No amount of legislation or regulation in the world, no matter how difficult, will ever prevent idiots from committing acts of idiocy. No offense but, such methods of thinking are a logic trap. You simply cannot control people in a free society. The best you can do is your best to encourage people to seek out safety and self defense training. People have to make their own choices, whether you, I, or the government likes it or not, and that is a truly free society. As far as I'm concerned, no license should be necessary for a law-abiding citizen to conceal or open carry a firearm. I sell guns for a living, and a deal with all manner of Darwin award candidates all day long. I do my best to try and educate people with the time available to me, and to try to open their eyes and encourage them to seek out training. It's not my business and it's not the government's whether they do something about that or not.
Another argument you will commonly here for stricter carry laws is that people carrying guns in public should have to prove something, to prove they won't cause mayhem in public. Again, this line of thought is completely meaningless. Idiots seal their own fate, and no matter how strict the laws they will inevitably fall through the cracks regardless. It is completely 180 degrees contrary to the American ideal of personal freedom to be catering laws towards the lowest common denominator.
How about this. Instead of this mindset of government forced "responsibility", how about we start doing things to encourage people to do stuff on their own? You know those PSA commercials you used to see on TV about talking to your children about drugs, adopting a pet, etc? Well how about we start running PSA's, privately sponsored TV ads, newspaper articles, radio ads, etc encouraging people to attend firearms training schools, go to the shooting range and practice, etc etc? How about that? There are plenty of positive things we could do, that usually aren't being done currently, without falling into the improper mindset of having the government force people to do stuff. We need to stop worrying about what everyone else is doing in this country, and rather focus on ourselves instead and being the best we can be.
Yes, I cover handgun safety ad nauseum, taking every opportunity to reinforce the rules and practices. But as I said, talking about it is one thing. What sticks in the students' heads is what the practice and repeat. This is why we all should be urging further training.
those who choose to carry a weapon and are too stupid to learn how to use it.
... but there has to be some way to insure that we are protected from those who choose to carry a weapon and are too stupid to learn how to use it.
That is impossible.
Why are new hunters required to take a Hunter's Safety Course.....
I agree with you 100%atriot: rest assured I was not referring to you or anyone else on this forum. Here in Corpus there may a couple good ones, but ....well....I'll leave it at that before I get into a
So what then do you think we should do? Should it instead be a three day course to drill in safety? Or should there be a requirement that every month, 2 months, 6 months, whatever, you have to come in and re-shoot and show safety sense? Because face it, no matter what you think should be in the class, it makes no damn difference if another person takes it, and doesn't go out shooting again for 5 years at renewal time.
Like I said before changing times do require changing rules. We live in a VERY different world than when the 2A was created and new rules SHOULD be made to compensate for the chaning times, for all kinds of reasons. We live and learn from our past, as a society, thereby bringing to light new ideas and enlightenment. If this werent true, why have speed limits today? Why require licenses to be able to drive cars? Should EVERYONE be allowed to drive a car without some measure of control? Changing times do require changing rules.
You guys dont seem to want to acknowledge the world we actually live in. It IS a requirement. It IS a priveledge and it IS the society we all CHOOSE to live in. There are plenty of other countrys people could move to where there is no licensing regulation or other requirement to carry a firearm yet you choose to stay here and complain about how it is. You all would rather all these morons that voted for Obama to be able to carry a gun, not that they would, than to be "filtered" to ensure safety. Now that sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.
I remember when they started that mess too. Another requirement. My son had to go to one of those stupid classes after I'd taught him for years about guns and gun safety. We don't need no stinking government intervention. I was shooting when the Mossberg bolt action 16 gauge that my dad gave me was taller than I was, (pretty close in height anyway).
These requirements and restrictions are not about our safety anyway.