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and more on gun control-
I wanted to say just a bit more on Orlando. I think our love affair with guns in this country is obscene. I really do. Yet I got a couple of petitions for gun control that I could not in good conscience sign. Among other things, they are insisting that anyone who is "suspected of terrorism" should be forbidden to buy a gun. And here's the thing:
A Republican lawmaker -- I forget who -- explained why he could not support this law. He said he couldn't agree that people on some secret list should be penalized. I thought about that, and I actually agree with him. We have no idea what could cause you to get on that list. Advocating for equal rights for Palestinians? Supporting BDS? Dr. Sami Al Arian did those things, and there are those who called him a terrorist. He was actually jailed. So far as I know, he never did, nor threatened, any violence to anyone.
So this Republican is right. I don't agree with barring people from exercising their second amendment rights because they somehow got on some secret list. Editing to add that neither doctor Al Arian, nor any of the activists I know, would ever try to buy an assault rifle. Here is what I would like to see.
1. A total, absolute ban on the sale of asasult rifles to civilians.
2. A total ban on all military weapons.
3. No one actually convicted of a violent crime should ever be allowed to have a gun.
4. All gun owners should have to pass an exam, pay a licensing fee, and carry insurance. As others have said, to own a gun should be at least as difficult as owning a car. And-
5. In the case of accidental shootings, I'd actually support making the owner of the gun pay civil damages. That's a bit controversial, and would probably never pass in this country. But it's worth trying. There have been way too many accidental deaths, as well as far too many mass murders.
And I have relatives who hunt and fish, and I have no problem with that. People have a right to hunt and fish. No one needs a machine gun or assault rifle to kill deer.
A Republican lawmaker -- I forget who -- explained why he could not support this law. He said he couldn't agree that people on some secret list should be penalized. I thought about that, and I actually agree with him. We have no idea what could cause you to get on that list. Advocating for equal rights for Palestinians? Supporting BDS? Dr. Sami Al Arian did those things, and there are those who called him a terrorist. He was actually jailed. So far as I know, he never did, nor threatened, any violence to anyone.
So this Republican is right. I don't agree with barring people from exercising their second amendment rights because they somehow got on some secret list. Editing to add that neither doctor Al Arian, nor any of the activists I know, would ever try to buy an assault rifle. Here is what I would like to see.
1. A total, absolute ban on the sale of asasult rifles to civilians.
2. A total ban on all military weapons.
3. No one actually convicted of a violent crime should ever be allowed to have a gun.
4. All gun owners should have to pass an exam, pay a licensing fee, and carry insurance. As others have said, to own a gun should be at least as difficult as owning a car. And-
5. In the case of accidental shootings, I'd actually support making the owner of the gun pay civil damages. That's a bit controversial, and would probably never pass in this country. But it's worth trying. There have been way too many accidental deaths, as well as far too many mass murders.
And I have relatives who hunt and fish, and I have no problem with that. People have a right to hunt and fish. No one needs a machine gun or assault rifle to kill deer.
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So why can't we simply ban machine guns and assault rifles? Australia did, and that's a country with many similarities to the U.S. I really don't get it.