This post, entitled, “Fuck you, I like guns” was posted to Facebook recently.
The positions from this article are: “I like guns and I don’t care what you want.” and “I don’t like guns and I don’t care what you want.” I don’t think people with those positions can have a productive discussion with each other.
I don’t think those extremes are as common as people like to claim. I think we’d do a lot better to focus on areas where we agree. For example, both sides agree that criminals shouldn’t have guns. We only prosecute 0.1% of background check denials. Except for paperwork mistakes, every single one of those people is committing a federal and state crime, which they have caused to be reported, and nothing happens. Can we investigate every single one?
There is also widespread support for “universal background checks”. Can we pass that (without lumping in other things)?
If you want to require licensing for gun purchases, I’m personally on board with that. For example, in my state, we could require the existing hunter’s safety course to purchase a rifle, and the existing concealed weapons permit course to purchase a pistol. I don’t think that’d be too controversial. I might ask for something in return, though. Since I’m licensed, let me take my concealed handgun into all gas stations instead of just some of them. Or, if that’s too much of a restriction on other’s property rights, maybe we can respect my property rights by repealing laws banning silencers so I can further protect my hearing at the range.
Can we repeal the common law duty to retreat at the same time as adding “violent” in front of “felony” in my state’s laws about self defense in the home to correct that oddity?
Can we treat private citizens who use force in self-defense the same way we treat cops who do the same, perhaps by bringing both situations closer to the middle?
If limiting things in the Bill of Rights is on the table, can we restrict the media just a little bit in how they report on these things? We know that copycat crimes are thing, and less sensationalism and glorification of the crimes would likely help.