I just listened to a self-professed liberal democrat talking about solving the gun problem on a local radio station.
The guy is Dan Baum, and he was promoting his new book, "Gun Guys: A Road Trip" Gun Guys: A Road Trip: Dan Baum: 9780307595416: Amazon.com: Books -

His "Road Trip" took place a few years ago, and the book was set to hit the bookshelves just after the tragedy at Newtown. He help up the book just enough to make a mention of it, but all his views stem from the pre-Newtown trip. His opinions have not changed.

He makes some very good points--at least to this conservative/ libertarian--which should be note-worthy in itself.

He maintains that one of the chief areas of pride of gun ownership is NOT as the typical gun-grabber maintains--the desire to kill something. He says it is more the pride in safely handling devices, and teaching others to do the same, that are capable of killing things. I think this is a significant insight. The problem, as he states it, with the typical gun grabber approach is that it insults the gun owners, and more significantly, removes their expertise in safe gun ownership from the solution. If the gun owners take great pride in their personal safe handling of their guns, then wouldn't we benefit by having them as part of the solution?
He also mentions that we have over 3,000,000 guns in the country in private hands. Even if we banned all new weapons today, there would still be 3,000,000 guns out there.
He advocates a simple solution that doesn't require any government involvement. Following the tactics of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and later, the anti smoking crusaders, he wants to see a change in attitudes among gun owners. That new attitude would be that it is as unthinkable to not lock guns in a gun safe as it is to smoke in someone else's house. To those who say that a locked gun is of no use in home defense, he replies that there are quick opening safes available that permit instant access--no more restrictive than opening the drawer on the night stand. Guns should either be locked, or worn on the hip, or be in the process of transfer to another location or they should be locked in a safe.
He also points out that like many lobby groups, the supposed voice of the gun owner, the NRA, represents less than 5% of all gun owners.
Respect for the gun owner, and his knowledge rather than vilifying the gun owner, he says, would be a step in the right direction.
I tend to agree. Did you ever think you'd see me agree with a self-avowed liberal democrat on anything--especially anything as given to demagogic rhetoric as the gun issue?

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags