So I was thinking about school shootings, small children accidentally shooting their siblings, people who shoot a home invader that turns out to be a relative, etc. It seems really clear to me that we need better gun control laws, but how to do that?
Then I had this crazy idea. I think it would be a bureaucratic nightmare, but maybe it will intrigue somebody who can edit it for the better.
Suppose everybody was given a week to turn in ALL their guns. They would get receipts specifying exactly what they had turned it, and everything would be kept safely for eventual return. If the guns they were turning in were not legal (licensed, whatever the correct term is), then they could be legalized as part of the process. Then let there be a six-month period when NOBODY could legally have a gun. (I guess there would be exceptions for the police, military, etc.) During that time, it would be very easy for the police to get search warrants only and specifically to search for guns. Any gun they found would be confiscated forever. Any time a gun was used in the commission of a crime, the crime would automatically be a felony. Really make an effort to get rid of all illegal guns, so that nobody can say "if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." After the six months, everybody who turned in (and licensed) their guns could get them back.
Would that help? I don't know. But I couldn't get the idea out of my mind, so I thought I would share it. What do YOU think?
[P.S. Some people have had difficulty leaving comments to these blogs. I don't know why; I consulted with the technical people on the site and they were able to leave comments just fine. If you find yourself in that position, I always share these postings on Facebook, so you can find them there and make your comments that way. Sorry about that.]
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