My point is, along with the license, as I already stated, deal also with the lax punishments. You are right, the criminals still have the guns. Because the punishment vs reward won't make them stop. Slap on the wrist isn't working. So, murderers get several years, MAYBE life.
Violent crimes that currently get life--- fry them, gas them, inject them, whatever---death penalty. STOP giving the criminal more rights!! Free up the cells for less violent offenders. Part of the reason they go free is the overcrowding in the prisons, right? Repeated DUI offenders are still driving with licenses revoked...because they are not behind bars. Not behind bars because more violent offenders need to be behind bars. Some of THOSE guys are going free because MORE violent offenders need to be incarcerated. BULL SHIT!!! Stop with the humanity rights our country keeps giving these scum.
Guy breaks into houses stealing TVs, computers, whatever, and gets probation. Start sentencing them to YEARS in jail, not probation. Empty the violent lifers and there will be room. Murders and rapes will drop when they see the punishments being handed down, as will burglaries, DUI's etc.
How many people do you know, or yourself even, that "poach" deer? Shooting after legal hours(even by 20 minutes), or on side of a road/from a truck, shooting does, out of season, etc. Why do it? What is the punishment? The teens that shot the bucks on Eglin got a damn slap on the wrist. Lost hunting for that season only, small fine. AND they were still hunting even though they were not supposed to be. WHY? Lack of punishment.
Now, if your "firearms license" was revoked for 5 years--- means NO hunting, NO target shooting, confiscation of your firearms. Not on Eglin alone, Not only in Florida,but nationwide.
Would you think twice before shooting several bucks on the side of the highway if you knew those were the punishments?
If a DUI cost you your driver's license for 5 YEARS, first offense, meaning NO hardship license( because you need to drive for work), so you 'd have to get a ride from someone, or pay a taxi.
Do you think the 15 year old crack dealer will keep selling when he sees first offense jail time is 10 years? NOT probation(because such a young boy didn't know any better.) Multiple offenses---life. Keep life sentences for NON VIOLENT criminals. Violent ones get the VIP electric roller coaster. The only list the license would put you on would be a NON CRIMINAL list. Not a gun nut list. You need the license to hunt, target shoot, too. Teens would need one to hunt, to show they passed the hunter safety course. They have to show that now to hunt! It doesn't register your guns. Money has to be collected to pay for some of these hunting/shooting programs through the state. AS WELL AS the training classes to handle a firearm safely. I would rather have a license that says I took a class on handling firearms, then have every gun I purchase on a list, wouldn't you? That's the only thing the license would do. Put you on a list of someone that took a firearms course. NOT owning them. NOT carrying them. You took a class that showed you were proficient enough to carry a pistol safely in public. NOT that you were going to be armed at all times with 2 leg holsters, a shoulder rig, a belly band, and one in each pocket.
You took a class. You are not a criminal. Hell, you do the same for a driver's license now. Your kids have to take a class to show they can safely operate a car, doesn't mean they own one. Probably use yours, but they still took the class.
Think about the current gun restrictions, and what you can and cannot have. How long you have to wait, the paperwork you have to fill out. Now do away with all that. NO restrictions. No mass panic for ammo. The only thing is the clerk asks for your ID. Safe as buying beer in a gas station. Have the ID, here you go, have a nice day.
No ID, sorry, cannot sell the ammo to you. YOU can have firearms ONLINE delivered TO YOUR HOUSE. By sending a copy of your ID to the online store.
Doesn't even need to be a separate card. An endorsement on your driver's license stating your training level. Level, 1 level 2, Level 3. etc. Hunter only, pistol safe, carry qualified.
You can take the class where everything is offered. Handled the pistol well, and had no issues. Qualified and issued level 3. But you only hunt. Your wife took the same class with you. She too qualified as level 3. But she only hunted 1 year and didn't like it. She still has it on her license.
The wingnut at the range that keeps muzzle sweeping people, cannot buy a pistol, or the ammo, because he cannot safely show he can handle one yet. He gets hunter only. IF he passed the long gun portion. Didn't pass, well next year free class, or next month paid class with private instruction.
Even the liberal dipshit that want to show the media how dangerous an AR is, would have to have taken the class, paid for the license, just to show you. The class would pretty much show them the errors in their arguments when you cannot make the gun go off by itself, and no matter how fast you pull the trigger, you cannot get it to shoot 300 rounds a second. The fore grip does not make it assaulting, and 10,000 rounds of ammo is alot more of a pain in the ass to tote around than you think.
It's not only about the license. It's about punishment as well. Right now, as you said, they already get guns. Why not? Not really any punishment involved.
By the theory of since they get them anyway, might as well not control them, is the same as saying, since people rape and murder, might as well make them legal. It's the punishment that is wrong, not the control. The license part is more safety control. Teach you proper handling. Teaching you NOT to point the gun at someone else to show how kewl your new laser is. How not to leave your gun on the table for the 5 year old niece to pick up.
"accidentally" getting someone killed ro shot for your negligence.... goodbye license, hello jail time. I don't care how bad you felt. YOU CAUSED IT! Unintentional shootings can be stopped. THAT is one of the points "they" use to try to control guns. People that have zero training with guns have them. And are a danger. Train them. Minimize the danger.
Selling individually gets the same, check ID. No ID no sale. Get caught selling to someone without the ID? You just lost all your guns and license. How careful would you be to sell to then? That gangbanger might have passed the class. Still tries to sell it on the street, but if he gets caught, well drugs and guns... JAIL TIME. Without drugs, still jail time. If he is a felon that is caught with a gun. BIG jail time. Not a year, not probation. YEARS. Years as in a second time would amount to pretty much life in prison. Violent crime? As in armed robbery included? Refer to top of post for life sentence violent criminals.
Ideally, we wouldn't need ANY restrictions, or licenses for ANYTHING. Cars, hunting, fishing, guns....but humans are irresponsible. Have you every kept more than the limit of fish? Undersized? IF No one did that, we wouldn't need restrictions would we. Then we wouldn't have to pay for a license, which is collecting the money to pay the fish and game warder to monitor your fishing and hunting. But it doesn't work that way. People cheat. A little on this law, a lot on that one. MORE laws will not fix that. MORE restrictions will not fix that. Tougher punishments, however, I think will. But you still have to have a line that has to be crossed in order to get that punishment. That line is a law. That license, that you think is absurd, would keep you from going to jail, because you took the word of the guy you met online that wanted to buy your handgun. He said he was good. Are you willing to bet his word on whether he can be trusted? Or would you rather see an ID that said so.
