What can we do?
The question on all our minds .... what can we do? We can pray and no doubt have prayed. We can "talk" or "argue" on social media, and we do. But what else can we DO?
After every tragic shooting, whatever the cause of it, we ask the same question. Time to decide, to work on a solution, to get something done about easy access to guns, to make it harder to get a gun than to get Sudafed or a wheelchair.
I doubt there are any new ideas about what to do. The best one is to license guns, just as we license cars. The 2nd amendment gives the right for states to have a "well-regulated militia," giving citizens a right "to keep and bear arms" for that purpose. Until recent years, that was the common legal understanding rather than the idea that individuals have a "human right" or "God-given right" to own guns strictly for their own purposes. There is no constitutional, legal impediment to requiring a process to test, license, and insure gun ownership. Here's the proposal I think is realistic:
- PASS A TEST: Tests would be designed for different categories of weapons, corresponding to different levels of licensing. The testing process would require background checks and a waiting period before getting a license.
- CARRY A LICENSE: Every person in possession of any category of firearm would be legally required to carry a license proving their legal right and ability to own and use that firearm.
- PURCHASE INSURANCE: Liability insurance, corresponding to the category of each firearm, would be required with the license before purchasing or acquiring ownership of the weapon.
Is this a compromise? Yes. - Banning guns will never happen in this country, even "military-style" weapons, but enacting legal requirements for ownership of firearms to protect the lives of people of all ages and color could be done.
It's time to act. Keep praying, but take action. Do something now!