Guns are not toys. They are lethal
weapons. Just as in order to drive my car it must be registered and insured and
I need a valid license, a similar approach to guns should remind people that
owning a lethal weapon is a serious responsibility. Instead of banning guns by
type and magazine capacity, let’s require liability insurance and registration
along with licenses to carry. The insurance industry could readily attach a
rider to your home owner’s or renter’s policy. If stopped by the police a gun
owner would have to produce proof of insurance and license, just as I must do
if I am stopped in a traffic stop. If I
don’t have those, my car may be towed; for a gun owner, the gun could be
impounded until the owner produces proof of insurance.
When I taught English to the
Swedish police in Stockholm, you
could own a gun but until you had a gold marksmanship medal you could not
remove it from the shooting club. One of my students had to carry a weapon on
the job, but could not have a gun at home himself as he was not qualified.
