The sudden enthusiasm on the part of gun rights proponents for better mental health care is nothing but a smokescreen. Tragedies such as Sandy Hook, horrific as they are, are really beside the point because they are comparatively rare. Gun violence in America is far higher than that of other First World nations with similar numbers of guns per capita. The problem is the ease with which guns may be obtained by people who cannot be trusted with them. I have a number of concrete proposals that do not violate the Second Amendment.

* The small-scale unregulated manufacture of firearms and ammunition must be banned outright, with mandatory jail terms for so doing. 3D printers should be sold under licensing terms that prohibit the purchaser for using them to construct firearms or parts to be used in firearms.

* All ammunition must be purchased at licensed venues that are separate from firearms sales venues.

* All firearms must be purchased at permanent, licensed venues. Gun shows should be outlawed entirely.

* Firearms should be the subject of a federal excise tax, similar to that on tires, calculated at such a rate that the anticipated sales of firearms in a given year will be enough to pay for the total firearms-related medical care costs incurred by the Federal government in the previous year.

* Gun and ammunition advertising should be restricted in the same way that cigarette advertising is.

* Every firearm manufactured must be constructed with a serial number that is stamped into all parts with a total surface area of four square centimeters or more. This is the equivalent of a VIN number on a vehicle. Any attempt to modify or remove this information should be a crime with a mandatory jail term.

* Firearms manufacture should be strictly regulated and limited to a certain number per year.
* Every firearm must be registered to an adult keeper just as every automobile is, and that person should be held legally responsible for anything that happens while they use it or anyone else uses it with their permission– as with vehicles.

* Firearm owners must be required to purchase insurance to cover the cost of accidents with their firearm. Insurance companies may calculate premiums based on the owner’s age and the type of firearm, as with vehicles.

* Every firearm owner must keep it on private land or possess proof of insurance to take it elsewhere — as with vehicles.

* Every firearm owner must keep their firearm unloaded and locked when not in use. The police may at any time and without warning inspect the storage conditions of any firearm. Failure to correctly maintain a firearm in proper storage will result in criminal charges and confiscation of the weapon.

* Any firearm used in the commission of a crime must, after all evidence of probative value has been retrieved from it, be destroyed within 30 days of trial regardless of who owns it.

* Theft of a firearm or possession of a stolen firearm should be punished with the same severity as attempted murder.

* Failure to report the theft of a firearm should be a criminal offense punishable by jail time.

That will do for a start.

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