Gun Control III

Throwing more guns at this problem is not the solution. One of the things I stated before is that the mindset here in America seems to be the ultimate culprit. I grew in Canada. There are LOTS of guns. I had two pellet guns growing up. My neighbor was a hunter and took me duck hunting several times. Heck, even AR-15s are actually legally obtainable in Canada.The BIG difference I see between Canada and the USA is not necessarily the laws, but the mindset. There isn't a 'shoot first ask questions later' philosophy in Canada. There isn't this bizarre fixation on guns that I see here in the States. It honestly reminds me of how Samurai's used to revere their swords like they have mystical power.I don't know how easy it is to change this mindset. But that is at the core of why it is so difficult to get any traction on changes.

So just read that El Presidente is now indicating that the safety of our schools and mental health are top priorities for him.That's funny because if I recall, Trump reversed an Obama level decision that mandated background checks for people with mental illness:https://www.nbcnews.com/...-gun-checks-people-mental-n727221Isn't that interesting.

My suggestion is with baby steps. Outright bans on weapons won't occur in the USA like they did in the UK or Australia due to the Constitution. However, there are appropriate actions that could be taken if they were presented in a cogent and logical fashion.From my perspective, the two big issues relating to gun violence in the USA are:1) Insufficient background checks for gun ownership. Especially for individuals that suffer from various mental illnesses. Most Americans concur with better background checks, even many gun owners.2) Inner city crime between gangs and overall gang violence. This one is a little harder to deal with, but some suggestions here would be:- End the drug war. It is fueling the crime between gangs since most of that violence is related to turf wars between drug traffickers. You'll get the added bonus of mitigating the border issues as well.
- Tackle the Black Market. Most guns used by gang members are obtained illegally. Focus on that source of weapons and ammunition.
- Stiffer penalties for individuals that use a gun in the commission of a crime. Have mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenders who used guns in their crimes. And if anyone wants to know how you make room in the prisons, see my first item: end the damn drug war.These are just my thoughts, but I think pragmatic solutions could be advocated along those lines.

Canada's gun laws are pretty similar. You can actually purchase a lot of the same types of guns that are available in the USA in Canada. It's just that ownership is more restricted. Which makes sense in my humble opinion.I think the larger issue is the gun culture. While European's had guns and obviously used them, the American experience is different in that the pioneers often had to protect themselves and their property from would-be thieves or violent individuals. There was more lawlessness in the American frontier and as a result, gun ownership became a necessity in the past. Couple this with the American Revolution being handled in large part by armed militias and you get the situation that we have now whereby many Americans still feel like a gun is required to protect themselves and their property.Now I have no issue with someone who may want a firearm for protection. I personally have never had the need, but being that guns are so numerous in the USA, its hard to fault some folks who think they need to be armed at all times. Especially in some of the more high crime areas of the country.But as I mentioned in a previous posts, the gun culture issue is a hard nut to crack. But my assertion is that a better focus on the core issues that cause gun crime may be a prudent first set of steps. The drug war. Gang violence. The Black Market. If I was a Democrat, I would adjust focus to target those things. It would be harder for lobbying agencies like the NRA to rebuff those types of policies since it would be treating the disease directly.