Amendments 2nd and Otherwise. . .

I'm too big a fan of the 1st Amendment to get in arguments with fans of the 2nd. I figure the Bill of Rights comes as a set. Sort of like Tupperware without the pastels. 

James Madison wanted to assure the citizens of his new country had individual rights they didn't enjoy under King George III. 

One of those rights was to form a well-regulated militia. By saying "the right to keep and bear arms shall not be abridged," I figure Madison meant people have the right to acquire weapons and learn how to use them correctly. If they just get guns and don't really learn the right way to operate them, it won't do any good to a militia. And if they aren't competent for a militia, maybe they shouldn't get guns. So, background checks and required training must be part of it. Does this make sense to anybody but me?

I don't think universal background checks go against the 2nd Amendment. And, by universal, I think the states can handle it, but the data base should be national. 

I also don't think registering handguns is against the 2nd Amendment. We register cars and boats which can be stolen and used in a crime. Same should be true for handguns. Just makes sense.

As for clips with 30+ rounds, I personally don't like semi-automatic weapons. Heck, I don't even like automatic transmissions. Semis jam too easily. They have too many parts that can go wrong. So I have a hard time relating to anyone who wants to buy these humungous clips. But, I supposed they can be sold if the buyer can prove they have a reason to need them. 

Now, I'm not naive enough to think stronger gun laws will have much to do to reduce crime. If someone wants to commit a crime with a gun, he or she will find a way to get one. There is a black market in virtually everything. But, stronger laws may flag some people who are basically dangerous, but not necessarily criminal.

I don't know if this will help with these random mass shootings. But, I think it's worth a try. 

I think revamping the mental health system will probably do more. And for Elvis' sake, damn, we gotta get away from all this PC stuff. If somebody's creepy, tell the cops he's creepy. Don't be afraid to be wary of the local weirdo. Don't be afraid to use terms like "creepy," and "seriously odd" and "missing a few dots on his dice."  Yeah, the police may question a few harmless guys once it a while, but that's not the worst thing that can happen.