>>But isn't that the point? You are saying that people should be allowed to have guns, and the government should keep it's nose out of it. Doesn't that mean that my life is in the hands of each gun owners own concept of 'personal responsibility'? If I don't trust gun owners to necessarily understand the concept of or to practice any sane personal responsibility, then what are my options if the government isn't allowed to impose regulations?
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>Going back to the driver's license example. You are taking the same risks just driving down to the corner store. Do you trust each and every one else on the road to fully obey the laws and drive responsibly? Of course not. But (in theory, anyway) all drivers should have some understanding of traffic rules and driver responsibilities.

And their vehicles are registered, and they cannot get a license without supposedly passing a test. That's regulation. That's what you don't want to apply to gun ownership, but do you have the same adverse reaction to vehicle regulation?

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>The same should be true for gun ownership. Want a gun? You should have a license for gun ownership. General ownership, not per-gun like in so many other countries. It's anathema to the NRA (of which I'm a member), but I think it would cut down on accidents as well as help keep firearms out of the hands of some of the unresponsible.

I find nothing to disagree with in that paragraph as long as getting a license means passing some sort of test and registering the gun the same way as a car.

>I don't know how traffic is in Toronto, but in Houston it gets pretty nasty. I was struck by a pickup at 16, witnessed dozens of accidents (including fatal ones), and have been in a couple minor ones myself. But I can count on one hand the number of people I know that have been involved in gun accidents.

I imagine that is absolutely true. But again, vehicles are regulated. Why not guns?

>Don't take my stance to mean that firearms should be completely unrestricted. There should be restrictions (minors and felons, for example, shouldn't be allowed them), but as a law-abiding citizen, I should be able to purchase what I want (short of a bazooka) as long as I can prove myself willing to accept the responsibilities that go along with it.

But you're accepting the responsibilities that go along with it doesn't make me safe. If you happen to kill me by accident because you did something dumb with your weapon. Your accepting responsibility for it doesn't get me a damn thing.

I don't go along with the stupid concept of 'banning guns'. It is a pointless statement, impractical, and unmanageable. But I do want regulation and registration of firearms.

Again, if you don't mind registering your car or your kids, why the big deal about registering guns?