out these heinous acts.

[ccmdfd]

/\ /\ /\

I like your responses. I'm going to have to borrow some of those next time someone tries to get me into that argument.

To the person who wrote the letter to the local newspaper I would have to ask; are there really States out there where you have to renew your drivers license every year or two? If so, I'm staying in North Carolina for my entire life. we get it for five years and the renewal is now super easy with less and less testing.

[blues]

To the person who wrote the letter to the local newspaper I would have to ask; are there really States out there where you have to renew your drivers license every year or two? If so, I'm staying in North Carolina for my entire life. we get it for five years and the renewal is now super easy with less and less testing.

It was eight years...

I renewed my NC license in 2012 and again in 2020. But because I just renewed online, and am over 65, when I have to renew in 5 years, I'll have to go into the DMV office instead of doing it the easy way online.

Reminds me, I have to renew my CCH this fall. A month or two after my next LEOSA qual.

[ccmdfd]

It was eight years...

I renewed my NC license in 2012 and again in 2020. But because I just renewed online, and am over 65, when I have to renew in 5 years, I'll have to go into the DMV office instead of doing it the easy way online.

Reminds me, I have to renew my CCH this fall. A month or two after my next LEOSA qual.

And if you renew in person next time, is it still 5 years or 8 and you have to renew the time after in person or online?

Hate to admit I'm not super up-to-date on my own State's laws, but they have changed so many times since I was 16.

And here I go participating in thread drift yet again.

[blues]

And if you renew in person next time, is it still 5 years or 8 and you have to renew the time after in person or online?

Hate to admit I'm not super up-to-date on my own State's laws, but they have changed so many times since I was 16.

And here I go participating in thread drift yet again.

Age 65+ is good for 5 years.

You can only renew online every other time as far as I understand the rules. It will be good for either 8 or 5 years depending on age.

[JohnO]

make me and others feel a little safer.

The magic words were uttered! The all important FEELINGS. Sorry sir your feelings do not trump our RIGHTS!

[LOKNLOD]

This isn't a plan, this is someone stupid copy-pasting a dated "snarky funny" into a letter to the editor. I'm pretty sure I saw that as a forwarded chain email in '98.