More Gun Control?  In the aftermath of the Aurora, Colorado movie theatre tragedy, there is new energy in the debate about laws regarding gun ownership in America. An old saying goes something like….”you can compromise on practice, but never on principle”.  There is lot of truth to this nugget, but the rub comes when we try to distinguish practice from principle.  The far left on this issue wants guns out of the hands and homes of citizens and the sole property of law enforcement and the military.  The far right demands that it is our right as Americans to own any type and just as many of any gun that we choose.  Once again, the sensible solution lies somewhere in between.

There is no question that Americans have a right and privilege, guaranteed and provided by our founding fathers, to own guns for their self protection.  This right should be further extended to the areas of hunting and sport shooting.  On the other hand, it is hard to justify exactly why any common man or woman should want to won an automatic weapon such as an AK47 or similar firearms designed for assault and attack.

I was born and raised in a rural area.  I hunted as a youth and even though I no longer participate in hunting, I allow my friends to hunt on my property and have no objection to it.  I own several guns, but none would be considered assault or attack weapons.  My home is somewhat isolated in the country and there have been occasions in my adult life when the rifle or shotgun has come off the wall when something strange goes “bump in the night”.  On the occasions when I have had to travel overnight from home, I have taken comfort in the fact that wife has a handgun within reach and knows how to use it if the need presents itself.

Obviously, I have no objections of gun ownership.  However, I do believe that it is absolutely reasonable to expect gun owners to be accountable for this privilege and deal with it responsibly.  I have no problems with outlawing commercial sales of certain types of assault or attack weapons that have no practical application in hunting or sport.  Further, I have no problem with registering my firearms and being held responsible for their control and management.  I know that many gun rights folks say that gun registration is simply a “foot in the door” and the next step will be outlawing guns entirely.   Unfortunately, there is some validity to this concern.   There are people in positions of power who will use gun registration as a stepping stone to a higher goal.  However, the issue at hand today is not that higher goal.  The issue today is trying to strike a balance between the right to own private arms and the common sense use of laws to protect society.  Even though it certainly will not solve all of our gun control problems in this country, outlawing certain types of guns and requiring responsible ownership through registration are two very good steps in the process.