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Q. As a gun owner, what do YOU think is a reasonable, responsible solution or response to the rash of multiple shootings over the past month? Nearly 60 people have been killed in shootings in New York, Oakland, southern Alabama, and elsewhere.
I'm not sure if your question pertains to application of new laws, enforcement of current laws or possibly the overall stigma of guns in society. In my personal opinion the recent "massacres" or shootings with multiple victims possibly could not have been prevented. It has been proven time and time again that a determined individual will follow through as far as they can. The knee-jerk reaction would be to expand limitations on law abiding citizens and pass new legislature making it even harder for the normal law abiding citizen to acquire firearms, even trying to pass legislation forbidding possession. This only further enables those who disregard the law to continue criminal activities with much less opposition. What do I think would help prevent such things from happening? I can only provide answers according to my experiences and knowledge of growing up here in California...
First, loosen restrictions on the ability for Law Abiding Citizens from being able to carry firearms for their defense. It has been proven that the outward, visible presence of a firearm in the possession of an everyday citizen is enough to deter another person from conducting unlawful behavior. The Federal regulations we have in place prevent sales of firearms to disqualified individuals and some states have even stricter laws in place. Sadly, these restrictions do not prevent illegal sales on streets. The total number of illegal sales is purely speculative and no law to date has stopped illegal sales - it just makes them illegal.
Second, we should start bringing back firearms education. I believe that most every anti-gun-rights group will be against this, saying things such as "we're training our children to be murderers" or some-such hyperbole. The truth is that teaching people (adults
and children) how to responsibly use, care for and handle firearms only benefits them. My personal experience in this matter comes from a history in Boy Scouts, where at a young age I learned about proper firearms safety and the beginnings of being a good marksman. Making firearms education widely available (and affordable, if not free or state-sponsored) would also help against accidents that cause fatalities or injuries involving firearms.
Third, we should work to dispel the negative stigma attached to firearms by the media. It has become prevalent here on the "left coast" and also in other states with heavy metro areas (DC and New York come to mind) that there are many social systems vilifying firearms overall. From the public education system, to our government, law enforcement and even heavy activism from anti-gun-rights groups. If people have an opportunity to learn about firearms in an impartial (meaning, factual only, not 'feelings") they can develop their own beliefs on whether or not firearms are for them. Part of this issue is that people lack experience, and fear what they have no experience with. Especially something blasted by every major outlet as evil. This partly ties into my second point. The citizenry of this country should learn about the importance of firearms in our country's history and culture. We would not even be a country today, if not for the Revolutionary War. Can the same be said if they had only sticks and stones?
Fourth, abolish federal and state legislation on "gun free zones". It is being proven with the recent shootings and massacres that the creation of these "sterile" areas has not reduced crime at all. A criminal who does not care about the law will not abide by it regardless. Not only was the creation of these zones unconstitutional, but they truly do nothing to allow a person to even defend themselves in one of these zones. For example, in California there are Penal Codes 626.9 and 626.95. These prohibit the possession of handguns (concealed firearms and firearms capable of being concealed) in school zones and other places. Sadly, there is not even a provision in either of these penal codes that make the allowance of using your firearm, in public, to defend yourself from injury or potentially lethal harm. The truth of these types of Gun Free Zone laws is that they do nothing to prevent crime and serve to disarm the law abiding.
Those are the major points I can think of. The most important being education. I sincerely believe that the more people are educated in their rights as well as how to properly use a firearm will result in a society that effectively protects itself; not only from crime, but oppression.
~D
Orange County, California