New York Govenror David Paterson is negotiating with Democrats in the New York House of Representatives to get his gun control package passed. His package includes requiring the taking of a training course before gun licenses are issued, no matter how long you’ve been shooting, and no matter how familiar you are with guns. Apparently this has some Democrats in New York upset, because it allows for training to be done by the National Rifle Assocation.
I actually agree with the anti-gunners that training is important, and that people need to be educated on the safe use of firearms. Where I depart from them, is that I don’t believe it should be a condition on exercising a constitutional right. Every person who graduates from high school should have had a course in safely using a firearm. There was a time when most high schools had shooting teams, and back then, we didn’t seem to have a problem with kids shooting up their schools. We teach kids safe sex because that knowledge could end up saving their lives. Safe handling of firearms is in the same ballpark, not to mention useful for our military readiness.
Think Paterson and the anti-gun folks would get on board with that? Hell no. Because their goal is to make it harder to buy a gun, not in looking for ways to deal with the problem of uneducated people with firearms.
I’ve wondered at length about people who have absolutely NO knowledge of firearms trying to pass legislation regarding them. The result, as we’ve all seen, is that they usually wind up looking like jackasses.
Pride is a terrible thing at times. If I wanted to know something about firearms, I’d go to the NRA first, and Brady Bunch / VPC types not at all. But when you have declared jihad on your best sources of information, well…