I've debated back and forth in my head whether or not I wanted to write about gun control. Everyone on both sides of the issue are, for lack of a better phrase, up in arms about it. As they should be, this is a very touchy subject. People are very passionate about certain things, and guns just happens to be one of them. I would rather be writing about same sex marriage or legalization of marijuana or the fact that Spring Training is just several months away, but because this subject is what is dominating the news, this is what is on my mind. I'm not going to throw out numbers or statistics, just my opinion.
I grew up in a house with guns. The main purpose of these guns was for hunting. A few rifles, a few shotguns, but that's it. My mom doesn't like firearms of any kind, so when we were very little, they were tucked away somewhere in the house and we had no idea where they were. Out of sight, out of mind. They were kept where we physically could not get to them even if we tried. Dad brought them out once a year to go hunting. As we got old enough to go hunting, we took our firearm safety class. We were taught to respect the firearm. There was also a little bit of fear instilled into our minds that if you did not handle them properly, the end results could be injury or death. I feel that education about guns of any kind is the first and most important step. Education and respect. Along with this education, the gun owner needs to keep an open dialogue with their family. If you tell someone that they can't touch something like a firearm, their natural curiosity takes over. And without any knowledge of the firearm that is when you see horrible accidents happen.
The minute someone put out the word 'ban' along with 'gun' people lost their shit. Everyone has to understand that a total gun ban will never happen. With all the money that organizations like the NRA pump into Washington D.C. you will never see an all out ban on weapons. Ever. Or a partial ban. I don't think you will see a ban on assault weapons, which most people are calling for. The best way to go about any kind of ban is taking a look at clips. Restricting the size of clips. And that would be tough to do. One of the best arguments I have heard is 'what do you need a clip that holds thirty bullets for'? What are you doing that requires that many? When a sane answer to those questions is brought forth, I will listen. Until then, this should be the focus of change. The rifle I used when I went hunting this fall was my dad's. It holds four bullets. I didn't even need all four. My dad told me 'if you empty that clip, you shouldn't be in the woods.' And all I did was fire one shot. It would be difficult to restrict the number of clips people own, so the size of clips is the way to go about it if the politicians want to go with that fight. For people that want to go to the gun range, you still have your clips, they may just be smaller. And you still have your firearm.
If restricting the size of the clip wouldn't work because, well, you just never know when you will need those thirty bullets for your semi-automatic rifle, why not restrict the amount of ammunition you can have? I believe most boxes of ammunition come twenty to twenty five to a box. That is a standard size, I'm not talking buying in bulk. Just have a deposit on the bullets much like some states do for cans and bottles. Once you return all the spent casings, they don't go flying so far from the gun that you would not be able to find them, you can buy a new box of ammo. And use a database to track who has bought what ammunition. If you haven't returned the ammo you previously purchased, you cannot buy more. In order for that to happen, there would need to be a registration of gun ownership. If you are trying to buy ammo for a gun that you do not have registered under your own name, guess what, you aren't getting the bullets. Simple as that. If you have two rifles and three shotguns, all you need is five boxes. But good luck getting everyone on board with this whole registration thing.
In the end, you will not find a happy medium. It is just not possible because the left and the right are too far apart and neither one will compromise on their stance. Until they get together and hammer out something that people agree on, we will have this debate after every mass shooting. And that is the unfortunate truth.
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