"It's always too soon to talk about gun control"

[Black Aeronaut]

Guns may not be owned by anyone under the age of 21, unless currently serving in the armed forces.  Parents that wish to take their children shooting must have additional training and have their gun license show the a 'family' endorsement, or to a certified firing range.  Anyone under the age of 21 is not to be permitted to use a firearm unless under supervision by qualified individuals.  No exceptions, not even for hunting - when hunting the buddy system should apply regardless!!!

I don't understand this logic at all. Either an 18 year old can be trusted with a gun or they can't.  If they can't then we need to raise the age for admission to the armed forces to 21.  I'm aware that this would be a recruiting nightmare, but hey, at least it would allow the U.S. to join the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.  Look who's the odd one out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention..._Child.svg

But yeah, guns and motor vehicles in a similar category to me -- both useful tools that if misused can very easily result in death, and thus should be regulated.  The government knows where every street legal car is, who owns it, and who is allowed to drive it.  A similar approach to guns seems reasonable.

While I kind of approve of the rest of your rant, there's very few details on what the REAL PROBLEM is.  Do you mean mental illness?  Domestic violence against women?  What kind of mental illness?  The majority of gun deaths in the United States are suicides, so maybe depression?  How much of that depression is caused by environmental causes, like poverty or drugs?  The second most common cause of gun deaths is accidents.  Do we need to add more training, and if so is that training even effective?  Gun deaths decrease nationwide during NRA conventions, typically held in convention centers that don't allow firearms, so one has to wonder if the current training is effective.  Or are you talking about mass shootings, which often involve some sort of radicalization.  So do we try to improve social bonds in our communities?  Investigate people who make thoughtcrime google searches?

I mean, it's like WTF are we supposed to fix?

In regards to the no gun ownership under 21 thing, it felt like a safe spot - similar to the no alcohol for under 21 law.  And the reason that being in the armed forces would be the exception is that by the time you get through basic training you're trusted to be able to take care of your own weapon should one be issued to you.  You've gone through the training, you're very well aware of the dangers, and if you have made it through then you're generally considered to be mentally sound because Basic Training is intended to weed out head cases.  (Not that they're treated badly if they just can't hack it mentally - they're given a medical discharge, which is the same as an honorable discharge, only it explains why you got discharged so early.  The point is you gave it an honest shot and that is to be respected.)

As for what's wrong?  Well, I will admit, it is a broad spectrum of things.  Look at all the motives we've had.  Racism and Hate, heartbreak gone too far, psychotic disorders, sociopathic mentality, revenge for perceived wrongdoings, and even just some morally challenged kids that want their fifteen seconds of fame.

For this kind of epidemic, a broad spectrum treatment is needed.  First and foremost, the mental healthcare system needs to become a robust entity in this nation - perhaps even to the extent that it has its own department within the federal government.  This, I feel, is something that we can no longer be without.  It is clearly obvious that there are severe mental health issues in this nation.

The hell of it is that we already have general procedures in place for early detection of mental health issues, but they're often ignored - they're as simple as your general practitioner how you've been feeling aside from the physical sense.  But a lot of people cannot afford to have a primary care doctor due to health insurance being so expensive.

Secondly, we need to raise awareness that if someone says on social media or in message boards that they're going to kill a bunch of people, then it must be taken seriously.  So many of these shootings could have been headed off entirely if people on social media did not simply blow it off as internet drama or someone just out to troll other netizens.

I already mentioned before that I strongly feel that everyone must display competence in handling firearms.  If needs be, we can break these down into classifications, such as handguns, shotguns, rifles, and military weapons, as well as an option for single-shot restriction (an action must be manually worked to load the next round or a new round manually loaded after ever shot) or full automatic endorsement (permits use of fully automatic weapons - typically only given to militiamen) with the neutral ground being semi-automatics.  Additionally, there I would suggest endorsements for 'Parent/Guardian' (which allows a parent to take their child hunting or to a shooting range and that they accept full responsibility for the actions of their child) and 'Range Supervisor'.

The classes should all be formalized, standardized, and mandatory - no skirting the boundaries.  You will sit the required courses and take the required examinations, both written and practical.

Finally, spousal abuse must be addressed more directly, and preferably a part of what the mental health system covers.  If a spouse comes into a hospital with injuries that look even the least bit suspicious, a trained psychiatrist should be brought in immediately to assess the situation.  And if there is indeed a situation, the next natural thing would be to check the firearms registry.

As for removing firearms from a household that has a dangerous element, I would suggest that the ATF have a system where they can store weapons temporarily.  The owners will retain ownership and the ATF will see to the weapons upkeep until such a time that the situation has been resolved or the owner decides to sell the weapons.

I never expected this to be a simple answer, as this is really a situation that there are no easy answers for.  So by all means...