Gun owners care about safety, too

Published 10:17 am Friday, August 24, 2012

My letter is in response to the Aug. 15 letter to the editor by David Larson. Larson made some points about gun rights.

His first point was that we should “Require background checks for legal violations and physical//mental disabilities for those buying guns to better insure public safety.” When Bill Clinton was president, Federal Firearms License, or FFL, holders were required to call the National Instant Check System, or NICS, to make sure the person purchasing a firearm did not have anything on their record that would prevent them from owning a firearm. This would cover a crime or mental state (providing the doctor is proactive in disclosing this information to the authorities). This would not, as Larson suggested, cover physical disabilities. A person with physical disabilities (at least to my knowledge) is not prevented from owning a firearm. We have several friends with disabilities who own firearms for hunting and protection.

Second on Larson’s list was to require gun owners to register their guns at the point of sale. With Larson’s suggestion no one would be able to sell a firearm privately? All guns would have to go through an FFL. That would be great for the licensers who can charge a fee for every gun that goes through his books. You are right. Even if it solves one crime, saves one life it is worth all the effort. But why can’t I sell my stuff if I want to? I am not required to go to a car dealer to sell my car, or a furniture store to sell my used chair. I know, I am comparing apples to oranges.

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His third point was to have gun owners receive training in gun safety. This is an idea I really like. Several schools in our area have started trap teams. Boy Scouts have training for firearms. At the age of 12 young people are encouraged to take firearm safety training.

Let’s take it one step further and put in the schools. When I was in school I attended driver’s education. Let’s get the same thing for firearms. It can be added to our driver’s license like snowmobile and firearms safety. Great idea, Larson!

His fourth point was to require gun-owners to buy liability insurance in case the gun was involved in hurting someone. So Larson would like this to be part of my homeowner’s insurance? (Lawyers and insurance agents always seem to make the big bucks.) Not sure how that would work. But with my NICS check and the in-school training that I will receive I would expect it to be a reasonable amount. I am not sure what the “outside of protecting the security of the free state” is. Does that mean if I am at a movie and a person pulls out a gun and starts to shoot and since I am armed and am able to stop said person I am in the clear? Perhaps if more people were armed, fewer mass shootings would happen.

 

Elaine Hart

Albert Lea