How I Think Gun Control Should Work

I’m not a gun or legal expert, just a parent, who finds myself thinking of those moms and dads who ran to the Sandy Hook Elementary School, hoping their little ones were OK …

Of course, we should have a ban on assault weapons. The gun Adam Lanza used was designed for combat and could fire six bullets per second. An ordinary citizen has no need, whatsoever, for this. These guns should be illegal.

Other countries, when instituting bans on assault weapons, ran buy-back programs. That’s nice. But I’d be fine with, “These weapons will be illegal after this date. Turn them in or be in violation of the law.”

Other guns?  They and their owners should be regulated just like cars and drivers.

Guns should be registered. I think all guns should also be microstamped, so that guns used in a crime can be traced to their owners.

Gun owners should have to undergo periodic training and testing to be licensed.

But here’s the real key: gun owners should have to carry insurance. Because they should be held liable for the damage their guns cause.

Insurance companies are experts at figuring risk. As they do with life insurance, they might require gun owners to undergo a medical exam, this time to determine mental health. A hunting rifle might cost less to insure than a handgun. Small kids in the house? Your insurance costs more. Ditto, if you have a young adult male (mass shooters are almost always young men) in the house. But you might get a break, if you agree to store your gun off-site at a gun range or invest in a gun safe.

If it works for cars, why not guns?