Gun Control: How much is reasonable?

This week President Obama issued an executive order aimed primarily at closing the loopholes that allow guns to legally be sold without a background check. Unsurprisingly, this has generated quite a bit of controversy.

Many conservatives argue that the 2nd Amendment is clear: the Federal Government should not in any way restrict our right to bear arms. Liberals have countered with a different interpretation suggesting that our Founding Fathers meant that state militias should be free to bear arms. While I can understand why liberals think that, grammatically that doesn't make sense. If that's what the Founding Fathers wanted, they would have been more clear.

Having said that, imagine your neighbor who has a Ph.d in physics starts building a hydrogen bomb in his garage. Are you OK with this? Now I know what you're thinking. We have laws against that right? We do. I doubt you could find any sane person who would argue that the 2nd Amendment gives your neighbor the right to build a weapon of mass destruction within a few yards of your living room. So we all agree there is a line somewhere and atomic weapons are clearly on the other side. The 2nd Amendment does not give each of us the right to bear any type of arms. There are restrictions. So the question is what should those restrictions be?

Imagine if a driver's license was not a prerequisite for taking a car out on the highway. How safe would you feel knowing that many of those around you may not have any clue about the traffic rules and/or may have repeatedly violated them? There have been laws in place for years that require a background check when purchasing a firearm from a gun dealer. These were designed to preclude some people from buying firearms because they have indicated a serious lack of judgment. We could argue just how big the circle encompassing them should be but that's for another day.

Unfortunately, gun dealers are not the only place you can legally purchase firearms. They can also be purchased at gun shows and online from private citizens with no background check required whatsoever. The President's executive order will close these loopholes. It won't stop every bad guy from buying a gun. Nothing will stop that. Even if we outlawed guns altogether and went around collecting them from everyone that had them, there would still be bad guys with guns. Seat belts don't save everyone either but they save enough people to warrant their mandatory use.

I haven't convinced you? Imagine your four year old daughter running around the backyard squealing with delight on a warm summer day while you're inside making lunch. Unbeknownst to you, her shrieks have penetrated your neighbor's bedroom through the window he left open. After a night of heavy drinking and another one of those fights with his wife you've heard far too often, this felon with a history of violence is suddenly awakened and he's fuming. Enraged, he grabs his Beretta 93R machine pistol, a weapon that fires 1100 rounds per minute, punches out his window screen and sprays your backyard.

Are you really in favor of making it easier for him to purchase a gun?