The NRA is (to me) and example of how dangerous an effective lobbying group can be. It seems to be clear that the majority of Americans want adequate gun control but the lobbying steers decision making away from it.

Now they are in a position where the horse has truly bolted.

The solution has to be a long and gentle pressure one over many years not a 'I need to win votes in the next election' one.

I'd suggest as a first step anyone buying an assault rifle has to sign up and attend to regular drilling of their local well trained militia. Preferably when its either very hot or very wet.

Amazed to just read in the paper here that an American can buy an assault rifle before he's old enough to buy beer.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/16/americans-age-to-buy-ar15-assault-rifle-mass-shootings


>Switzerland still has compulsory military conscription, with discharged Swiss males required until recently to keep their military weapon at home. Meaning at least one assault rifle or equivalent in almost every Swiss household. And yet the Swiss aren't shooting up their schools or conducting regular gun crime atrocities like the US.
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>It's also relatively easy to get firearms in other nations, despite what you might be told. E.g. in NZ you can purchase a semi-automatic ex-NATO battle rifle as long as you pass Police vetting to be a firearm holder- which I see the latest US shooter also sought and received.
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>So while I definitely agree that gun crime is higher where there's ready access to guns, you might want to consider what else must be going wrong in the souls of your countryfolk.
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>IMHO your biggest issue wrt stronger firearm controls is that there are already so many weapons in the USA (estimated 101 per 100 population, compared to 12 in South Africa and 6.2 in the UK) many of which are owned by proud citizens who will see it as the ultimate patriotic act to secrete caches of weapons for defense of their freedoms... with weapons then leaching from the caches for generations to come.
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>You might be better looking at the Ireland situation where terrorist crime was huge (despite gun control) until it evaporated quickly in the space of a single generation. Because of prosperity. All experience is that people with prospects and realistic expectations of a dignified worthwhile role in society, don't go around shooting up schools.
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>>>..he says nothing about gun control or background checks to get a gun -- hell he didn't use the word "gun" ONE TIME in the whole speech!!!
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>IMHO that's also part of the problem- a breed of politician that thinks talking about something can solve it. Don't forget that Trump has been there for just over a year after a chain of other presidents who were there for 8 years during which they gave rousing speeches about gun control. Would you be happier if Trump followed suit, giving rousing speeches but departing office with nothing achieved on the topic?