Legal v. illegal onwership, and the "actual issues" with legal owners ...
First off, let's separate illegal gun ownership from legal gun ownership. We'll establish that illegal ownership is not something that's controllable, much less the government could not collect a significant number of guns in this country even if they outlawed them.
So, secondly, let's look closer at legal gun ownership. Many casualties result from ...
1. Alcohol consumption
2. Not being taught how to properly handle a firearm (primary owners)
3. Not being taught how to respect a firearm (especially kids of primary owners)
Etc...
The first two, and many others, are due to irresponsibility of the citizen, and many times indirectly. In fact, I made this point prior, alcohol causes so many issues in this nation, so much so that once women were allowed to vote, a Constitutional Amendment was passed shortly afterward to outlaw drinking.
What did that do? The root cause is that the citizen, even if a very small minority, is too irresponsible to handle something. But outlawing it does not remove the root cause, it only leaves the problem to the illegal owners who make things worse, not better.
People forget how many legal gun owners there are in the US, and how extremely few of them are involved with any such incidents. The other statistics are either the illegal users, or those minority of legal users who are irresponsible. This is absolutely no different than many other things.
Now the third one is my personal favorite. There's already talk of making the teaching of a child to use a firearm illegal. That utterly self-defeating. The over-whelming majority of kids that kill others and themselves with guns are the ones that don't even know how to handle them, much less respect them.
If there is a gun in the house, the first two (2) rules the kid needs to be taught are:
1. If you pick up a gun, you intend to use it (and have that purpose already in sound mind)
2. If you aim a gun, you intend to fire it (at what you're already aiming at, without question)
The most irresponsible thing a parent can do is own a gun and not teach the kid to respect the firearm. It's kinda hard to do that without having that child hold the firearm and experience the kind of death it can bring. Kids get on "power trips" when they watch movies. When they face the reality of what something can do, it actually teaches them a real lesson. Otherwise, they'll only learn that lesson too late -- and that's the repeat theme I've heard over and over.
I'm a Libertarian-Capitalist, which means I think most people, the law abiding citizens, know better than their government or -- worse yet -- the influence over government of a select few who have their interests, group together and enact their "group right" over everyone else at the expense of their "individual rights" they don't agree with.
The general statistics of the US show a very individualist, free and, as a side effect in various ways, violent society compared to many other, industrial nations. Removing guns will not curb that. The US' issues with pregnancy rates, other crimes and other statistics show similar differences and attitudes as well.
Lastly, I'm so tired of the demonization of the NRA. The average gun owning citizen I've met is often far less responsible than the average -- let alone active -- NRA member. People pick little things they want to argue with the NRA on, and forget the entire attitude of the NRA is responsible gun ownership, period (the 2nd Amendment defense, among others, is just part of that equation).
It's no different than the often same demonization I've seen made of the ACLU. People pick the little things they want to disagree with on the ACLU, and totally ignore their message and dedication to civics. I would trust the civics of any ACLU member -- let alone active -- any day to any American citizen, let alone politician. They exist to protect the public from destroying its own civics (the 1st Amendment defense, among others, is just part of that equation).
Regardless of what people may think, gun ownership is about personal and family protection. Unfortunately, a small minority of legal gun owners don't take that responsibility seriously enough. That's sad, but it's the same issue with alcohol, sex, other crimes, etc... in this country -- very linear, compared to other, industrial nations.
It's the right that you have to bear arms and protect yourself if you wish. The murkier definition on that is whether it is true or not outside of your home. But inside of your own home, it is, utterly.
Furthermore, gun ownership works only when everyone agreed to be responsible. That's why it almost always works in small communities ... which is about person-to-person accountability. But that's hardly a problem limited to guns. Which is why I don't see this remotely as a gun problem, but a greater responsibility and accountability problem.
Which is why I repeatedly come back to my Libertarian-Capitalist ideals, because they are repeatedly true in that regard.
