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The_Dunedan - Thanks for clearing that up for me.
izin - You make a number of good points there. I can understand your theory of the slippery slope. I think we can all find examples of that is just about any law. But I think we can also agree that Paris Hilton most likely doesn't have the firearm culture to keep from putting a slug in the head of poor Tinkerbell by accident.
It's a tough one. On one hand, you don't really want to license people to own guns because then there is a master list somewhere of the guns you own (at least now they have to go through the distribution channel to get that information). On the other hand, when people with no experience with guns buys one and places it loaded and cocked in their dresser table - it makes responsible owners look bad.
You do have a very good point about CCW and hunting licenses though. When I got my CCW, all I needed was a money order and a background check. This was ok for me (I go to the range regularly), but personally I would almost have preferred to be required to take the NRA safety class and pass a test of the laws of my state. For the life of me, I can't get anyone to firmly answer if I can take my firearm on the subway (permit says maybe...).
Not to mention that I have no idea what I can do to a guy that breaks into my house. I'm sure we've all heard stories of the guy who shoots the intruder who was carrying a knife only to be arrested for excessive force. This type of knowledge needs to be collected and distributed by the government - since they made the blasted rules in the first place.
I think I'm just rambelling now. It's tough to balance the rights and privacy of the responsible with the desire to teach the unresponsible or untrained. Maybe they need a learning CCW permit.
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