Gun Control

I have a solution, or at least a step towards a solution, in the gun madness that is America today. I accept that the 2nd Amendment says what it says. I think, from the historical context, that the purpose was to have the populace armed and ready to serve in the defense of the nation. It was intended that every citizen have a weapon, in readiness against whatever threat the nation faced. The weapon was what the soldiers of the time also carried. It was not intended to be an obsolete or ineffective weapon. It was intended that the citizens should be ready and able to form a militia on short notice, and be ready to defend. We have options. We can repeal the 2nd Amendment. I don't think that has any political chance at all. Nor should it have. We can allow the States to try various solutions, and wait for the Courts to decide what is and is not constitutional. We could all arm ourselves to the teeth, and let the good guys deal with the bad guys on a case by case basis. Or, we could take an alternative path. Sure, have the right to own and bear arms. But we should also bear the responsibility that comes with that right. Every right has a corresponding responsibility. That fact is lost on some people, who view entitlement as merely that. What if we made laws which required responsible citizens who own guns, to be responsible for them? Why not require that guns be kept locked in a safe, or with individual locks on them, so that casual theft and use would be reduced? Why not require that persons who do not keep their guns secure, be personally liable for harms caused? Criminally liable for failure to control their weapons? I am a gun owner. I could live with that. I still have the right to own, and carry. The gun I have on me does not need a lock, it is in my personal control. The one in my closet? That one is locked. If I feel a need for one in my bedside table at night, I need to lock it when I leave, so that it cannot be stolen readily, and used in mayhem against my fellow citizens. That is a pain, but if you carry, you know the pain. You worry about every detail. How do you carry without causing alarm in the public? What do you do when leaving the car, when crossing a state border, when stopped for speeding, when using a public restroom? What do you do if there is a robbery going on in the convenience store you just dropped in on for a diet soda? What to do when you get home, and lock the door behind you? What do you do when you get to work? It is a serious responsibility, and a headache you need to address, before you assert that right you inherited from the Founding Fathers. So, in our time of pain and self-examination, I offer an alternative path.