Instead of Gun Control Laws...

     The Nation is strongly divided over the issue of more regulation on gun control laws and every time there is another shooting or another child finds their parents gun and accidentally kills themselves or others there is a loud cry that rings across the land...

     "WE NEED MORE GUN CONTROL!!!"

     This is answered by those against any form of regulation crying back...

     "GUNS DO NOT KILL PEOPLE, PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE!"

     "THE SECOND AMENDMENT GIVES US THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS!!"

Which reads "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed"

     Actually, valid points all... there does need to be more control over firearms and safety and we do have the right to bear arms.

     One major issue with trying to enact any type of gun control is that there are already so many guns already out of the realm of control out there that even if they made the sale of new guns illegal tomorrow there are more than enough guns out there that cannot be accounted for to make the measure less than a drop in the ocean.  Guns, when properly cared for, can last decades or longer and once a private citizen has one they can sell it without any background checks at all to whomever they please.

     So... if we cannot make a dent in gun safety by simply regulating new gun sales then how can we make the guns that are out there safer?

     We could ask for licensing of all gun owners the same way all drivers are licensed, where they have to pass a safety test and know the laws of their state pertaining to guns.  Of course, there would still be illegal owners out there the same way there are people with no license or revoked license out there on the roads driving.

     I think a better idea would not be to regulate guns... the horse is long gone and the barn empty on that one so closing the barn door will do nothing but make the barn dark... instead, we need to regulate BULLETS!

     When the Second Amendment was created there was a need for the common man to have weapons available to defend hearth and home, if needed, from foreign armies.  The guns of that time were black powder guns that shot lead round bullets and I doubt seriously that our founding Fathers ever envisioned a day when there would be guns that could shoot multiple rounds in seconds without the hassle of reloading.

     The regulation of bullets IS something that could be done and definitely WOULD have an impact on gun violence, because without bullets all those guns floating around out there unchecked are no more than paperweights with attitude.

     People would have to register to purchase bullets, in doing so they would have to pass a background test, psychological exam and safety course.  They would have to give the reason for the number of bullets they needed (target practice, hunting, home safety) and would be limited to the number they could get for each reason.  Those who want to do target practice would have to do so at approved locations where they would obtain the bullets.  People would have to turn in the empty casings or shells of bullets they use hunting or in target practice in order to get more bullets, one for every shell or casing they turn in.  This would be recorded on their registration so that every bullet would be accounted for.  This would have another benefit of keeping the trash left behind by shooters to a minimum... no more taking a stroll in the woods and finding those red spent shotgun casings littering the ground.

     Yes... you have the right to bear arms... but NOWHERE does it say that you have the right to bullets without control!