Not much of a banner-waver here personally …
I do vote in every election though as an Independent … but to answer your question. I responded to you back on 2/26/18 on the subject.
https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/the-nra-owns-trump-as-well.110561/page-10#post-1235460
We should be able to engineer our way out of this. Logic says that the more guns there are out there, then more than likely a crime is going to occur. If data integration was allowed … IT IS NOT … between gun manufacturers and local/national/federal agencies and said guns are legally purchased u could more easily track a guns movement. Ban private sales like Germany does (89% gun ownership, one of the highest in the world, no assault weapons, etc.) and then you might get a better handle on things. Crimes & crimes of passion will not go away but they will be decreased. Like I said, I’m trying to engineer the problem down.
Am I right to infer that you feel the existing local/state/federal firearms controls are adequate and we’re doing just fine as is?
If so, I respectfully beg to differ.
I believe in the privilege, like driving a car, to own a gun for various reasons. We can agree to disagree on whether it is a “
right” like Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens did in this editorial.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/opinion/john-paul-stevens-repeal-second-amendment.html
As a responsible gun owner I believe that we need to streamline (data integration, etc.) and tighten things up (exhaustive background checks, there month waiting period while taking a gun safety training course, etc.). Different levels of gun ownership/licenses and what models you can purchase for hunting, home/business security, wild animal control (ranchers/farmers),historical collectors, marksmen, etc. Reasonable people with nothing to hide, unlike the criminals, NRA/gun manufacturing lobbyists and psychos out there, should be able to agree on reasonable solutions.
Doing nothing like we’ve been doing is not a solution.
I also want to give pause, in the unlikely event, to our political/military leaders, if they decide to unilaterally cancel the Constitution/Bill Of Rights without our consent.
I personally own a 12-gauge Ithaca side-by-side shotgun for home protection, which I keep under lock & key at all times (I have a three year old grandson). Quite a few of my friends are hunters and agree that an AR-15 is useless for that purpose, unless you’re being attacked by a rampaging horde of buffalo’s.
Even they agree that the NRA’s position on unfettered gun ownership in this day & age is not reasonable and cancelled their membership.