When a recent business meeting, held in the capital city of the Peoples Republic of Boulder, ended, I had lunch with a group of ultra liberals. The subject of gun control was raised (not by me). “Why”, asked one, “Are you gun nuts against any sensible gun control measurers.”? “Because”, I replied, “You gun grabbers are liars”. After I made the point that labeling someone as a gun nut or gun grabber didn’t lead to any reasoned exchange of views, we, as a group, had an actual conversation.
I stressed we all have a mutual interest in curbing criminal behavior. Gun owners are not giving up their firearms. Gun control advocates will not find any common ground with gun owners so long as they use deceit as a tactic, i.e., the “Gun Show Loophole.” Or tolerating a system where Veterans, who put their asses on the line for our rights, are administratively deprived of those rights if they truthfully answer certain questions asked by the VA. That patient/doctor confidentiality is compromised. Thank you, Sen. Shithead. There are many examples but I used those two. To my surprise, some of the group saw merit in what I had to say.
The people who don’t like firearms do have one valid point; safety. We’ve all seen them, the yahoos whose unsafe practices make you want to dive for cover. Those of you who are range officers all have examples to share. These yahoos scare the hell out of folks and, right or wrong, they see all of us in that light.
One modest proposal. Most states have a requirement for a hunters safety course and endorsement before you can buy a hunting license. Can’t this be used as a framework to insure more firearm owners have some basic safety and handling instruction? It is a requirement in Colorado before getting a CCW permit. Have what you want on your own private property. Be required to have a valid safety card to have a firearm in public.
If something like this was offered by the firearms community, I think some of the opposition would be in support. The result would be a safer country, the fanatic gun grabbers would have fewer allies, and it could be a bulkhead against more extreme proposals.
Enforcement of existing laws isn’t consistent. We had a period of time in Colorado where the firearm laws were enforced and the enforcement advertised, much like DUI laws, Violent crime went down. An ambitious federal prosecutor was setting up a run for the US Senate (failed). With his departure, the effort died down. What I hear from the law enforcement, courts, probation, and corrections communities, is the system is so overloaded with drug cases, DUIs, and domestic violence cases that compromises must be made. The problem is, compromises become excuses and the status quo.
Age hasn’t made me a total cynic. I still believe reasonable men and women can find common ground for common purposes. Your mileage may differ.
