I've decided that I don't need statistics
Aug. 28th, 2015 07:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
justalurkrMy feelings about balancing "well regulated" with "keep and bear arms" crystallized into one question: why is my ability to own and operate a motor vehicle better regulated than anyone's right to own and operate a firearm?
Think about it. I had to take three tests to earn a license to drive: vision, written and practical. To own a car, I must pay tax, tag and title fees. I must renew that tag every year by proving my vehicle is in good working order (inspection required.) I must insure it and, when I reach a certain age, recertify that I can still see well enough to drive and occasionally retake the practical exam.
I'd love to know that someone packing heat has passed a vision test! Let alone a practical demonstration of their ability to handle and safely maintain a firearm along with a minimum standard of marksmanship. Annual inspections of firearms would demonstrate first that the owner knows where it is (a bigger deal than people seem to think;) second, that the firearm has not been modified in any illegal manner; and third that the firearm is still in good working order. Also, if there is an annual, per firearm registration fee, people might start making economically rational decisions about how many they neef in the house.
A car is not intended to be a weapon. Does it seem reasonable to keep better track of one than we do of things that are?
Think about it. I had to take three tests to earn a license to drive: vision, written and practical. To own a car, I must pay tax, tag and title fees. I must renew that tag every year by proving my vehicle is in good working order (inspection required.) I must insure it and, when I reach a certain age, recertify that I can still see well enough to drive and occasionally retake the practical exam.
I'd love to know that someone packing heat has passed a vision test! Let alone a practical demonstration of their ability to handle and safely maintain a firearm along with a minimum standard of marksmanship. Annual inspections of firearms would demonstrate first that the owner knows where it is (a bigger deal than people seem to think;) second, that the firearm has not been modified in any illegal manner; and third that the firearm is still in good working order. Also, if there is an annual, per firearm registration fee, people might start making economically rational decisions about how many they neef in the house.
A car is not intended to be a weapon. Does it seem reasonable to keep better track of one than we do of things that are?
