"If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end with doubts, but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties." – Francis Bacon
I agree that this is a complex problem with many layers, including the proliferation and availability of guns, mental health challenges, inadequate parenting, dark side of social media, etc. etc. I imagine Steve Kerr would agree that there is not a single, simple answer...but universal background checks is a common sense start and is supported by the vast majority of the populace (including a large swath of gun owners). This does seem like a clear case where 50 politicians and the lobbyists that support them are blocking the will of the people. I would go a step further and say that the majority of Americans also support a ban on military assault weapons (except at permitted shooting ranges) and that the legal age for purchasing guns should be raised (to allow for full brain development, maturity to override impulses). Granted, these common-sense measures would not solve the problem entirely, but -- to your point -- if this is a multi-layered problem, why not get started with incremental solutions?
Jake, thank you for raising another rational discussion on a critical issue this country MUST face head on. By anecdote, I just completed training to get my boat captain license. It took 6 hours in on line training course plus a 100 plus question test where I needed to score 80% or better to pass. After that I was required to take a 3 hour “on the water training” by a certified instructor. To drive a boat. We know what it takes to get a driver’s license for a car. I too have no objections to a background check and need to better understand the arguments against these. But adding a rigorous required training course to get a gun with annual recertification might also provide some answered here,
I agree that this is a complex problem with many layers, including the proliferation and availability of guns, mental health challenges, inadequate parenting, dark side of social media, etc. etc. I imagine Steve Kerr would agree that there is not a single, simple answer...but universal background checks is a common sense start and is supported by the vast majority of the populace (including a large swath of gun owners). This does seem like a clear case where 50 politicians and the lobbyists that support them are blocking the will of the people. I would go a step further and say that the majority of Americans also support a ban on military assault weapons (except at permitted shooting ranges) and that the legal age for purchasing guns should be raised (to allow for full brain development, maturity to override impulses). Granted, these common-sense measures would not solve the problem entirely, but -- to your point -- if this is a multi-layered problem, why not get started with incremental solutions?
Jake, thank you for raising another rational discussion on a critical issue this country MUST face head on. By anecdote, I just completed training to get my boat captain license. It took 6 hours in on line training course plus a 100 plus question test where I needed to score 80% or better to pass. After that I was required to take a 3 hour “on the water training” by a certified instructor. To drive a boat. We know what it takes to get a driver’s license for a car. I too have no objections to a background check and need to better understand the arguments against these. But adding a rigorous required training course to get a gun with annual recertification might also provide some answered here,
I’m not opposed to universal background checks. Why are those so objectionable?