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Old December 20, 2012, 04:12 PM   #7
Spats McGee
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Join Date: July 28, 2010
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 8,815
Quote:
Originally Posted by gaseousclay
. . . . for example, is it unreasonable to require new gun owners to take a mandatory safety course and test to prove their capability with a firearm?. . . .
Yes, it is. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamantal individual right. If we can't have literacy tests or ask for ID for voting, why should we test capabilities for gun ownership? Besides, felons won't be required to take a safety course. Why should I?

If I don't pass the test, am I going to have to go take training at my own expense in order to qualify to get a handgun? What if I can't afford it? Does that mean I don't get my 2A rights?

Quote:
Originally Posted by gaseousclay
. . . . the way I see it, it's not that different from the laws surrounding car ownership. you have to take a test and demonstrate you know the rules of driving and most importantly, safety. . . .
Not to own a car you don't. A 9-year-old who happens to find a big ol' wad of cash can buy a car with no ID, no background check, no license, no nothing. Provided that the child stays off of the public roadways, no license is required (at least in Arkansas). Besides, there's no constitutional right to keep and bear cars.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gaseousclay
. . . . Is it unreasonable to regulate private sales, so that gun buyers would have to go through a business with a legally held FFL?
Yes, it is. That only puts a burden, both in terms of dollars and hassle, on those that lawfully obtain their firearms.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gaseousclay
. . . .Is it unreasonable to require new gun owners to have some sort of safe or means of safely storing their firearms out of reach of others?
Yes. Again, this places a financial burden on lawful owners, but does nothing to unlawful owners. A single mom working 2 jobs, living in a shady neighborhood, and barely making it by has as much right to defend herself as anyone else. So you'd propose that she should have to buy a safe on top of the expense of a firearm? Even if we're only talking about trigger locks that come with many (if not all) pistols, would you require her to keep it locked up at night?

Training is a good idea. Safety is a good idea. Safes are a good idea. Mandating them is not.
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