We need to get the number of gun dealers in America down to under 10,000, or ideally the same number as we have hospitals. Cancel every FFL and force them to reapply with stricter laws.
I hope more Republicans come around to your way of thinking on this matter. One would think our country would not continue to turn a blind eye to the plague of gun violence that has gripped our nation for far too long. I would like to be wrong, but thus far history supports my skepticism. I don't think the deaths of 19 children and 3 adults in a school will deter the political and power-seeking ambitions of those who choose to promote guns over lives. Unfortunately, this is just another day in the USA.
Great article. I do not believe all FFL dealers are a problem, but some are, so closer monitoring is a good thing. Crazy people and criminals are the real problems and are harder to tackle without violating basic rights. Every criminal using a firearm should face maximum charges. Deeper background checks and evaluations are probably justified but innocent until proven guilty rules. The firearms industry could do some strict self-policing - much like INPO in nuclear power.
Think about it, here. I agree that most FFL holders are honest. However the problem is one of distribution not manufacture. The gun manufacturers do not sell direct to the public. Background checks by the government won't turn up "red flag" issues on people like Ramos because he never really engaged the system. We can't make "high school dropout with troubled family" a reason to deny a firearm purchase. The gun industry is very risk-averse and well-lawyered. They are afraid the government will put the blame of shootings on them in industry-killing lawsuits. Their solution would be to add surtaxes to gun purchases and pass it on to consumers. That won't change behavior but it will create a money moat leading to further deadlock. The area where the government has the most leverage is FFLs. This is where I believe the focus should be, and at the point of purchase. The FFL should be trained to handle their own red flags. The level of training and organization for, say, CMS (Medicare) and HIPAA, far exceeds in footprint and material, what FFLs can get for identifying straw purchasers or others who shouldn't buy a gun that particular day. (There's plenty of gun safety training however.) And there's no system that I know of for one FFL to record a "refuse to sell" and have it carry over to the guy down the street. There's just too many FFLs.
Background checks aren't designed to identify psychiatric issues: that's one change that is needed.
I'd make others, as previously discussed (far too often).
I hope more Republicans come around to your way of thinking on this matter. One would think our country would not continue to turn a blind eye to the plague of gun violence that has gripped our nation for far too long. I would like to be wrong, but thus far history supports my skepticism. I don't think the deaths of 19 children and 3 adults in a school will deter the political and power-seeking ambitions of those who choose to promote guns over lives. Unfortunately, this is just another day in the USA.
Great article. I do not believe all FFL dealers are a problem, but some are, so closer monitoring is a good thing. Crazy people and criminals are the real problems and are harder to tackle without violating basic rights. Every criminal using a firearm should face maximum charges. Deeper background checks and evaluations are probably justified but innocent until proven guilty rules. The firearms industry could do some strict self-policing - much like INPO in nuclear power.
Think about it, here. I agree that most FFL holders are honest. However the problem is one of distribution not manufacture. The gun manufacturers do not sell direct to the public. Background checks by the government won't turn up "red flag" issues on people like Ramos because he never really engaged the system. We can't make "high school dropout with troubled family" a reason to deny a firearm purchase. The gun industry is very risk-averse and well-lawyered. They are afraid the government will put the blame of shootings on them in industry-killing lawsuits. Their solution would be to add surtaxes to gun purchases and pass it on to consumers. That won't change behavior but it will create a money moat leading to further deadlock. The area where the government has the most leverage is FFLs. This is where I believe the focus should be, and at the point of purchase. The FFL should be trained to handle their own red flags. The level of training and organization for, say, CMS (Medicare) and HIPAA, far exceeds in footprint and material, what FFLs can get for identifying straw purchasers or others who shouldn't buy a gun that particular day. (There's plenty of gun safety training however.) And there's no system that I know of for one FFL to record a "refuse to sell" and have it carry over to the guy down the street. There's just too many FFLs.