Common Sense Reforms
In the wake of the latest mass shooting, this of a TV reporter, photographer and their interview subject, the calls for "common sense gun reform" are growing louder than ever. But what would such reforms do that current systems don't already do?
Vester Flannagan Jr. apparently went out to buy a gun in June, following the shootings at a traditionally black church in Charleston, SC. He apparently had no criminal record. He had not spent time in a mental institution. We are unaware of him ever being diagnosed with any mental illness, although his "checkered" work history is certainly indicative of some kind of problem.
But short of just selling no more guns ever, how would these so-called common sense reforms change things in any way that would have prevented this man from buying the gun that he used to kill two people and seriously wound a third?
Let's pretend for a moment that in order to buy any gun, an adult must submit to a one hour examination by a mental health professional. Would that have prevented this? How much would such a program cost and who would pay for it? I'm searching for common sense answers here. I doubt that even the best of mental health professionals could determine with any high degree of certainty who is and isn't competent mentally to purchase a firearm.
We can't just eliminate handguns. They are probably the best weapons for defending one's home from within against intruders. Rifles and shotguns are difficult to use in close quarters and for some are just too heavy to be used in that way.
I'd be happy to live in a world completely without guns but that's an idealistic dream that will never come to pass. Our military and law enforcement personnel need to be armed to protect us (or to at least attempt to do that). We have the right to be armed within our homes to defend ourselves and our loved ones. The genie of guns is out of the bottle and no one will ever be able to shove it back inside.
Please tell me, what are these common sense reforms that people are calling for and how would they work?
Vester Flannagan Jr. apparently went out to buy a gun in June, following the shootings at a traditionally black church in Charleston, SC. He apparently had no criminal record. He had not spent time in a mental institution. We are unaware of him ever being diagnosed with any mental illness, although his "checkered" work history is certainly indicative of some kind of problem.
But short of just selling no more guns ever, how would these so-called common sense reforms change things in any way that would have prevented this man from buying the gun that he used to kill two people and seriously wound a third?
Let's pretend for a moment that in order to buy any gun, an adult must submit to a one hour examination by a mental health professional. Would that have prevented this? How much would such a program cost and who would pay for it? I'm searching for common sense answers here. I doubt that even the best of mental health professionals could determine with any high degree of certainty who is and isn't competent mentally to purchase a firearm.
We can't just eliminate handguns. They are probably the best weapons for defending one's home from within against intruders. Rifles and shotguns are difficult to use in close quarters and for some are just too heavy to be used in that way.
I'd be happy to live in a world completely without guns but that's an idealistic dream that will never come to pass. Our military and law enforcement personnel need to be armed to protect us (or to at least attempt to do that). We have the right to be armed within our homes to defend ourselves and our loved ones. The genie of guns is out of the bottle and no one will ever be able to shove it back inside.
Please tell me, what are these common sense reforms that people are calling for and how would they work?
posted by me at 11:27 PM
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