I’ve lived in Germany. I’ve visited Switzerland. Despite what Fox News tells you, they both have the same freedoms that we enjoy here in the US. They’ve just found a way to have freedom AND curb rampant gun use.

Let’s take your perspective: why don’t we go ahead and legalize drunk driving? After all, if someone is going to break the law and drive drunk, no amount of laws are going to stop them. Why don’t we legalize drug trafficking? After all, if someone is going to break the law and manufacture/distribute drugs, no amount of laws are going to stop them.

Or maybe we should institute laws that help promote good behavior in our community. For example, we could make sure people are not allowed to drive unless they are able to prove they can be a responsible driver. Or prevent people from selling drugs unless they can do so responsibly (like a pharmacist). Or make sure someone understands the responsibility of owning and securing a firearm before they are allowed to purchase one.

Tell me you’ve never traveled outside the US without telling me you’ve never traveled outside the US. Switzerland has freedom and guns. Germany has freedom and guns. Italy has freedom and guns. The US has freedom, guns, AND a massive gun violence problem.

Look, you’ve evidently made up your mind that “American Exceptionalism” means that we’re the only country incapable of combatting gun violence using common sense gun reform. If you really think that mass shootings are just part of what makes America great, I’m not going to ever be able to convince you otherwise on a forum like this.

At the very least, please do me a favor and secure your firearms. There are way too many crazies in our community like this lady who believe we’re still living in the Wild West.

Straw sale? The penalties now are pretty harsh for both the buyer and seller if this is caught now. But people still do it because criminals disregard the law and it’s consequences.

Test to own a gun? Terrible idea. “Basic Requirements” to gun ownership is what started the slippery slope in NYC to where it’s nearly impossible for the ordinary citizen to obtain a firearm. Just look at their gun violence stats, you’ll see their stringent laws are really working.

Gun registry? All 4473 forms are stored in guns shops for an upward of 10 years. Should a gun be used in a crime they can trace the serial number back to where it was purchased and pull the paperwork to see who the original owner was.. plus registration is a prerequisite to confiscation, just ask Australia. That should be a big nope for someone who says they “fully support the 2A”.

We shouldn’t listen to our founders because of other mistakes? That’s a straw man fallacy. The issues you stated were problems but bringing them up only serves to wrongly detract from the topic of discussion. It doesn’t hold water that we should dismiss all of someone’s ideas because they didn’t get it all right. All of our other rights are held up and protected by our 2A. Just see how much free speech other places with no guns have… oh that’s right we’re the only country that guarantees that right too… pretty strong correlation eh? God Bless American exceptionalism.

*sigh*

She. Had. A. Gun.

Our current laws didn’t prevent her from acquiring a gun. If our current laws aren’t preventing the problem, maybe it’s time to explore new laws that WOULD.

Did she get the gun through a straw sale? Maybe it’s time to improve our vetting process for firearm sales or increase penalties for participating in a straw sale.

Did she steal it from an irresponsible gun owner? Maybe we should introduce testing requirements for prospective gun owners to make sure they know how to safely store their firearms.

Did she legally obtain the firearm before being charged with a felony? Maybe it’s time to consider a national firearms registry similar to our current vehicle ownership database that could be used to verify if someone charged with a felony owns any firearms at the time of their conviction.

There are common sense laws we could introduce to help prevent gun violence.

Let’s say your opinion on the Second Amendment is right, and that the Founding Fathers would support our right to build nuclear warheads in our garages. Why should we listen to them? They also believed that minorities were property and women shouldn’t vote. Should we also reintroduce slavery and end women’s suffrage because “It’s what the Founding Fathers would have done”? Or maybe we should recognize that we live in a different world than they did, and that we should use the tools at our disposal to make our country better?

For Pete’s sake maybe the 3rd time is the charm.. there is already legislation on the books to keep guns out of the hands of the dangerous and mentally unstable. But those people don’t care about the rule of law. All more stringent laws do is create more red tape for the law abiding citizen.. as for the people that have their guns stolen from unlocked cars.. I agree they’re fools, but they should not be punished for someone else’s crime of stealing.

Furthermore, although the 2A itself doesn’t specify anyone can own anything most supporting documents to the bill of rights do. For example the early US government commissioning private ships for war would indicate they already own cannons. James Madison (the author of the Constitution) encouraged private citizens in a letter to equip their ships with cannons.. the 2A in its plain interpretation is that the people should be able to possess any weapon that the government possesses. Why? So the people can be protected from the government should the government decide it’s their job control rights rather than just recognize them.